Leopard 2 A8 agreements signed by the MoD and international defence industry partners
The Ministry of National Defence and representatives of KNDS Deutschland, Rheinmetal Landsysteme and EPSO-G state-owned energy group international partners signed a Memorandum on industrial cooperation concerning constructions of Lithuania-based assembly and maintenance infrastructure for the Leopard 2 A8 main battle tanks. The project will be completed at a more efficient pace thanks to the major investment project statues granted by the Ministry of the Economy and Innovation.
25.1% of stocks of Lithuania Defense Services (LDS) owned by KNDS Deutschland and Rheinmetal Landsysteme are planned to be transferred to EPSO-G Invest. Parties prepare for agreement on cooperation terms in detail in 2026.
The Memorandum covers assembly of part of the tanks in Lithuania aiming for the shortest possible delivery terms and offer preconditions for capability development to the Lithuanian defence industry. In the wake of the agreement signature with the MoD, LDS will start building and assembly factory for the latest version of Leopard 2 A8. In its turn, Lithuania commits to contribute in developing the LSD manufacturing base and has signed an additional agreement on tank maintenance in combat-ready condition.
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Originally published on 11 Dec
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The Finnish Hydrogen Cluster has today published a hydrogen economy roadmap, which provides the guidelines and measures to elevate Finland into Europe’s most competitive hydrogen economy by 2035.
The measures presented in the hydrogen economy roadmap focus on areas such as initiatives to boost the hydrogen market, the increased availability of clean energy and biogenic carbon dioxide, project financing, and safety. Industry, the government, European Union institutions all need to do their part to enable investments in the hydrogen ecosystem.
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Originally published on 14 Jan
Ellex in Estonia advised SmartCap Green Fund on its investment into Taaleri SolarWind III, a renewable energy infrastructure fund managed by Taaleri Energia.
SmartCap committed €25 million to accelerate the development and operation of onshore wind, solar and battery energy storage assets across the Baltics, Nordics, Poland and select markets in Europe and the U.S.
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Originally published on 14 Jan
On 22 January 2026, the Rail Baltica Forum on European Connectivity, Security, and Cooperation will take place in Madrid, Spain, continuing the series of high-level Rail Baltica seminars launched last year. The forum marks the first Rail Baltica high-level event of 2026 and highlights Spain’s important role in advancing Europe’s cross-border transport connectivity.
Organised by Rail Baltica together with ICEX Spain Trade and Investment, MAFEX, and the Embassies of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in Spain, the forum will convene senior policymakers, representatives of European institutions, members of the diplomatic and defence communities, rail infrastructure managers, operators, and industry leaders.
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Originally published on 14 Jan
AI offers new opportunities that free up social and health care professionals’ time from administrative and repetitive tasks for more important duties, such as seeing people face-to-face. AI has been helping to automate patient data entry and interpret meetings. Moreover, AI can be used to assist in guiding clients to the right services.
In 2024, Sitra funded several AI pilots implemented in cooperation between wellbeing services counties and businesses. The pilots produced good results: for instance, AI-assisted logging of patient data helped to speed up professionals’ work and freed time for interaction with the patient.
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Originally published on 13 Jan
Homie, a Helsinki-based startup building a platform for relationship-driven B2B sales, has raised €1 million in pre-seed funding to support its market launch and international expansion.
The round was led by Superhero Capital, with participation from Antler. The funding coincides with Homie’s public launch, making its network-based sales platform available to teams across Europe and North America.
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Originally published on 13 Jan
The Latvian airline airBaltic announces that it has been named among the world’s top 50 safest airlines for the second year in a row by Airline Ratings, a global authority on airline news, passenger reviews, and safety evaluations. In its category, airBaltic improved its ranking, rising from 25th place in 2025 to 7th place in 2026.
Pauls Cālītis, Chief Operations Officer of airBaltic: “Safety is the foundation of every decision we make at airBaltic. This recognition by Airline Ratings reflects our safety culture, the professionalism of our teams, and our continued investment in training, modern aircraft, and operational discipline. Operating reliably in demanding winter conditions further demonstrate the robustness of our procedures. Being recognized among the world’s safest airlines for the second year in a row reflects our ongoing commitment to operational excellence and to earning our customers’ trust. We thank Airline Ratings for this recognition.”
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Originally published on 13 Jan
Project financing from Interreg Øresund-Kattegat-Skagerrak will support the establishment of a cross-border collaboration platform aimed at accelerating the use of renewable energy through CCUS (Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage) in the Øresund region, paving the way for the production of sustainable fuels.
Building on a successful pre-project focused on mapping specific areas of action, the initiative now moves from analysis to implementation with a three-year project, bringing together Danish and Swedish strengths in a Center of Excellence. The ambition is to make CCUS an integrated, cross-border element of the energy system, where captured biogenic CO₂ is combined with green hydrogen and renewable energy to produce fuels for shipping and aviation.
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Originally published on 13 Jan
Bechtel and Westinghouse tap Arabelle Solutions to supply steam turbine and key auxiliary components
Bechtel and Westinghouse Electric Company have chosen Arabelle Solutions to supply three half-speed Arabelle steam turbine and generator sets for the AP1000® nuclear project in Poland. The selection was confirmed by Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ), the Polish state-owned company developing the country’s first nuclear power plant at the Choczewo site in Pomerania.
Arabelle Solutions will provide the steam turbine and generator systems for all three units at the Choczewo nuclear plant, along with the major supporting equipment needed to run the steam cycle. In a nuclear power plant, heat from the reactor turns water into steam, which spins a turbine and generator to produce electricity.
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Originally published on 13 Jan
On December 3–4, the BalticSeaH2 consortium held its annual all consortia project meeting and General Assembly in an online format. The meeting marked an important milestone as the project approaches its mid-term phase.
During the sessions, consortium members presented completed project tasks and deliverables, as well as reviewed progress on ongoing activities. One of the key takeaways was that the implementation of the BalticSeaH2 project is progressing as planned, with approximately one-third of all deliverables already completed – 41 out of a total of 123.
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Originally published on 12 Jan
LTG Group company LTG Infra has signed contracts for land acquisition for public needs in the Panevėžys Railway Node and regional station areas, including engineering systems along the section between Kaunas and the Lithuanian–Latvian border.
The tenders were awarded to Tyrens Lietuva and a consortium operating under a joint venture agreement – Atamis (lead partner) and Projects House – which will carry out the land acquisition activities.
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Originally published on 13 Jan