LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Upcoming events in Lithuania for Thursday, November 16, 2023
- Thirty-four irregular migrants turned away on Lithuania's border with Belarus
- Lithuania would welcome Germany's decision to speed up brigade deployment – president
- Lithuanian president to announce by mid-December if he'll run for re-election
- Northway Group set to launch construction of Bio City in Vilnius
- Lithuanian transpmin calls Belaruskali arbitration claim 'normal procedure'
- Lithuania sees Germany as a priority destination for flight expansion – minister
- Resumption of military ties between US, China aimed to reduce tensions – Lithuanian formin
- Lithuanian president welcomes Russia's removal from UNESCO Executive Board
- Lithuania will consider economic rationale to close border crossings – president
- Lithuanian MPs back conclusion there are grounds for MP Zemaitaitis' impeachment
- Lithuanian parlt strips MP Grazulis of immunity in LGBTIQ contempt case
- Investing in life sciences is good for Lithuania – businessman
- Lithuanian govt not considering closing more border crossings with Belarus – PM
- Inlt community puts aggressor in its place as it ousts Russia from UNESCO board
- EC calls on Lithuania to cut emissions of several pollutants
- EC calls on Lithuania to ensure fairness, transparency of online platforms
Upcoming events in Lithuania for Thursday, November 16, 2023
VILNIUS, Nov 16, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Thursday, November 16, 2023:
PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to attend the BIO CITY construction launch event in Vilnius at 10 a.m.
THE SEIMAS' plenary sittings to start at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
A joint commission of the Seimas and the Lithuanian World Community to hold meetings at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
PRIME MINISTER Ingrida Simonyte to participate in the so-called "government hour" at the Seimas at noon; to meet with Chey Tae-won, chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry and SK Group, at 4 p.m.
HEALTH MINISTER Arunas Dulkys to pay a working visit to the US.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Vertimų skyrius
Thirty-four irregular migrants turned away on Lithuania's border with Belarus
VILNIUS, Nov 16, BNS – Lithuanian border guards have in the past 24 hours turned away 34 migrants attempting to cross into the country from Belarus illegally, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Thursday morning.
Latvia reported 5 attempts at illegal border crossings on Wednesday, and 59 irregular migrants were not allowed into Poland on Tuesday, according to the latest available information.
A total of 2,408 irregular migrants have been barred from entering Lithuania from Belarus at non-designated places so far this year.
Lithuanian border guards have prevented a total of around 21,600 people from crossing in from Belarus since August 3, 2021, when they were given the right to turn away irregular migrants. The number includes repeated attempts by the same people to cross the border.
The influx of irregular migrants to the EU's eastern member states from Belarus began in 2021 and is blamed by the West on the Minsk regime.
Almost 4,200 irregular migrants crossed into Lithuania from Belarus illegally in 2021. However, the vast majority of them fled Lithuania once they were allowed to move freely.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 239 64 16, Vilnius newsroom
Lithuania would welcome Germany's decision to speed up brigade deployment – president
VILNIUS, Nov 16, BNS – Vilnius would welcome Germany's decision to expedite the deployment of its combat brigade in Lithuania to complete the process by the end of 2026, President Gitanas Nauseda has said.
"Yes, I did speak with the German president during my visit a couple of days ago about speeding up this process as much as possible, shortening it. Time is not the factor that works in our favor," Nauseda said in an interview with LNK TV aired on Wednesday.
"We talked about 2027, but I said that Lithuania is committed to having the military infrastructure in place by the end of 2026, and if the German side sees possibilities to accelerate the process even further, we would of course welcome that," he said.
Nauseda discussed this issue with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier during his visit to Berlin on Monday.
Vilnius and Berlin started discussing the brigade's deployment in Lithuania to beef up regional security after Russia invaded Ukraine. The brigade's Forward Command Element is currently stationed in Lithuania.
The German Defense Ministry said last week that the core of the German brigade in Lithuania would consist of two tank battalions, with the third maneuver battalion to be initially formed by the German-led NATO Forward Presence Battalion Battle Group already present in the country.
