GRECO to assess corruption in Estonia
Inspectors from the Council of Europe’s Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO) will pay an official visit to Estonia on June 4 to assess measures the country uses to fight corruption.
Activities of judges and prosecutors will also be checked, reports ERR News.
“The organization will not comment on specific incidents such as the recent scandal involving allegedly illegitimate funding practices in the Reform Party,” says Jaime Rodriguez, a spokesman for the Council of Europe.
Nevertheless, he adds that GRECO condemns hidden donation schemes in political parties.
A GRECO report published in May cast shadow over the independence of the Estonian parliamentary committee in charge of supervising party funding.
Last week, the former MP Silver Meikar admitted to directing thousands of euros of questionable donations to Prime Minister Andrus Ansip’s Reform Party. He said that the party’s former secretary general, current Minister of Justice Kristen Michal, was also among those involved in the hidden donation scheme.
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Latvian commercial banks create joint enterprise
On Wednesday, May 22, the Enterprise Register of the Republic of Latvia registered a joint company - Kredītinformācijas Birojs – founded by a number of Latvian commercial banks – SEB bank, Swedbank, Nordea, DNB bank, Citadele bank and ABLV Bank. The goal of the newly founded enterprise is to have it function as a credit bureau.
Energy and taxes to be discussed in EU summit
EU heads of state and government are convening in Brussels to enhance energy market and limit tax avoidance.
Latvian residents travelled more often last year
The results of the survey on the domestic trips of Latvian residents show that the number of overnight recreational and other private trips in 2012 was 3.6 million, which is 11.8% more than in 2011.
Average income per capita in the Baltics exceed pre-crisis peak
The Baltic States continue to come close to the average level of the European Union – in the middle of 2011, the average income per capita in the Baltic states were above the peak of the pre-crisis period.
SEB: there is a 50% chance Lithuania will be eligible for Euro in 2015
The Baltic States have been the most rapidly growing economies in the European Union lately, and they can retain their positions in the future as well. Economic growth in Latvia and Lithuania is expected to slow down this year. That in Estonia will remain unchanged – 3.3% respectively.
Bank of Latvia: increase rate of the national economy to slow down
The general money offer index and attracted finances of credit institutions increased slightly this April. The general cash money demand, on the other hand, had reduced. There was also a moderate reduction in the general credit portfolio.
Apple and other great American companies that keep mountains of cash overseas
Apple found itself in front of a Senate Subcommittee Tuesday, May 21, defending its elaborate practice of keeping cash offshore in order to minimize their tax liability. But Apple is far from the only company that does this.
Oklahoma tornado: a lucky mistake in death toll
Oklahoma state officials have corrected the previously announced number of storm victims down from 91 to 24.
Economy Minister: Russian business interest increases in Latvia
There are two scenarios available for the development of Latvia's economy – stay smart and grow naturally, or use a basis of cheap expenses – attract cheap workforce, Latvian Economy Minister Daniels Pavluts believes. The minister points to the growing interest of Russian business in Latvia, which could potentially lead toward rapid development.
Ilves: Estonia is a world power in IT
Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves who is on a working visit to the UK to attend the Google conference Zeitgeist 2013 said in his speech that IT solutions have made Estonia a world power in terms of IT.
Oil deposit exploration in Latvia's waters; project managed by people close to Lembergs
The company responsible for oil deposits surveying in the Baltic Sea in Latvia's economic zone near Liepaja – Balin Energy with its Ocean Nomad drilling platform has reached 525 m depth below sea level.
EU bathing water continues to improve
The latest data on EU bathing water quality has been released, showing 93% of sites meet the minimum standards.
Syria and Israel in exchange of fire
Israeli and Syrian forces have exchanged fire across the ceasefire line in the occupied Golan Heights.
This week's special in Latvia – thunder and lightning
On Tuesday, May 21, most of Latvia's territory will have thunderstorms, which will be accompanied by gusts of wind, reaching 20 m/Sec.
Cypriot banks launder money, leaked EU report reads
It has been unveiled in a leaked EU report that close to 60 percent of the clients of a Cypriot bank are «high risk» as regards money laundering and a large part of all bank depositors' files present errors.
Lembergs on residents' complaints: not worth listening to chatter on the streets!
A serious competition for the seat of Mayor of Ventspils has been brewing for a good time against Aivars Lembergs.
Apple has avoided paying billions in U.S. taxes, investigation unveils
U.S. Senate has released a lengthy report outlining the corporate strateges the hi-tech giant has employed to avoid paying billions in U.S. taxes.
Latvian entrepreneurs have the longest hours in the Baltics
Compared to their colleagues in Estonia and Lithuania, Latvian businessmen are used to working longer hours. At the same time, they devote less time to physical activities than their counterparts in Estonia, even though they are more active than Lithuanians.
Friendship with Unity – the only thing that keeps Prudentia afloat?
The income Prudentia Advisers received from the agreement with Latvia's national airBaltic airline was the company's only source of income last year.
Microsoft monitors Skype more closely than previously believed, reports suggest
Your Skype conversations aren't very private, a new report reveals. In an experiment, tech news site Ars Technica found that two out of the four links they sent over Skype were accessed by a computer that matched Microsoft's IP address.
Tornado in U.S. moves on reaching 320 km/h in Oklahoma City
A suburb of Oklahoma City has suffered a massive tornado. 91 people, including 20 children have been left dead, Oklahoma state officials have said.
Reform Party: language problem popularization at kindergartens is a political game
The popularization of the language problem in kindergartens two weeks before the elections and without attracting experts is merely a political game, Reform Party believes (RP).
Education Ministry: the English language exam experiment was successful
The experiment with the centralized passing of the English language exam this March was fruitful, believes the manager of the State Education Contents Centre of the Latvian Education and Science Ministry Guntis Vasilevskis.
United Airlines restarts Dreamliner 787 flights
United Airlines is getting its 787s back in the air. The planes are returning after being grounded for four months by the federal government because of smoldering batteries on 787s owned by other airlines.
Riga mayoral candidate. Guntis Belēvičs: bull in a china shop?
Guntis Belēvičs, the Latvian Greens Party candidate for the mayoral position of Riga, describes himself as a successful businessman who doesn't need anything, for he has all. In other words, he has reached a state, in which he can fully devote himself to serving the society and development of Riga.
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Bono @ 2013-05-22 16:25:53
I guess the owners of Latvia metallurg work even more to rescue the firm.
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Orlov @ 2013-05-22 16:22:50
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Bozo the clown @ 2013-05-22 11:22:05
No doubt Latvia metallurg will highly contribute to the growth of that country.
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JPR @ 2013-05-21 19:07:44
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Oddis @ 2013-05-21 18:22:38
So, according to your logic, you can tax as much as you can as long as you can afford it?



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