A regular survey conducted by SEB bank covering large companies in the three Baltic countries shows that confidence in the economic outlook is at a low point in Estonia, trailing behind both Lithuania and Latvia, Peep Jalakas, head of corporate banking at SEB, has said. The survey describes how more than 300 large companies view…
Without a motorway and high-speed railway connection between the Baltic states and Poland, NATO would face problems if it had to defend the region against a Russian attack, the Polish daily Rzeczpospolita wrote. Neighbours criticise the Baltic States for being too slow to modernise Via Baltica, which the Poles say would be strategically important for…
Excise duties on most goods in Latvia will remain lower than those in Estonia even after hikes Estonia’s southern neighbor plans to put in place over the next three years, “Aktuaalne kaamera” reports. Latvia has no current plans to raise VAT, unlike Estonia, which increased that indirect tax by 2% at the start of this…
The average price of electricity in the Baltic States increased by 9% in August compared to July, to 106.95 EUR/MWh, JSC “Latvenergo” Financial Products Specialist Inga Martinsone said in the company’s latest Electricity Market Review. Last month the lowest hourly price of electricity in the Baltic States was -19.96 EUR/MWh, whereas the highest was 407.42…
As recession-hit Estonia seeks to boost defence funding with plans to raise value-added, income and corporate taxes, Lithuanian businesses and economists say Lithuania has a chance to increase its competitive position in the region, if it maintains the stability of its tax system. Lithuanian Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste believes that Estonia’s tax changes will have…
The Latvian national airBaltic airline promises to continue its expansion in Vilnius, increase its fleet of aircraft stationed there, as well as the number of destination offered there, as reported by the airBaltic CEO Martin Gauss. “We are expanding into Vilnius. Every year we increase the number of destinations from Vilnius. Therefore, we continue to…
As Latvia is moving to ban Russian instructions in ATMs, Lithuania is not considering similar measures. Banks say the Russian-language option is used by about 8% of their clients. The Latvian parliament is one vote away from banning instructions in Russian in the country’s ATMs. If the motion comes through, users will only be able…