Vilnius plans that the bulk of the troops will be deployed in 2026 and that the brigade's deployment HQ will be relocated to Lithuania in the last quarter of 2024. Germany intends to deploy a total of around 4,000 troops in the brigade.
Germany has been leading NATO's multinational battle group in Lithuania since 2017.
By Ignas Jačauskas
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 205 85 08, Vilnius newsroom
Lithuanian president to announce by mid-December if he'll run for re-election
VILNIUS, Nov 16, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda plans to announce by mid-December whether or not he will run for a second term in next year's elections.
"I will do this before I leave for the European Council (meeting) scheduled for December 14-15," Nauseda said in an interview with LNK TV aired on Wednesday. "I will announce my final answer regarding May 2024 (elections) before this important European Council meeting.
"Basically, I have made up my mind; there is only one unknown for which I will soon receive an answer," he added.
Opinion polls show Nauseda, who began his first presidential in the summer of 2019, as the clear favorite in next May's elections.
By Ignas Jačauskas
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 205 85 08, Vilnius newsroom
Northway Group set to launch construction of Bio City in Vilnius
VILNIUS, Nov 16, BNS – Northway, a group of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies owned by scientist and entrepreneur Vladas Algirdas Bumelis, is launching the construction of Bio City, the largest biotechnology complex in Europe, in Vilnius on Thursday.
"This city will create huge economic, intellectual and social benefits and will make Lithuania's name known around the world," the group has said.
Bio City is planned to house six different complexes, including gene therapy, research and experimental development and virology centers, and stem cell research and 3D bioprinting laboratories.
Bumelis says Bio City will be about the size of 50 football fields.
Plans call for investing around 7 billion euros in four factories and two research centers and creating more than 2,000 new jobs over ten years.
"The complex we are starting to build is unique," Bumelis told LRT Radio on Thursday. "There is no other complex like it in the Baltics or, of course, in Lithuania, and it will be one of the leaders in Europe."
"We want to show that Lithuania is truly a high-tech country," he added.
According to him, the Gene Therapy Center, Bio City's first complex, is expected to start its operations in the second quarter of 2024.
Lithuania aims for biotechnology to contribute at least 5 percent of its GDP by 2030.
By Giedrius Gaidamavičius, Jūratė Skėrytė
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 239 64 16, Vilnius newsroom
Lithuanian transpmin calls Belaruskali arbitration claim 'normal procedure'
VILNIUS, Nov 16, BNS – Belaruskali's arbitration claim against Lithuania seeking damages for the half the transit of its fertilizers is "a normal procedure", Transport Minister Marius Skuodis said on Thursday.
"Investment arbitration proceedings are nothing new. Lithuania has had them before and I have no doubt there will be many more. It is a normal procedure when one party challenges a provision based on intergovernmental agreements," Skuodis told the Ziniu Radijas radio station.
The minister did not comment on Belaruskali's claim in detail, citing the confidentiality of the arbitration proceedings as the reason.
"From the experience of various other arbitration processes, we can see that even unclear emails from politicians are sometimes used in such procedures, so it is better to refrain from comments and generally accept it as a normal procedure," he said.
Belaruskali's fertilizer exports via Lithuania stopped on February 1, 2022 after the government ordered state-owned Lietuvos Gelezinkeliai (Lithuanian Railways, LTG) to terminate its long-term contract with the Belarusian manufacturer.
The TV3.lt online news site has reported that Belarus' potash fertilizer giant is claiming around a billion euros in damages from Lithuania.
The Cabinet in January 2022 endorsed the conclusion by a special governmental commission vetting deals by strategic enterprises that LTG's contract with Belaruskali was not in line with national security interests and therefore had to be terminated as of February 1.
The transit of Belaruskali fertilizers from Belarus' border to the Lithuanian seaport of Klaipeda had been going on for more than a decade and was originally set to continue until the end of 2023 under the contract.
Belaruskali's fertilizers were handled at the port by Biriu Kroviniu Terminalas (BKT), a bulk cargo terminal controlled by Igor Udovickij, a local businessman, and the Belarusian manufacturer.
