Featured Country: Baltic States

The three small countries Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, along the Baltic Sea in north-central Europe, are together referred to as the Baltic States. The three countries also share a common history. Annexed by the USSR in 1940, they regained their independence in 1991 and joined the European Union on May 1, 2004. Today, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are in many ways modern industrial societies. They are a market of 7 millions inhabitants and have a joint GDP of 97 billion dollars. The Baltic countries’ trade relations are very much oriented towards Scandinavian countries. Referring to these countries as a single entity is not really true from a cultural point of view. ! Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are three different countries, each with a different language and a strong national identity.

There are many good online resources that will help you do business in the Baltics. Get business news from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia on Baltictimes.com. Find government procurement opportunities in the three countries on Tedea.eu. For more information about each country, visit the useful resources Database of the Baltic Sea Information Center. And don't forget the website of the U.S. Commercial Service in Baltic States. The site gives extensive information about the markets through News and Guides, and programs a lot of conferences, trade missions and trainings.

If that's not enough, you'll also find plenty of good research at the FITA Mini Portals of Latvia , Estonia and Lithuania, features of the FITA Web site. The FITA Mini Portal of each country has an overview of the country, with facts about the language, currency, climate, etc., plus more specific information about the economy, markets, taxes, labor mark! et indicators, and tips on doing business in Baltic States.

Our Global Citizen and Travel Gap international health insurance customers who travel to Estonia can find English speaking doctors in Tallin at Sinu Arst Medical Center. In Lativia they can contact Livija Caune, MD who is located in the capital city of Riga and in Lithuania they are free to stop by the Baltic-American Medical & Surgical Clinic where medical expenses are direct billed. For more informationa and an international health insurance quote, contact Insurance Services of America at 800.647.4589 or 480.821.9052.