Friday, June 5, 2026

Headlines

national security

Cigarette manufacturer donates drones to Lithuania to fight contraband cigarettes

To strengthen border control capabilities and expand the arsenal of anti-smuggling tools, the US-capital company Philip Morris Baltic has donated 7 industrial Autel Alpha drone systems to the Lithuanian government. The drones will be used by the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union, an organization overseen by the Lithuanian Ministry of Defence. The drones received are specially adapted for carrying out complex tasks both during the day and at night. The total value of the support exceeds 150 thousand euros. […]

Wants to restrict solar panels on agricultural land

Members of the Saeima faction of the United List want to achieve amendments to the law “On Land Privatization in Rural Areas”, which would significantly restrict the placement of solar panels on agricultural land. Such a draft law has been submitted to the Saeima Presidium. According to the intention of the draft law’s author, Edgars Putra, it should be prohibited to install solar panels on agricultural land if its quality assessment is higher than 30 points and the solar panels would occupy […]

The war in Ukraine – not only devastation, but also a business opportunity

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has created for Latvia not only a substantial challenge in increasing its military capabilities, but also the necessary conditions for our military industry to develop rapidly. The company Belss and its owner Tālis Ziediņš seem to have been the best prepared for this turn of events and are now reaping the fruits of 30 years of work since the company’s founding. At present, Belss and its partner Eraser’s drones […]

For military-oriented startups, European money is becoming more accessible

For manufacturers of new or significantly improved dual-use – civil and military – products, access to European Union co-financing has been significantly facilitated. Start-ups could be especially grateful for these amendments. The relevant regulatory framework, developed by the Ministry of Economics, was approved by the government on 21 October. Until now, it was stipulated that, in order to apply for support for the development of new or significantly improved dual-use products, project […]

Signature collection starts for the “Latvenergo referendum”

The opposition party Latvia First has nevertheless achieved that the Central Election Commission has initiated signature collection in order, after gathering the required number, to hold a referendum intended to include in the constitution a prohibition on transferring large state-owned companies for privatization without the approval of the Saeima, the CEC informs. “Only and exclusively the Saeima may decide on the disposal of property assets significant to Latvia’s national economy, which are state shares […]

Those living next to aggressor states want a special law for themselves: Without it, the border region will die out

A special law to ensure the operation of municipalities in the eastern border area is not only to be supported, but is necessary. This is the view of the heads of the borderland municipalities. The idea of the need for such a law was put forward by the Chairman of the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments, Gints Kaminskis. He acknowledged that people, of course, live throughout Latvia, but in the border area one has to face enormous challenges in providing services. In addition, the specifics of the region must also be taken into account […]

In the border area, there is concern about the purchase prices of properties needed for arranging the border: Thousands of hectares will have to be bought back

The proposal by President Edgars Rinkēvičs to expand the Eastern border strip by 30 meters means adapting at least 1,344 hectares for this purpose – buying back private property, cutting down forests, ploughing the soil. To make the border area safer, it will also be necessary to buy other properties from their owners. Due to a lack of information in the border region, this has already caused concern among residents, who are hoping for fair compensation, yet there is no information about it. […]

Owners of the military industry are not being anonymized yet: The government’s decision took 17 months

After 17 months of bureaucratic activity, the Cabinet of Ministers has criticized and rejected the initiative of the Saeima Defence, Internal Affairs and Corruption Prevention Committee to anonymize the board members and beneficial owners of the Ministry of Defence’s strategic partners, yet has not offered its own solution for their protection. The head of the responsible committee, Raimonds Bergmanis, believes that entrepreneurs in the military industry who have concluded supply contracts with the Ministry of Defence […]

A special representative of the Saeima will be attending to the Republican-led US Congress

Adapting to the new working style of the administration of Latvia’s strategic partner, the Saeima Presidium has decided to send its representative to Washington, the capital of the United States, who will be responsible for good relations with the US Congress. Lithuania’s legislature has had such a representative for a longer time already, and their performance can only be envied. The Chair of the Saeima Foreign Affairs Committee, Ināra Mūrniece, a representative of the opposition National Alliance, has called this decision by the parliament’s Presidium […]