By Giedrius Gaidamavičius
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Vilnius newsroom
Lithuania sees Germany as a priority destination for flight expansion – minister
VILNIUS, Nov 16, BNS – Germany is a priority destination when expanding flights from Lithuania, Transport Minister Marius Skuodis said on Thursday, adding that Lietuvos Oro Uostai (Lithuanian Airports, LTOU) is holding talks on this with airlines.
"Germany is currently the focus in negotiations between airports and airlines. Since the airports have all the necessary tools today, I do have high expectations for the outcome," he told the Ziniu Radijas radio station.
The aim is to attract flights to Germany's strategic transport hubs, including Hamburg and Dusseldorf, and more frequent flights to Berlin, according to Skuodis.
"Our focus is definitely on some of Germany's strategic hubs," the minister said.
"We have a connection to Munich and its frequency will only increase in the future," he said. "We would like to have flights to Hamburg (...) and Dusseldorf, and of course, we also need a higher frequency to Berlin."
Germany is leading NATO's multinational battalion stationed in Lithuania and is planning to deploy a combat brigade in the country in the coming years.
In late October, the Transport Ministry, the Economy and Innovation Ministry, and Vilnius City Municipality signed a tripartite agreement on a list of routes important for business and inbound tourism and on measures to promote flights to and from the capital.
The agreement calls for allocating around 10 million euros for the purpose in 2024.
It lists 27 priority destinations, 23 of which are from Vilnius. These include New York, Brussels, Dublin, London, Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin, Warsaw, Krakow and others.
By Valdas Pryšmantas
Editor: Roma Pakėnienė
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Vilnius newsroom
Resumption of military ties between US, China aimed to reduce tensions – Lithuanian formin
VILNIUS, Nov 16, BNS – Washington and Beijing's agreement to resume military ties is a means of reducing tensions, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis says.
"I welcome it as a means of reducing tensions," he told reporters at the Seimas on Thursday. "I have recently been to Asia and this particular trip was around the South China Sea and the tension, even of a potential conflict, is very palpable, much more palpable than what we believe here."
US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met in San Francisco on Wednesday and agreed to re-establish military ties that were severed by China after the then Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last year.
Landsbergis says the resumption of military ties between the two countries is a signal to China's neighbors that there are ways to reduce tensions.
According to the minister, the decision also shows that "a military threat is not an inevitability that everyone is afraid of".
By Greta Zulonaitė
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Vilnius newsroom
Lithuanian president welcomes Russia's removal from UNESCO Executive Board
VILNIUS, Nov 16, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda on Thursday welcomed the decision not to elect Russia to the Executive Board of UNESCO and called for Moscow's removal from the UN Security Council.
"Great news – Russia has been ousted from the UNESCO Executive Board," Nauseda posted on the X social media platform. "The aggressor that destroys cultural heritage in Ukraine does not deserve to have a say in building a culture of peace&prosperity."
"Next step – removing Russia from the UN Security Council," he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced via X on Wednesday that Russia has not been elected to the UNESCO Executive Board for the first time in history.
"The era of Russian influence is over," he posted.
UNESCO is a specialized agency of the United Nations.
The UN Security Council consists of 15 members tasked with tackling global crises by imposing sanctions, authorizing military action, and approving changes to the UN charter.
As one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, Russia can veto any resolution.
Countries have long called for reform of the Security Council, whose five permanent members reflect the international power structure at the end of World War II, and since the start of the war in Ukraine, Kyiv and its allies have sought to remove the aggressor from it.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 205 85 08, Vilnius newsroom
Lithuania will consider economic rationale to close border crossings – president
VILNIUS, Nov 16, BNS - Lithuania will look into whether it would be economically rational for it to close its border crossings with Russia and Belarus, President Gitanas Nauseda says as Finland mulls closing its border crossings with Russia.
"The issue is topical as we live next to unfriendly countries, and we have borders with both unfriendly countries, and those borders are really very long," Nauseda told reporters on Thursday.
"I think Finland's decision is based on very objective information and data that they might face challenges of this kind. We will certainly continue to consider to what extent it is economically rational to reduce the number of border crossing points so that, on the one hand, our economy is not affected and, on the other hand, the security of our country and our people is ensured."
