LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
IN THIS ISSUE:
- MET Group drops bid to acquire controlling stake in Lithuania's Achema Group
- Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, May 201, 2025
- Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus
- Lithuanian minister to attend summit on Europe's demographic challenges in Ukraine
- Sakharov conference in Vilnius to discuss global consequences of war in Ukraine
- Russian-controlled foundation financed pro-Russian lawyers working in Lithuania (media)
- MET Group drops bid to buy 54 pct stake in Lithuania's Achema Group (expands)
- MET Group saw no way to smoothly take control of Lithuania's Achema Group – CEO (media)
- Search for training area site will only begin now, decisions due in fall – vicemin
- Lithuanian govt's sole interest is keeping Achema Group viable – minister
- Humanitarian situation in Gaza is tragic, but we must talk to Israel – Lithuanian FM
- Government greenlights AI factory in Lithuania
- Lithuanian govt simplifies rules for major investments, defense projects
- Upcoming events in Lithuania for Thursday, May 22, 2025
- FM calls for probe as Lithuanian rep, diplomats come under fire in West Bank
MET Group drops bid to acquire controlling stake in Lithuania's Achema Group
VILNIUS, May 21, BNS – MET Group announced Wednesday it is pulling out of the deal to acquire a controlling stake in Achema Group, one of Lithuania's largest business groups.
"The legal disputes and the various uncertainties outweigh the potential benefits of continuing with the transaction," the Swiss energy company said in a statement.
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Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, May 201, 2025
VILNIUS, May 21, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Wednesday, May 21, 2025:
Members of the SEIMAS Group for Inter-Parliamentary Relations with Hungary to meet with representatives of the Hungarian Embassy and a guest from Hungary at 4 p.m.
PRIME MINISTER Gintautas Paluckas to meet with Boris Rhein, minister-president of Hesse, at 2 p.m.
SOCIAL SECURITY AND LABOR MINISTER Inga Ruginiene to pay a visit to Ukraine.
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Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus
VILNIUS, May 21, BNS – Lithuanian border guards have recorded no attempts to cross into the country from Belarus illegally in the past 24 hours, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Wednesday morning.
Latvia reported 37 illegal border crossing attempts on Tuesday. Poland denied entry to 191 irregular migrants on Monday, according to the latest available information.
Some 712 irregular migrants have been barred from entering Lithuania from Belarus at non-designated places so far this year. A total of 1,002 irregular migrants were denied entry in 2024.
The influx of irregular migrants into the EU's eastern member states from Belarus began in 2021 and is blamed by the West on the Minsk regime.
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Lithuanian minister to attend summit on Europe's demographic challenges in Ukraine
VILNIUS, May 21, BNS – Lithuanian Social Security and Labor Minister Inga Ruginiene is heading to Ukraine on Wednesday to take part in the second Ministerial Social Policy Summit.
Ignas Algirdas Dobrovolskas, the minister's advisor, told BNS that the meeting will focus on demographic trends and tools to address the challenges they pose.
Ukraine's Ministry of Social Policy announced that the summit in Lviv will bring together more than 20 high-level representatives, including ministers from EU member states, officials from the European Commission, international organizations, leading experts, and policymakers.
According to the Lithuanian ministry, Ruginiene will spend three days in Ukraine.
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Sakharov conference in Vilnius to discuss global consequences of war in Ukraine
VILNIUS, May 21, BNS – The 15th international Andrei Sakharov Conference is set to open in Vilnius on Wednesday.
This year's event, organized by Vytautas Magnus University's Andrei Sakharov Research Center for Democratic Development, is titled "Pulling Back from the Abyss" and focuses on the global consequences of the war in Ukraine.
The two-day conference will look at how the war has reshaped global politics and discuss potential paths to prevent a global collapse.
According to the organizers, the consequences of the war go beyond Europe. They challenge the founding ideals of the European Union, affect the North Atlantic region, including relations between Europe and the United States and US foreign policy in general, and have implications for political and military developments in the Pacific, as well as undermine trust in the effectiveness of the United Nations.
Nearly 30 participants from around the world, including experts in politics, psychiatry, neurology, philosophy and security, as well as researchers, journalists and writers, are expected to participate as speakers or panelists.
The Kaunas-based Sakharov Center holds the annual conference on May 21 to mark the birthday of the renowned physicist, human rights advocate and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Each year, the event focuses on a key human rights issue.
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Russian-controlled foundation financed pro-Russian lawyers working in Lithuania (media)
VILNIUS, May 20, BNS – A Russian controlled foundation has financed lawyers in Lithuania, working on the high-profile January 13th case on crimes against humanity, and has given money to pro-Russian individuals, the public broadcaster LRT reports on Wednesday.
