International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics
Thursday, 18.10.2018, 21:27
Companies have started to borrow more in Estonia
18.10.2018Companies took loans from banks and from elsewhere. Growth in corporate debt could be a sign of increasing investment. Households are borrowing enthusiastically, especially from banks. The risks from the rapid growth in credit are eased by growth in incomes and savings.
Keyword tags: Analytics, Banks, Economics, Financial Services
Number of newborn in Latvia keeps declining
18.10.2018Provisional data of the Central Statistical Bureau show that the number of births registered over the first nine months of 2018 (14 680 children) is 1 267 children or 8 % smaller than that registered in the respective period of 2017.
EU farm ministers raise Baltic fish quotas, angering environmentalists
18.10.2018European Union ministers agreed on Monday (15 October) to sharply boost catch quotas for western Baltic cod as part of new fishing regulations for next year that angered environmentalists.
Commission's Education and Training Monitor encourages reforms in the member states
18.10.2018The 2018 European Commission's Monitor shows that the member states made further progress towards EU-2020 targets in education and training. The Monitor analyses the main challenges for European education systems and presents policies that can make them more responsive to societal and labour market needs. However, differences among countries remain, showing that more reforms are needed.
Why inflation rate of close to 3% is healthy for Latvia at this stage
17.10.2018In September, annual inflation exceeded 3% for the first time in 13 months. For the second consecutive year, the consumer price rise in Latvia was slightly faster than in the euro area on average. This article will look at the underlying factors of the above and why an inflation rate close to 3% is a sign of a healthy economy at this stage.
Latvia ranks 42nd, Lithuania -- 40th and Estonia -- 32nd in World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index
Latvia ranks 42nd in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Competitiveness Index, still lagging behind Lithuania and Estonia, according to the latest WEF Global Competitiveness Report.
Apranga CEO notes trend toward fewer, but larger clothes stores
Major clothing retailers tend to reduce their total store numbers, replacing smaller stores with larger ones located mostly in well-known shopping centers, the chief executive officer of the Baltics' biggest clothing retail group Apranga said on Wednesday citing LETA/BNS.
Beer production in Latvia down 6% in eight months
With 57.04 mln liters of beer produced in Latvia in the first eight months of this year, beer production in Latvia dropped 6% from the same period a year ago, according to the State Revenue Service's data on excised goods writes LETA.
Annual inflation up to 2.1% in the euro area
The Euro area annual inflation rate was 2.1% in September 2018, up from 2.0% in August. A year earlier, the rate was 1.5%. European Union annual inflation was 2.2% in September 2018, stable compared to August. A year earlier, the rate was 1.8%. These figures are published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.
Lithuania posts one of EU's largest increases in new car sales - ACEA
New car sales in Lithuania this year continue to grow at one of the fastest rates in the European Union, the latest figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) show.
Estonia: Renewable energy production up 1/5 on year in Q3
Estonian power plants produced altogether 402 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of renewable energy in the third quarter of 2018, approximately a fifth more than in the same period the year before.
Export growth recorded in all Baltic states – Eurostat
Exports grew in all three Baltic states in the first eight months of this year, the latest figures from the European Union's statistics service, Eurostat, show.
Share of Baltic residents at risk of poverty higher than EU average – Eurostat
In 2017, 112.9 mln people, or 22.5% of the population, in the European Union (EU) were at risk of poverty or social exclusion. These figures are published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.
New fuel labels in the EU states: Commission’s initiative
This October all European customers at public filling station will notice new harmonized fuel symbols on fuel dispensers and fuel nozzles. It will give drivers better information on the suitability of fuels for their vehicles while helping them avoid miss-fuelling and provide adequate information on the environmental impact of the fuels used.
Problematic convergence: consumer goods’ consumption in the EU
There are striking differences among the EU states on households’ expenses for food, beverages and general consumption. Only about 10% of households’ income is used for consumer goods in such states as Luxembourg, Netherlands and the UK. Over 33% of income is used in households in Lithuania-33,7% and in Rumania -38,2%. Thus, the EU’s internal market’s convergence is far from perfect.
Social dimension in national policies 