On Tuesday, Finland said it was considering closing border crossings with Russia, accusing Moscow of deliberately turning a blind eye to illegal migrants.
Speaking on Thursday, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said the overall security situation must be assessed when deciding on the closure of border crossings with Belarus, adding that decisions must be based on the rule of law. It is not right to have a "political button to shut down border crossings", he said, but a legal basis is needed.
The parliamentary Committee on Budget and Finance has proposed to the government to consider closing border crossings with Belarus or Russia through which most of smuggled goods enter Lithuania.
In August, Lithuania closed two of its six border checkpoints with Belarus – Sumskas and Tverecius. Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite said at the time the ministry would propose to close two more – Lavoriskes and Raigardas, but Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte later said no further closures were planned in the near future.
By Erika Alonderytė-Kazlauskė
Editor: Roma Pakėnienė
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 205 85 11, Vilnius newsroom
Lithuanian MPs back conclusion there are grounds for MP Zemaitaitis' impeachment
VILNIUS, Nov 16, BNS – Lithuanian lawmakers on Thursday endorsed the conclusion of a special parliamentary commission that there are grounds for the impeachment of Remigijus Zemaitaitis, a member of the non-attached political group in the Seimas, for of his anti-Semitic statements and social media posts after 82 lawmakers voted in favor, there were no votes against and no abstentions.
"In a country where thousands of Lithuanians collaborated with the Nazis and became tools of their ideological killing machine, in a country where almost all Lithuanians of Jewish origin were murdered, a member of the Seimas is spreading blatantly anti-Semitic propaganda. If you find this tolerable, it is a matter of your conscience," Rasa Petrauskiene, a member of the ruling conservative
For her part, Agne Sirinskiene, the elder of the non-attached group, said she lacked specific information on which Zemaitaitis' statements were anti-Semitic.
She wondered why linguists had not been consulted why decisions of the prosecution service and the parliamentary Commission on Ethics and Procedures Committee on Zemaitaitis' statements had not been awaited.
Sirinskiene believes the ruling block s trying to cover up something by initiating impeachments and has thus devalued the very impeachment procedure.
For his part, Zemaitaitis said: "I will make good use of your arguments at the Constitutional Court because you have just admitted that this impeachment is more of a political crackdown and a political effort to (crack down on) me".
He quoted the leaders of Turkey, Spain, Italy, the USA, Canada in their assessments of Israel's ongoing actions in Gaza.
"All nations and state politicians are saying what I have been saying, that the actions of one politician or another are arousing anti-Semitic feelings against the whole country," Zemaitaitis said.
After today's vote, a draft resolution will be submitted to the Seimas on initiating impeachment proceedings and turning to the Constitutional Court for it to rule on whether the MP's conduct does not run counter to the Constitution. If the court rules that there was a violation, the Seimas will vote on whether to strip the MP of his mandate. At least 85 votes in the 141-member parliament are needed to pass the motion.
Members of the ruling political groups in the Seimas initiated impeachment proceedings against Zemaitaitis for his public anti-Semitic statements and social media posts that, they say, are anti-Semitic and incite hatred.
The impeachment text quotes Zemaitaitis' social media posts, such as "It turns out that, besides Putin, another animal has emerged in the world – ISRAEL" or "We, the Lithuanian nation, must never forget the Jews and the Russians who very actively contributed to the DESTRUCTION OF OUR PEOPLE!", and others.
"After such events, it is no wonder why such sayings are born: 'A Jew climbed a ladder and fell down accidentally. Take a stick, children, and kill that little Jew'," the MP wrote earlier this year, referring to a folk counting-out rhyme.
Earlier this month, the Lithuanian parliament's temporary commission unanimously agreed that there were grounds for impeaching Zemaitaitis.
It concluded that Zemaitaitis deliberately, repeatedly, and purposely disseminated information about the Jewish people and persons of Jewish ethnicity that does not correspond to the truth, attributed serious and very serious crimes committed by other persons or groups of persons to the Jewish people, blamed the Jewish people as a whole for the actions of individuals of that nationality or of certain acts of the State of Israel or its institutions.
