Posts Tagged ‘Latvia’
The best business idea at the Icebreakers’26 festival will receive €10,000
The author of the most promising idea in the business idea competition at this year’s Icebreakers’26 business opportunity festival will receive €10,000 to support the development of their entrepreneurial venture.
Icebreakers’26 will take place at the University of Latvia’s (UL) House of Science in Torņakalns on March 5. The festival’s central theme is “Change the Rules of the Game,” accentuating the audacity to think and act differently in order to create innovations and develop entrepreneurial skills. It is a theme that encourages participants to challenge conventions, step out of their comfort zones, and seek new solutions that drive change in business, research, and society. It encourages the use of knowledge, creativity, and collaboration as a foundation for sustainable development—and participants to not merely follow trends, but actually change the rules of the game.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 4 Feb
Read MoreSlovenian company NGEN Group enters Latvia: will develop energy storage project using Tesla technologies
At a media event hosted today by the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, it was announced that the Slovenia‑based energy company NGEN Group is entering the Latvian market with a €50 million investment.
According to information provided by investors, a deal has been concluded whereby NGEN Group has become the 100% owner of SIA “Liepāja ESS” to implement a stand-alone grid-connected battery energy storage project with a capacity of 100 MW and a storage capacity of 200 MWh in Grobiņa parish, Dienvidkurzeme region, at the Grobiņa substation. Construction work is planned to be completed this year.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 3 Feb
Read MoreMILA Joins the European Commission’s “Apply AI” Stakeholders’ Catalogue
We are proud to announce that the Latvian Association of Artificial Intelligence (MILA) has officially joined the Apply AI Alliance Stakeholders’ Catalogue.
This catalogue serves as the European Commission’s “official phonebook” of trusted organizations. It is the primary resource used by the Commission to identify stakeholders for shaping AI policy, participating in sectoral workshops, and attending annual AI Office gatherings.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 2 Feb
Read MoreEstonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Germany renew a four-party agreement in Tallinn to strengthen strategic communication and media literacy
Today, 29 January, the Secretary General of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jonatan Vseviov, the State Secretary of the German Federal Foreign Office, Bernhard Kotsch and the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Vidmantas Verbickas, signed a four-party cooperation memorandum in Tallinn aimed at strengthening ties between the countries in the fields of strategic communication and media literacy. The agreement was signed ahead of the meeting also by the Latvian State Secretary Andžejs Vilumsons, with Latvia represented at the meeting by the Inspector General of the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ilgvars Kļava. The agreement is an updated version of the cooperation memorandum first concluded between the foreign ministries of the four countries in 2015.
Secretary General Vseviov emphasised that in the context of growing foreign influence activities, disinformation and hostile propaganda, it is crucial to strengthen societal resilience. He noted that closer cooperation between like-minded countries is key to protecting and developing the democratic information space.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 29 Jan
Read MoreSödra’s divestment of its forest holdings in the Baltics is now completed
The agreement between Södra and the Ingka Group’s investment company, Ingka Investments, regarding Södra’s forest holdings in the Baltics has now been approved and finalised.
With the aim of doing what is best for the forest estate and for Södra’s long-term competitiveness, Södra decided in early 2025 to divest all its forest holdings in Latvia and Estonia. Since the agreement with the buyer in October 2025, a competition review and approvals from local authorities have been underway – a process that has now been concluded. The transaction, with a purchase price of 720 million euros, is therefore complete.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 30 Jan
Read MoreLatvia receives record-high EIB Group financing of €381 million in 2025
The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group increased financing for Latvia to a record €381 million in 2025 to speed up the green transition, strengthen infrastructure and promote loans for households and businesses. The EIB Group last year also opened its first office in Riga to anchor a closer partnership with authorities, companies and financial intermediaries in the country.
“2025 was a significant year for the EIB Group in Latvia,” said EIB Vice-President Karl Nehammer. “With record financing and our new office in Riga, we are now closer to our partners than ever before – supporting energy security, modern infrastructure and better access to finance for people and businesses across the country.”
