The European Commission vows to provide additional funding for the construction of Rail Baltica, a high-speed railway project linking Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Last summer, the Commission allocated more than 350 million euros for the project, and plans to continue doing so in the future, according to Radvile Morkunaite-Mikuleniene, chair of Lithuania’s parliamentary Committee…
The Incukalns gas storage facility in Latvia – the only one of its kind in the Baltic States – is emptying, and is currently less than 50% full. Gas storage facilities in Europe are currently around 80% full, while the Incukalns facility has dropped to 49.7% of its capacity. “The whole Baltic region and Finland…
Stored reserves of natural gas serving not only Estonia but also Latvia, Lithuania and Finland are currently at 55% capacity, ahead of heating season, compared with a European average of 80%. The gas storage facility at Incukalns, Latvia holds the reserves for all three Baltic States plus Finland. Energy policy expert Andres Mae said: “As…
Estonian and Latvian ministers met in Tartu on August 16 to discuss transport connections between the countries, including a train connection between Tartu and Riga and Rail Baltic. Minister of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure Riina Sikkut (SDE) and Minister of Transport Talis Linkaits met in Estonia’s second city and agreed connections between Tartu and Riga…
Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform) set out on August 1 the initial steps in a joint Estonian-Latvian mid-range air defense systems procurement, joined by his Latvian opposite number. The procurement follows the announcement that Estonia will be buying, in a separate, $500-million procurement, six M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers and related…
June’s inflation in Latvia was higher than the average in the European Union and Eurozone, according to the latest data published by Eurostat. Compared to June 2021, inflation was registered in all EU member states in June 2022. In June, average inflation was 9.6% in the European Union and 8.6% in Eurozone. Compared to May,…
European power grid network ENTSO-E would connect to the Baltic States’ grids within 24 hours if the three countries were disconnected by Russia, the Lithuanian power grid operator Litgrid said. “If Russia disconnects us, even today, we would be ready,” Litgrid CEO Rokas Masiulis told a news conference on July 13. When asked whether a…