It is also pointed out that, when speaking about the State of Israel, Jewish persons and the Jewish people as a whole, Zemaitaitis "used derogatory, impersonal, stereotyping, dehumanizing rhetoric, and presented tendentious and biased evaluations of historical and contemporary events related to Jewish persons".
The commission stated that, as a high-ranking state politician, the MP had insulted and humiliated the Israeli ambassador to Lithuania, an accredited official representative of the State of Israel, had insulted the State of Israel, and had openly justified and endorsed statement encouraging violent crackdown on the Jews.
Zemaitaitis, who had been invited to cooperate with the impeachment commission in various ways, never showed up at its meetings as he called the commission set up by the Seimas unlawful.
For its part, the Prosecutor General's Office is conducting a pre-trial investigation into public contempt and incitement to hatred against any national, racial, ethnic, religious or other group of people. Zemaitaitis, who enjoys legal immunity, has been questioned as a special witness.
By Jūratė Skėrytė
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 239 64 16, Vilnius newsroom
Lithuanian parlt strips MP Grazulis of immunity in LGBTIQ contempt case
VILNIUS, Nov 16, BNS – The Lithuanian parliament on Thursday stripped Petras Grazulis of his legal immunity in a case where the non-attached MP is suspected of expressing contempt for members of the LGBTIQ community.
Eighty-three MPs voted in favor of the resolution allowing law-enforcement bodies to prosecute, arrest or otherwise restricting Grazulis' freedom.
There were no votes against or abstentions, with the majority of the opposition absent from the vote, citing "political undertones" in the investigation.
Several weeks ago, Prosecutor General Nida Grunskiene asked the parliament to lift the MP's immunity, saying that prosecutors want to bring formal suspicions of publicly ridiculing and expressing contempt for a group of persons on grounds of their sexual orientation.
Prosecutors opened their pre-trial investigation in May 2022 following Grazulis' public remarks about members of the LGBTIQ community.
On May 26, 2022, Grazulis allegedly insulted several members of the LGBTIQ community, calling them "degenerates" spreading STDs and suggesting that they seek treatment. The incident took place in the Seimas corridor shortly after a civil union bill aimed at legally regulating relations between same-sex partners in Lithuania passed its first reading in the parliament.
The Criminal Code reads that "a person who publicly ridicules, expresses contempt for, urges hatred of or incites discrimination against a group of persons or a person belonging thereto on grounds of age, sex, sexual orientation, disability, race, skin color, nationality, language, descent, ethnic origin, social status, religion, convictions or views shall be punished by a fine or by restriction of liberty or by arrest or by a custodial sentence for a term of up to two years".
Under the Constitution, a MP "may not be held criminally liable or be detained, or have their liberty restricted otherwise, without the consent of the Seimas".
This is the second time in this parliamentary term that the prosecutor general has asked the parliament to strip Grazulis of his legal immunity.
Grazulis' legal immunity was waived in December 2022 to allow bringing formal suspicions of abuse against him in the Judex case.
According to law enforcement, Grazulis abused his official position as an MP when he helped Judex, a Kaunas-based frozen food company, to solve its problems after Russian officials found listeria in its products in 2015.
In June 2022, the Lithuanian Court of Appeal fined the politician more than 15,000 euros for that and ordered the confiscation of over 3,300 euros.
The Lithuanian Supreme Court last week upheld the conviction.
The parliament has also launched impeachment proceedings against Grazulis for deliberately voting for another MP.
By Milena Andrukaitytė
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 239 64 16, Vilnius newsroom
Investing in life sciences is good for Lithuania – businessman
VILNIUS, Nov 16, BNS - As Northway, a Lithuanian biotechnology and pharmaceutical group, officially begins the construction of Europe's largest biotechnology city, Bio City, in Vilnius, the group's CEO Vladas Algirdas Bumelis says the creation of such facilities and investments in life sciences are good for the country.
"I am confident that the creation of such bio-cities or further investment in the life sciences field is definitely beneficial for Lithuania," Bumelis said at the construction launch event on Thursday. "If the state and the government have decided that life sciences are a priority, it should not change."
Speaking later with reporters, Bumelis said the centers that will be situated in the new biotech city will help pharmaceutical companies develop new drug technologies and carry out gene research.
