The joint session of Estonian and Latvian governments will focus on five areas of cooperation

Before the joint session, the governments will undertake a trip to the Kuperjanov Infantry Battalion in Võru on Wednesday morning. A joint press conference of the prime ministers will be held after the session. The working day of the governments will conclude with the Award Ceremony of the Joint Award of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia for the Promotion of the Estonian and Latvian Languages at the Tartu Town Hall. The award will be handed over by Margus Tsahkna, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, and Baiba Braže, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia.

The ministers will also be discussing the challenges of their field at bilateral meetings.

At 3.10 p.m., a joint press conference of the Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal and Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa will be held, which can be followed live:

in Estonian: https://www.youtube.com/live/3tyvhrEcpxE

in Latvian: https://www.youtube.com/live/E52adNWKM2Y

The media will be able to report the events of the joint session day on the basis of prior accreditation.

This will be the second joint session in the history of the two neighbouring countries. The first similar meeting took place in 2018.

Agenda of the joint session of Estonian and Latvian governments of 27 August

Beginning at 1.30 p.m. at the University of Tartu Museum

1. Security and Crisis Preparedness

Presenters: Minister of the Interior Igor Taro, Minister of Economy and Industry Erkki Keldo, Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna, Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture Hendrik Johannes Terras, Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur, Minister of Energy and the Environment Andres Sutt, Minister of Culture Heidy Purga, Minister of Social Affairs Karmen Joller.

Both Estonia and Latvia have adopted a comprehensive whole-of-society approach to ensure security and resilience and have taken several bilateral as well as regional steps to strengthen their resilience. These include increasing defence expenditure, plans to establish the Baltic Defence Line, enhancing the protection of critical terrestrial and maritime infrastructure, developing cross-border ambulance services, investing in the protection of cultural heritage, and combating disinformation. The joint session will focus on potential further measures to increase the stability of the region.

There are plans to update the agreement on cross-border cooperation in combating crime by the end of the year, which supports the fight against serious crime, increases the efficiency of the cooperation against hybrid threats, and expands the role of regional authorities and law enforcement bodies in the management of joint operations.

With respect to the Ministries of the Interior of the two countries, it will be proposed to develop a joint action plan for the more efficient prevention of cross-border trade of illicit drugs and organised crime. The goal is to jointly counter the spread of synthetic opioids and to prevent criminals from using online platforms and digital payment systems.

Estonia and Latvia have strengthened their cooperation on strategic reserves, particularly gas reserves, and aim to extend this cooperation to other critical areas such as food, fuel, and medicines. In order to increase the regional security of supply, it will be proposed to conclude a bilateral memorandum of understanding concerning the security of fuel supply by the end of the year.

The Russian shadow fleet poses a significant threat to the maritime and environmental security of the EU and is an important source of income for the Russian war machine. Estonia and Latvia highlight the need for an EU-wide approach to strengthen surveillance, exchange of information, and deterrence. A joint approach is also proposed for advancing strategic communication, conducting threat analyses, and sanctioning the shadow fleet.

African swine fever is a serious threat to pig farming in Estonia and Latvia. Considering the high contagiousness of the disease and the lack of treatment, both countries wish to strengthen cross-border cooperation in monitoring wild boar populations and coordinating the management of animal by-products.

2. Connectivity and Infrastructure

Presenters: Minister of Infrastructure Kuldar Leis, Minister of Energy and the Environment Andres Sutt, Minister of Economy and Industry Erkki Keldo.

The discussion will focus on four main areas - rail transport, aviation, energetics, and development of spatial data.

Estonia and Latvia prioritise the improvement of rail connections, primarily the completion of the Rail Baltica main line in 2030, to increase trading and facilitate passenger movement and military mobility in the entire European Union. Strong cooperation between the Baltic states is essential to ensure sufficient and timely funding from the EU funds. It is important to launch the rail connection between Tartu and Riga as soon as possible.

In aviation, Estonia acknowledges the regional role of Air Baltic and is working in the name of freezing the fees at the Tallinn Airport in the upcoming years, thereby facilitating regional and international air services. Estonia and Latvia are strengthening cooperation to improve air services and are discussing possibilities to attract more airlines and new routes to the Tallinn and Riga airports.

Both countries wish to build a more integrated and efficient Baltic energy market, focusing on consumption management, renewable energy, and flexibility of the electricity network. There are also plans to tighten the cooperation in the field of nuclear energy. Special attention is paid to the development of the critical facilities, which will increase the resilience of the electricity network.

Estonia and Latvia also wish to increase the efficiency of their cooperation in the field of geospatial development. Accurate border mapping is important for ensuring security, effective crisis response, and clarity of land ownership. Currently, however, the border markings do not meet modern standards. The inaccuracy poses a potential security risk, which became especially apparent during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, when closing the internal borders clearly demonstrated the importance of the border marking from the perspective of public health, as well as security measures. Both countries are also exploring the possibility of using the aerial imaging capability of Estonia for the joint collection of geospatial data.

3. Shared Priorities in the EU Multiannual Financial Framework Negotiations

Presenter: Minister of Finance Jürgen Ligi

Estonia and Latvia have enjoyed great cooperation in the field of the multiannual financial framework of the EU and must carry on in the same spirit to ensure sufficient support to the initiatives important to us. These include increased funding for defence readiness, cross-border connectivity, earmarked EU funding aimed at addressing the challenges of economic and social convergence, resilience, and security faced by our countries and regions bordering Russia and Belarus and securing convergence of payment levels in Common Agricultural Policy.

4. Skills and Competitiveness

Presenters: Minister of Economy and Industry Erkki Keldo, Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas

Estonia and Latvia are faced with similar challenges in ensuring their economic competitiveness. The greatest issues include the capital markets, the lack of skilled labour, and fractured innovation systems. The neighbouring countries wish to implement joint strategies to strengthen their regional and global position.

The proposal is to develop a joint action plan by 2026 for promoting exports and investments to enhance the visibility of the Baltic States as a reliable investment region, to launch the Baltic Innovation Fund 3 (BIF 3) in September 2025 aimed at attracting additional private capital to the region, and to strengthen cross-border cooperation in deep tech development.

There are plans to develop and present at the EU level joint proposals for reducing bureaucracy in the current as well as the future budget period.

It is also planned to cooperate to better forecast the labour demand in new areas, such as the defence industry and dual-use technologies, to prevent lack of specialists from hindering the development of these sectors.

5. Digital solutions

Presenter: Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa Pakosta

Estonia and Latvia are moving towards a future where artificial intelligence and data play a focal role in the development of public services. In order to ensure a secure and ethical digital revolution, both countries must join forces in the fields of ICT management, data exchange, digital services, and the development of AI-based tools.

There is also a need to strengthen cooperation to preserve linguistic diversity in artificial intelligence and to ensure high-level AI development capacity in the Baltic region. Estonia and Latvia take part in a regional consortium with the objective of attracting the EU gigafactory initiative to the region and establishing a high-capacity AI development centre aligned with future demands. The project would strengthen the competitiveness and innovation capacity of the countries, as well as their strategic autonomy and regional security.

The experience of cable damage in the Baltic Sea region in recent years has highlighted the need for coordinated crisis exercises. Therefore, a joint tabletop exercise will be proposed to improve preparedness for crisis situations. Establishing a secure communication infrastructure along the Rail Baltica route is also prioritised, and the experiences gained from the joint exercises will be used in planning future data connections.

It is also planned to enhance the cooperation and information exchange in the field of hybrid threats, especially when it comes to cyber security and communication

Government Communication Unit