At least three lawyers practicing law in Lithuania have opened accounts with Sberbank, a Russian bank that is also subject to sanctions from 2022, in order to receive payment for their work from the Russian-controlled Foundation for Supporting and Protecting the Rights of Compatriots Living Abroad (Pravfond).
Rysardas Burda, the defense lawyer of the Lithuanian citizens convicted of crimes against humanity in the January 13th case, has requested at least 60,000 euros from the foundation since 2018. Lawyer Julija Asovskaja has presented a bill of 15,000 euros to Pravfond for the representation of Gennady Ivanov at the European Court of Human Rights, and lawyer Nikolaj Voinov has also requested 15,000 euros for the defense of Albertas Galinaitis at the ECHR, the public broadcaster reports.
According to the LRT, among the people who have received from or applied for funds from Pravfond are Stanislovas Tomas, who fled Lithuania to avoid prosecution, Edikas Jagelavicius, an associate of Algirdas Paleckis, who is imprisoned in Lithuania for spying for Russia, and Viaceslav Titov, a former councilor in Klaipeda.
The foundation also gave money for Paleckis' defense. Meanwhile, Kazimieras Juraitis has asked the fund for money for the legal proceedings against Erika Svencioniene.
According to the public broadcaster, Lithuania's Financial Crime Investigation Service has not received any requests from Burda, Voinov or Asovskaja to withdraw money from the sanctioned entity. Therefore, such a transfer of their remuneration could be considered as a possible breach of the existing sanctions.
Established in 2011, Pravfond is under the supervision of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is headed by former Russian Ambassador to Lithuania Alexander Udaltsov.
Intelligence agencies in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and other Western countries have confirmed the foundation's direct links to Russian special services, and it's subject to EU sanctions from 2023.
According to the LRT, between 2012 and 2024, Pravfond has distributed over 6 million US dollars (around 5.4 million euros) to various activities in Western countries.
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MET Group drops bid to buy 54 pct stake in Lithuania's Achema Group (expands)
VILNIUS, May 21, BNS – MET Group announced Wednesday it is pulling out of its planned acquisition of a 54.7 percent stake in Achema Group, one of Lithuania's largest business groups.
"MET Group has decided not to proceed with the transaction to acquire 54.07 percent of shares in Achema Group," the Swiss energy company said in a statement.
"The legal disputes and the various uncertainties outweigh the potential benefits of continuing with the transaction," it said.
"We are thankful for the support we have received during the process, but at the same time we also encountered many challenges from which we can learn," MET Group Chairman and CEO Benjamin Lakatos said in the statement.
"We extend our best wishes to Ms. Lyda Lubiene and remain hopeful that Achema Group will navigate through the current hardships and build a strong future," he added.
MET Group said its decision to exit the acquisition process was driven by unresolved shareholder disputes within Achema Group over preemptive rights, which cast doubt on the ownership of the shares.
"This deadlock situation hinders the execution of any potential share transaction and consumes valuable resources and the focus of everyone involved," it said.
Another factor cited by the Swiss company was the significant and complex business challenges currently facing the fertilizer sector.
"The mitigation of this environment would require imminent and harmonized actions from all stakeholders around Achema Group," it said.
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MET Group saw no way to smoothly take control of Lithuania's Achema Group – CEO (media)
VILNIUS, May 21, BNS – MET Group saw no way to swiftly and smoothly acquire control of Achema Group, one of Lithuania's largest business conglomerates, after Arunas Laurinaitis, a minority shareholder, launched legal action, according to Benjamin Lakatos, the Swiss energy company's chairman and CEO.
"It was a fairly long process, lasting more than a year. However, we now see no possibility of completing the transaction," Lakatos said in an interview published by the business daily Verslo Zinios on Wednesday.
"The main reason is that the minority shareholder has gone to court over his preemptive right to buy the shares. We respect that right and Lithuanian courts, but we see no possibility of proceeding with the acquisition quickly and smoothly. A year or two is too long for us," he said.
According to the CEO, MET Group wanted to integrate Achema, the Lithuanian nitrogen fertilizer manufacturer owned by Achema Group, into its natural gas value chain and saw potential synergies between its own green energy plans and Achema's green projects.
"We put a lot of work into this deal. I get emotional when I see the added value we could have created. Simply owning assets is one thing, but being able to generate new value through synergy is something entirely different," he said.
Lakatos added that political rhetoric also played a role in the decision to walk away.
"Since we hadn't signed a share purchase agreement, we didn't start discussions with politicians and couldn't present our business ideas. The negative media coverage about our company came as an unpleasant surprise," he said.
MET Group on Wednesday announced its decision to withdraw from the process of acquiring a controlling stake in Achema Group.
The company revealed last June that it was looking to buy a 54.07 percent stake in Achema Group from Lyda Lubiene and her daughter Viktorija Lubyte.
At the time, the media reported MET Group's alleged ties to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Russian business people with controversial reputations.