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 30 Jan
Read MoreairBaltic Celebrates 30 Years of Connecting Riga and Tallinn
Riga/Tallinn. At the beginning of 2026, the Latvian airline airBaltic marks 30 years of operations on the route between its home base, Riga and its base in Tallinn. The first airBaltic flight from the Latvian capital to the Estonian capital took place on January 30, 1996, thus marking an important milestone in the airline’s early network development and strengthening air connectivity within the Baltics and between Estonia and the wider region.
Mantas Vrubliauskas, Vice President Network Management at airBaltic: “For three decades, our operations between the two capitals have contributed to stronger connectivity for Estonia, supporting both business and leisure travel. Over the years, airBaltic has steadily grown its presence in Tallinn, and today we offer a strong and competitive network of direct routes from the city. As the leading airline in the Baltic region, we remain committed to providing reliable connectivity for our passengers while continuing to explore new opportunities to further strengthen links across the Baltics. We also extend sincere thanks to our long-standing partners, RIX Riga Airport and Tallinn Airport, for their continued cooperation and support in airBaltic’s development.”
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 30 Jan
Read MoreairBaltic Celebrates 30 Years of Connecting Riga and Tallinn
Riga and Vilnius. Today, January 29, 2026, Latvian airline airBaltic celebrates the 30th anniversary of its route between Riga, Latvia, and Vilnius, Lithuania. This marked the airline’s first nonstop service linking the two Baltic capitals, offering customers fast, seamless, and reliable connectivity between Latvia and Lithuania, while also providing passengers from Lithuania with access to a wide range of destinations across airBaltic’s route network in Europe and beyond via RIX Riga Airport.
Mantas Vrubliauskas, VP Network Management at airBaltic: “Over the past three decades, our flights between the two largest cities in the Baltics have provided customers with convenient and reliable travel options for both business and leisure. Vilnius is also one of our home cities and this year we will expand our presence there by launching new direct destinations and increasing frequencies on various existing routes therefore providing our customers with more travel options. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our long-term partners, RIX Riga Airport and Lithuanian Airports, for their continued cooperation and support of airBaltic’s growth.”
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 29 Jan
Read MoreEstonia entrusts the development of e-resident biometric solutions to Latvian company
X Infotech, a Latvian software provider, has won a procurement for creating a technical solution for collecting e-residents’ biometric data via mobile devices, the Estonian Ministry of the Interior’s Information Technology and Development Centre (SMIT) has announced. The application to be developed will enable applicants for e-Residency, starting in 2027, to verify their identity securely via a smartphone application.
Submitting biometric data through a mobile app will make the e-Residency application process more convenient and faster, and is a prerequisite for eventually replacing the current physical card–based e-resident digital identity entirely with a mobile solution. The solution being developed must also meet the European Union’s eIDAS regulation’s stringent security requirements, ensuring that the e-resident digital ID remains usable for authentication and for providing electronic signatures equivalent to handwritten signatures.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 29 Jan
Read More€113 million in EU funding allocated to strengthen the resilience of Baltic and Polish electricity grids
The European Commission has allocated €113 million in funding from Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for critical Synchronisation infrastructure protection implemented by the transmission system operators of Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia and Poland. The implementation of wider range of projects aimed at ensuring energy security against potential cyber and physical threats began on February 9 last year, following the successful synchronization of the Baltic States with the Continental European electricity network.
“Having successfully completed the synchronization project, the Baltic States and Poland continue to invest in energy independence and security. We are grateful to the European Commission for supporting our ambition to make the Baltic Sea region a model for strengthening the security and resilience of critical energy infrastructure across Europe. This funding is the result of our consistent efforts and sets a new precedent, as until now the European Union had no dedicated financing for the protection of critical energy infrastructure. By consistently applying the lessons learned from Ukrainian energy specialists, we are expanding the scope of protection for our critical energy infrastructure projects. We plan to apply for further funding for resilience projects and are actively working to ensure that a long-term EU-level instrument for financing critical energy infrastructure protection is established,” – said Žygimantas Vaičiūnas, Minister of Energy of the Republic of Lithuania.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 28 Jan
Read More