Estonia joins UN protocol to eliminate discrimination against women

Estonia has joined the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), bringing more avenues to those whose rights have been infringed. The Optional Protocol entered into force for...

US troops will stay in Estonia, defense ministry says on heels of Romania drawdown news

An M2A4 Bradley Fighting Vehicle from the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division heads for the next location during an exercise near Camp Reedo, Estonia, May 16, 2025. The Baltic country’s defense ministry said Oct. 30, 2025, that U.S. forces are...

Preparing for War: Europe’s Return to Mandatory Military Service

Brussels is taking a major step in defense. After months of warnings about “Europe’s vulnerability,” the European Commission has unveiled a roadmap to reach “full military readiness” by 2030. The plan includes ambitious projects like the European...

Government slashes wage support and language training to rein in unemployment spending

The government has approved changes to labor market services that cut wage subsidy duration from one year to six months and end Estonian lessons via the Unemployment Insurance Fund. Under current rules, employers who hire individuals with lower...

Landowners will have to fight invasive plants in Estonia

The Estonian Ministry of Climate has submitted amendments to the Nature Conservation Act for consideration, and if approved, landowners will be obliged to control the spread of invasive plants, writes ERR News. Until now, the Nature Conservation...

Latvia adds big batteries to complete grid sync with Europe, two major Estonian projects secure finance

Latvia’s transmission system operator Augstsprieguma tīkls (AST) has commissioned two utility-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Rēzekne and Tume, describing the milestone as the final step in synchronizing the Baltic power grids with...

Estonian movies take center stage at 2025 London Baltic Film Festival

This year's London Baltic Film Festival (LBFF), which showcases some of the top features and short films from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania for U.K. audiences, gets underway on November 7. LBFF is the U.K.'s only celebration of cinema from the...

US troops to stay in Estonia – for now

Estonia’s defence ministry said on Thursday that US troops will remain stationed in the country, a reassuring signal following Washington’s annoucement earlier this week it will scale back deployments in Romania and neighboring countries. “We...

Tallinn Black Nights celebrates regional creativity with its expanded Baltic Competition

29/10/2025 - Eleven films from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will compete for the Best Baltic Film Award, highlighting the region’s vibrant cinematic identity and growing international acclaim Borderline by Ignas Jonynas The 29th Tallinn Black...

Polish jets intercepted Russian aircraft over Baltic Sea, minister says

Polish MiG-29 fighter aircraft intercepted a Russian reconnaissance plane over the Baltic Sea on Thursday in the second such incident this week, Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said, APA reports, citing Al Arabiya. Poland’s army...

General government debt per capita in Latvia reaches 10,600 euros

At the end of June this year, Latvia’s general government debt amounted to €10,600 per capita, according to information published by the Fiscal Discipline Council (FDP). When recalculating general government debt per capita, the highest debt level...

Estonia Reportedly Shoots Down Russian Drone; Is It A Signal Of NATO Resolve?

Russia-Ukraine War: In a dramatic escalation near the eastern edge of NATO territory, Estonia reportedly shot down a Russian drone around October 17 that violated its airspace — a move being seen as a rare, decisive show of force by the alliance’s...

Lithuanian Prime Minister: Poland May Reconsider Plans To Open Border Crossings With Belarus

3 Actions will be coordinated with Lithuania. Poland will coordinate with Lithuania on its plans to open two border crossings with Belarus. This was stated by Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginenė, reports LRT. - We have already corresponded...

US troops to stay in Estonia, defense minister says

The U.S. has confirmed it will not reduce the number of troops stationed in Estonia, Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform) said on Wednesday, following months of speculation about the USA's withdrawal from Europe. On Wednesday morning, the...

Estonia would consider sending peacekeeping troops to Gaza if US proposed it

Estonia would discuss the potential deployment of its troops to a U.S.-proposed Israel-Gaza peacekeeping monitoring mission, if a concrete proposal were made. Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur (Reform Party) told ERR that while there have been...

Estonia's district court heads staunchly against courts merger plan

The Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs is proposing changes to the Courts Act that would replace the current four district courts, two administrative courts and two circuit courts with three nationwide courts. This plan has drawn criticism...

Tartu's Siuru cultural center to cost €5 million more

The city of Tartu is now allocating an additional €5 million from its own budget to refurbish the planned downtown cultural hub, despite a cap of €92 million having already been applied. The additional €5 million is to be spent on outdoor areas...

NATO shoots down Russian drone in Estonia

NATO forces intercepted a drone near a military installation housing US troops in Estonia. The facility Camp Reedo sits less than 30 miles from the Russian border. Two drones were detected, with one successfully neutralized. The incident took...

Why Ukraine and Estonia are embracing government by AI

The governments of Estonia and Ukraine are racing ahead to harness artificial intelligence, which they believe is crucial to building societies that can fend off Russian assaults—whether by missiles or denial-of-service attacks. At Oct. 9’s...

Breathtaking Winners of the 2025 Epson International Pano Awards

“Last Fireworks” by Alex Wides (Italy). Open Photographer of the Year and Winner, Open Nature/Landscape The 16th annual Epson International Pano Awards has announced the winners of its 2025 contest, and the results are as breathtaking as ever....