In early February this year, Laurinaitis said he also wanted to acquire control of Achemos Grupe for nearly 303 million euros. After Lubiene objected, he took the dispute to court. According to the Liteko judicial information system, the Vilnius Regional Court has yet to begin hearing the case on its merits.
Lubiene currently holds 41.59 percent of Achema Group shares and Lubyte owns 12.47 percent, with the remaining shares held by 13 private individuals.
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Search for training area site will only begin now, decisions due in fall – vicemin
VILNIUS, May 21, BNS – A search for a specific site for a new military training area will begin in Lithuania only now and decisions are expected in the fall, Defense Vice Minister Orijana Masale says as Lithuania mulls setting up such a training area in the country's south or east.
"We will start a concrete search for certain sites, both looking into maps and specific locations physically. (...) I think we could talk about more specific areas where all this could potentially be located in the fall," she told reporters on Wednesday, adding that the search will start next week.
"We haven't looked into specific areas, we have clearly identified the regions where it could happen, but we are not really talking about specific districts and their territories, it is more geographically when it comes to regions," Masale said.
She reiterated that a new site would be situated in eastern or southern Lithuania in order to be "as close to the territories of unfriendly states as possible". This is necessary to ensure that Lithuanian and allied troops can quickly deploy to the right place in case of a crisis.
Also, she said, the new site should also be complex enough to allow troops to train in the most diverse conditions.
Masale told BNS on Tuesday said a special working group would search for a site for the new training area, adding that more information could be expected over the next few weeks.
The government also promises a package of benefits for municipalities that would allow setting up training areas within their territories. The Defense Ministry has already received a letter from the Association of Local Authorities in Lithuania with their preferences on what these benefits could be. According to Masale, municipalities hosting training areas could receive additional investment in, for example, roads or lighting.
Lithuania is looking for a site for the new training area in response to the growing number of allied troops in Lithuania, the rising number of conscripts and reserves and the acquisition of new military equipment. The new site would need a territory of 20,000 ha and it would be the largest training area in Lithuania.
Last fall, the Seimas decided to set up new training areas in Taurage and Silale Districts, but they will be smaller and will be used only for maneuvers.
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Lithuanian govt's sole interest is keeping Achema Group viable – minister
VILNIUS, May 21, BNS – After Switzerland's MET Group pulled out of the deal to buy a majority stake in Achema Group, one of Lithuania's largest business conglomerates, Economy and Innovation Minister Lukas Savickas said this was a business decision, while the government's sole interest is ensuring the company remains viable.
"Every company and investor makes decisions independently. Our goal is simple: to ensure that economic activity can continue and that the company's viability is maintained," Savickas told BNS on Wednesday.
"I believe that's our only interest, and we'll see what other logical steps the businesspeople themselves choose to take," the minister said.
"We don't make decisions for businesspeople. They make their own decisions, and we create the environment in which those decisions are made," he added.
Achema Group controls the Achema nitrogen fertilizer plant, which is on Lithuania's list of companies important to national security. The facility in the central town of Jonava employs around 1,120 people.
Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas has previously said that Achema could be involved in the production of explosives in Lithuania. According to him, the company has already carried out a feasibility study and selected a site for the future plant.
Paluckas has not ruled out the idea of the state, through its planned defense holding company, establishing a joint explosives manufacturing venture with Achema Group.
Earlier on Wednesday, MET Group announced its decision to withdraw from the process of acquiring a 54.07 percent stake in Achema Group, citing unresolved disputes between the Lithuanian company's shareholders as a key reason.
Achema Group comprises around 40 companies involved in fertilizer production, agribusiness, logistics, energy, and gas production and trading across the Baltic states, Poland, Germany, France, Belgium, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Croatia.
Editor: Roma Pakėnienė
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Humanitarian situation in Gaza is tragic, but we must talk to Israel – Lithuanian FM
VILNIUS, May 21, BNS – Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys has called the existing humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip tragic, but says it needs to be resolved through talks with Israel.
"The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip right now, as reported by various human rights monitoring organizations and humanitarian aid distribution organizations, is truly tragic," Lithuania's top diplomat told reporters in Vilnius on Wednesday.
In his words, Lithuania has a clear position on this issue – the border crossings must be opened, humanitarian aid must reach the people, and this practice is unacceptable. Lithuania backs all forms of persuasion and talks with Israel in order to allow aid to reach the people of Gaza, the minister said.
Budrys said he spoke about this with his Israeli counterpart last Saturday and pointed out to the existing situation, adding that it is this kind of talking and reasoning that produces results.
"We see that Israel is reviewing its position, and I think this is the right way for partners to move forward. If we have the instrument, we have the ability to talk, we have the arguments, the partner hears our arguments, and the situation, it changes in the direction that we all want," the minister said.
