The only - and for tourists very popular - rail way connection directly from Kaliningrad to Berlin has been taken out of the schedule. It was planned to begin as usual - this May but drastic increase in rail fares in transit has … Read More
Monthly Archives: April 2013
Polish political leaders among the 500 most influential people in the world
As the only representatives from Central and Eastern Europe outside of Russia, Polands Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski are listed in the May/June edition of the prestigious Foreign Policy magazine as two of the 500 most influential … Read More
Menthol cigarettes could be banned in Latvia
The Latvian government supports an EU initiative to ban tobacco and cigarettes that have a peculiar smell, such as menthol, vanilla and others. These are mostly thin cigarettes, Diena writes. The Healthcare Ministry has taken the ban initiativenotes because the … Read More
Sweden hit by 12 more cases of hepatitis A
Worse than first expected. Twelve more cases of hepatitis A in Sweden are probably linked to the same strain of virus first discovered in Denmark which authorities believe is caused by frozen berries,. It is the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet. reporting … Read More
Loans to improve energy efficiency in Finnish homes
Finnish households and housing companies can get loans for their endeavours to improve energy efficiency and achieve positive environmental effects. For instance to installation of ground heat systems, heat pumps and solar panels, the improvement of insulation and ventilation of buildings. … Read More
Poland’s pension system is ‘broke’ says Finance Minister
Polish Finance Minister Jacek Rostowski says that Poland’s pension system reforms are fundamentally “broke”. The government will now make a thorough review of the reforms. The minister underlines that nothing has been decided yet. In the newspaper Rzeczpospolita Rostowski is cited for saying: “Not … Read More
Proposal: Cat tax could save the lives of millions of birds
An “ecological compensation tax” could be the answer to cats killing around 50 million birds a year in Germany. Said by leading ornithologist Peter Berthold, head of the bird keepers at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Radolfzell on … Read More
Herald of spring: First cruise ship of the season visits Tallinn
Summer’s cruise ship season 2013 will be opened officially in the Tallinn Old Port on Tuesday when the cruise ship Astor arrives Tuesday. As a herald of spring Astor opens the season where - on the busiest days - up to 9,000 cruise … Read More
Insurance companies: Tax havens unavoidable
The current EU-discussions about combating tax-havens now gets a new perspective - this time from Finland the managing director of the Finnish Pension Alliance (Tela), Suvi-Anne Siimes, says that she finds it “virtually impossible” for pension insurance companies with international investments … Read More
Commission calls for cooperation to boost sustainable aquaculture in Europe
To boost the development of EU aquaculture, the European Commission has issued strategic guidelines, thereby cooperating with Member States and stakeholders in overcoming the challenges facing the sector. The EU aquaculture sector has a significant growth potential and can help … Read More
Lithuania will inform Latvia and Estonia of the procedings of new nuclear plant
Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius is preparing a letter to his Latvian and Estonian counterparts about new information on the prospects for building a new nuclear power plant in Visaginas. Butkevičius has told LRT Television that he is planning to discuss the … Read More
Random Riga: a story of 4 students, Russian kitchen and retro elevator
Latvia is a land of mixed cultures – this is something nobody will refute. Despite all the conflicts and major issues in terms of integration, the reality is that these cultures and nationalities live shoulder by shoulder every day. Yes, … Read More
Latvia registers EU’s second highest share of renewable energy in 2011
Latvia’s share of renewable energy in final energy consumption amounted to 33.1% in 2011, the second highest in the European Union, according to the EU’s statistical office Eurostat. Estonia’s share amounted to 25.9%, Lithuania’s – 20.3%, informs LETA. The highest … Read More
EU: Links with East make Lithuania attractive to Western Europe
The President of the European Economic and Social Committee, Henri Malosse, is convinced that Lithuania’s links to post-Soviet countries eastwards from the European Union make the Baltic state attractive to Western Europe. In a meeting with authorities of Kaunas, the … Read More
Poor pay: the flipside of Germany’s low unemployment
With its record-low unemployment (5.4%), Germany stands out among fellow eurozone countries such as France or Spain, suffering from sky-high jobless rates. Part of Germany’s success is due to a series of reforms pushed through by the Social-Green government of … Read More
Surprise survey: Half of all Poles do not know where Lithuania is
Even though about 70 per cent of all Lithuanians and Poles surprisingly want the two countries to cooperate and seek compromise, a survey created by the Polish Public Affairs Institute along with Professor Bronisław Geremek’s fund also revealed that almost half … Read More
Pirated and smuggled food sold in largest supermarkets
Estonian daily paper Aripäev has revealed that some of Estonia’s largest supermarket chains regularly buy food that is most probably smuggled to Estonia and without origin. Prisma Selver, Stockmann, Maxima, Comarket and ETK have been found selling canned fish products that are probably … Read More
785.000 pupils back to school Monday after 4 weeks of teacher lockout
The Danish government will end the ongoing teacher lockout by a bill that will force teachers to accept new working conditions. A majority in the Danish Parliament supports the bill that will end four weeks of treacher lockout. At a press conference this morning, … Read More
Mammoth found by boy will be tested in St. Petersburg
The remains of a mammoth known as Zhenya arrived in St. Petersburg Monday from the Krasnoyarsk region for study and conservation, Interfax reports. The study of the animal’s remains will be performed by 15 scientists from Russia and abroad at … Read More
Gdansk installs thief-proof e-books on trams
A series of e-books available on municipal trams has become the solution for the Baltic city of Gdansk after thousands of traditional tomes were stolen earlier this year. The city’s campaign with 5000 free books placed in nets on the backs … Read More