Nordics & Baltics
Sweden confirms second monkeypox case
The Public Health Agency confirmed another monkeypox case on Wednesday after a person living in Västra Götaland, in Southern Sweden, tested positive for the virus. This comes after the country’s first case was reported on 19 May. “The current outbreak shows what...
Ukrainian war means serious environmental setback for Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea has faced grave environmental consequences following the war in Ukraine. The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission – also known as the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) – currently chaired by Germany, suspended its meetings a week after the Russian...
Lithuania to send Ukraine military equipment worth over €15 million
Lithuania’s defence ministry and armed forces are preparing 20 M113 armoured vehicles, 10 military trucks, and 10 demining SUVs to be given to Ukraine. The equipment is worth about €15.5 million, the ministry wrote in a press release on Wednesday (25...
Finnish growth to rebound before slowing down
The Finnish economy will continue to recover and bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic before slowing down in 2023 due to growing inflation, tighter monetary policy, and the overall uncertainty caused by the Ukraine war, the OP Financial Group predicted...
Denmark to send Harpoon launchers, missiles to Ukraine
Denmark is contributing a Harpoon launcher and missiles to support Ukraine, said US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, after 20 countries pledged to send Ukraine fresh military aid in a virtual meeting on Monday. Twenty different countries, including Denmark, have announced...
Sweden’s vulnerable to receive 5th COVID jab
Sweden’s elderly and at-risk groups will receive a fifth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, Social Affairs Minister Lena Hallengren announced at a press conference on Monday. From 1 September, the elderly and people in risk groups are recommended to receive...
Lithuania now fully independent of Russian energy
Lithuania on Sunday dropped Russian energy imports including oil, natural gas and electricity, making it completely free of Russian energy supplies. Nord Pool, a pan-European power exchange, decided to stop trading Russian electricity from its only importer in the Baltic States...
Denmark confirms first monkeypox case
Denmark registered its first case of monkeypox after a Danish man travelling from Spain tested positive for the virus on Monday, Danmarks Radio reported. The case was registered at the Danish Patient Safety Agency’s emergency service on Monday (23 May). The...
Number of Finns willing to take arms to defend country at all-time high
More than four out of five Finns are ready to take arms and defend their country in case of an attack, while interest in voluntary training exercises is also rising. A record 83% of Finland’s population is ready to militarily...
NATO talks with Turkey will “take some time”, Swedish PM says
Talks with Turkey on its opposition to NATO membership for Sweden and Finland will continue but change may not happen overnight, according to Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, the TT news agency has reported. Almost a week after Finland and Sweden...
Russia cutting gas supply to Finland not linked to NATO bid
Russia’s decision to stop selling gas to Finland is not related to the country’s decision to apply for NATO membership, parliament Speaker Matti Vanhanen from the Center party said on Saturday. “It would be easy to say that decisions concerning...
Finland will not abandon Sweden during NATO process
Finland will proceed towards NATO membership at the same pace as Sweden, parliament Speaker Matti Vanhanen from the Center party told broadcaster YLE in an interview on Saturday. Finland and Sweden formally applied to join the NATO alliance on 18...
NATO’s Stoltenberg visits Copenhagen amid NATO accession challenges
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg visited Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Thursday and addressed the latest challenges that the region is facing due to Sweden and Finland having recently applied for NATO membership. During a press conference in Copenhagen with...
Finnish opposition get poll boost for backing NATO bid
The liberal-conservative National Coalition Party (NCP), a staunch advocate of NATO membership for the past 20 years and currently in opposition, has maintained and increased its lead in a new opinion poll. The National Coalition Party is currently polling at...
Swedish opposition calls for Turkey’s block on NATO talks to be ignored
Sweden should not give in to Turkish pressure, Liberal People’s Party MP Allan Widman told news agency TT on Thursday, citing Turkey’s threat to block accession talks for Sweden and Finland. Since Sweden and Finland announced their intention to join...
Export of Lithuanian goods sees huge surge
The export of Lithuanian-origin goods grew by over 30% in the first quarter of 2022, totalling more than €6 billion in revenue from January to March 2022, Lithuania’s department of statistics reported. “We see that the government’s efforts to diversify...
Swedish court sentences Belgian, UK nationals for breaking into military base
The Södertörn District Court sentenced a man from Belgium and the UK who broke into Muskö military base in 2018 for the unauthorised handling of classified information, broadcaster SVT reported on Wednesday. The two men broke into the Muskö base...
Finland and Sweden submit NATO applications amid strong Nordic support
The Swedish and Finnish NATO ambassadors submitted their applications to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday as Nordic countries close ranks to ensure their safety. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the Swedish and Finnish ambassadors, Axel Wernhoff and Klaus Korhonen,...
Swedish FM signs NATO application
Foreign Minister Ann Linde signed Sweden’s NATO application after her government decided to apply for membership following a parliamentary debate during which almost all parties appeared to be on board. In a historical moment, Linde signed her country’s application to...
Record number of Finns now favour nuclear to go green
A record number of Finns favour nuclear power, a fresh survey commissioned by Finnish Energy has found, citing fighting climate change as the main reason. According to the survey conducted in April and published on Monday (16 May), about 60% said...
Lithuania approves civil resistance bill
Parliament on Tuesday approved a bill drafted by the defence ministry laying out plans to engage citizens in national security strategy. The strategy will have three components: civil resilience, the will to resist, and practical skills in both armed and...
Cyberattacks in Lithuania surged when war in Ukraine began
The number of cyberattacks in Lithuania increased significantly at the end of February following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In the first quarter of 2022, Lithuania recorded 1,020 cyberattacks compared to the 981 the country registered in the previous year. Overall...
Finland tells Turkey NATO membership cannot be traded
Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto from the Green Party played down fears that Turkey could block Finland’s NATO membership during a parliamentary debate on NATO on Monday, saying his country would not be a safe haven for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party...