"When we see a bit later, in a week's time, whether the situation has changed or not, we will also see the reports from human rights institutions, then we will be able to assess what other measures we need to take"," he added.
By Aurimas Ragelis, Paulius Perminas
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Government greenlights AI factory in Lithuania
VILNIUS, May 21, BNS – Lithuania is set to establish an artificial intelligence (AI) competence and technology center, known as the AI factory, to drive the development of AI infrastructure in the country.
The Economy and Innovation Ministry said the government approved its proposal on Wednesday.
The project, worth 100 million euros, is expected to create up to 500 highly skilled jobs by early 2027, with the long-term return to the state projected to far exceed the initial investment.
"The AI factory is a strategic step toward creating an advanced and internationally competitive innovation ecosystem in Lithuania," Economy and Innovation Minister Lukas Savickas said in a press release.
"This center will not only help accelerate the adoption of AI solutions in business and the public sector but also create hundreds of high value-added jobs," he added.
Some 50 percent of the project's funding is expected to come from the European Commission, with the remainder to be covered by the state (up to 50 million euros) and private sector investment.
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Lithuanian govt simplifies rules for major investments, defense projects
VILNIUS, May 21, BNS – Lithuania's government on Wednesday backed the Economy and Innovation Ministry's proposal to allow the construction of large industrial facilities, as well as to implement defense industry projects, including smaller ones, without a permit and without notifying of the start of construction, if such facilities meet the state's urgent security and defense needs.
Ministers approved amendments to several laws to simplify territorial planning and the issuance of construction permits for such projects. The changes still need parliamentary approval.
The latest amendments come on top of the amendments adopted by the Seimas in April 2024, allowing local and foreign defense industry companies to start construction of factories without obtaining a permit and to obtain permits before construction is completed.
"We want Lithuania to be a country where a major project can start in a few months and be completed in a year or two. We are offering concrete solutions: cutting red tape, shortening processes and creating a truly functioning investment highway," Economy and Innovation Minister Lukas Savickas said in a statement.
According to the ministry, the simplified conditions will also apply to projects in free economic zones and include faster land formation, clearer planning rules, and simplified environmental impact assessment.
In addition, the motion also includes an overhaul of the application of corporate income tax breaks, so that they apply once a project has been completed, rather than from the start.
Major projects are considered those expected to create at least 150 jobs (200 in Vilnius) that would be maintained for at least five years, with an investment of at least 20 million euros (30 million euros in Vilnius) in private funds. Also, such projects could create at least 20 new jobs, but with an average wage of at least 1.25 of the average wage of the municipality concerned.
Such projects would be subject to a 0 percent corporate income tax for up to 20 years.
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Upcoming events in Lithuania for Thursday, May 22, 2025
VILNIUS, May 22, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Thursday, May 22, 2025:
PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to meet with German Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz at 11.30 a.m., followed by their joint press conference at 12.10 p.m.; the president and the German chancellor to partake in the inauguration of the German 45th Armored Brigade, also know as Lithuania Brigade, at Cathedral Square at 2 p.m.
PRIME MINISTER Gintautas Paluckas to welcome participants of an international conference on integration and inclusion at 9 a.m.; to attend a formal lunch at the invitation of German Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz at 12.30 p.m.; to attend the inauguration of the German 45th Armored Brigade, also know as Lithuania Brigade, at Cathedral Square at 2 p.m.
SOCIAL SECURITY AND LABOR MINISTER Inga Ruginiene to continue her visit to Ukraine.
FOREIGN MINISTER Kestutis Budrys to meet German Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz at Vilnius Airport at 9.45 a.m.; to attend the inauguration of the German 45th Armored Brigade, also know as Lithuania Brigade, at Cathedral Square at 2 p.m.
INTERIOR MINISTER Vladislav Kondratovic to attend a meting of EU ministers on building civi preparedness and resistance in Brussels.
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FM calls for probe as Lithuanian rep, diplomats come under fire in West Bank
VILNIUS, May 21, BNS – Lithuania's Foreign Ministry has called for Israel's immediate investigation of Wednesday's incident when foreign diplomats, including a Lithuanian representative, visiting Jenin in the West Bank came under Israeli fire.
"We can confirm that a Lithuanian representative in Palestine was visiting the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank with the diplomatic corps at the time of the incident. The Lithuanian representative was unhurt and has already returned to her place of residence. We call on the Israeli government to urgently investigate this incident," Kristina Belikova, spokeswoman for the foreign minister, told BNS.
The Israeli army reported earlier that troops fired warning shots on Wednesday after diplomats visiting Jenin in the occupied West Bank deviated from their approved route.
The Israeli army said in a statement that no injuries had been reported, adding that the army "regrets the inconvenience caused".
By Paulius Perminas, Vilmantas Venckūnas
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