The entire bio city will be about the size of 10 football fields, Bumelis said, adding that a total of around 7 billion euros will be invested in four factories and two research centers over the next decade, creating more than 2,000 new jobs.
"The complex we are starting to build is unique as there is no other complex like it in the Baltic states or, of course, in Lithuania, and it will be one of the leaders in Europe. We want to show that Lithuania is truly a high-tech country," the Northway founder told the public radio LRT on Thursday.
The project will be financed by the Northway group and funds borrowed from banks, as well as private investors, including pharmaceutical companies and investment funds. Bumelis said.
For her part, Economy and Innovation Minister Ausrine Armonaite says the construction of Bio City is "a huge achievement not only for Lithuanian businesses, but also for our country".
Bio City is expected to include six different research and production complexes, including gene therapy, research and experimental development and virology center, stem cell research and 3D bioprinting laboratories.
Lithuania aims for biotechnology to account for at least 5 percent of the country's GDP by 2030.
By Giedrius Gaidamavičius
Editor: Roma Pakėnienė
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Vilnius newsroom
Lithuanian govt not considering closing more border crossings with Belarus – PM
VILNIUS, Nov 16, BNS – The Lithuanian government currently is not considering closing more border crossings with Belarus, Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said on Thursday.
"If you have fewer checkpoints, then the question is whether you have less traffic or you have much longer queues," Simonyte told reporters.
"Now we have four checkpoints through which passengers and freight move, and I am not saying that further border checkpoint regime issues cannot be considered, but for the time being the government is not considering such an issue," she told reporters.
The parliamentary Committee on Budget and Finance has suggested that the government consider closing the border crossings through which most of the smuggled goods enter Lithuania from Belarus or Russia.
Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite confirmed that the committee proposes to close the Lavoriskes and Raigardas border checkpoints, and that this proposal will be considered.
According to the Minister, the closure of border checkpoints is an effective measure in the fight against smuggling.
"This was evident when we closed two border checkpoints in the summer. One of the main reasons why they were closed was because (...) we saw that there was no adequate X-ray equipment to ensure checks on vehicles," she told BNS on Thursday.
Lithuania closed two of its six border crossings with Belarus – at Sumskas and Tverecius – in August.
Bilotaite then said that her ministry would propose closing two more checkpoints, at Lavoriskes and Raigardas, but Simonyte said that no further closures were planned in the near future.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 645 093 86, Vilnius newsroom
Inlt community puts aggressor in its place as it ousts Russia from UNESCO board
VILNIUS, Nov 16, BNS - The international community has put the aggressor in its place by removing Russia from the UNESCO Executive Board, Lithuanian Culture Minister Simonas Kairys says.
"Firstly, the international community has put the aggressor in its place by sending a clear signal that the aggressor's brutal actions are unacceptable to the civilized world," the minister told BNS on Thursday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced via X on Wednesday that Russia had not been elected to the UNESCO Executive Board for the first time in history, adding that '"the era of Russian influence is over".
It was on Thursday confirmed to BNS by Mindaugas Gabrenas, an advisor at Lithuania's permanent representation to UNESCO.
According to Kairys, this decision is a clear signal that Russia no longer has such influence within the international community and that "the civilized world no longer makes compromises of the kind we used to see before the war in Ukraine".
UNESCO's Executive Board sets the strategic direction of the organization's activities, the minister added.
"Since it is such an international format and basically sets such a direction for the future, I would even view this as a signal we will have a future free of Russia's opinion," Kairys said.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 205 85 08, Vilnius newsroom
EC calls on Lithuania to cut emissions of several pollutants
VILNIUS, Nov 16, BNS – The European Commission has called on Lithuania to comply with EU law in relation to air pollution and to reduce their emissions of several pollutants to cut air pollution.
"The Commission has analyzed the latest inventories, together with other information reported by the member states … and concluded that Bulgaria, Ireland, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Austria, Portugal and Sweden, continued failing to meet their reduction commitments," the Commission said.
Lithuania now has two months to respond and take the necessary measures. Otherwise, the Commission may decide to refer the case to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Vilnius newsroom
EC calls on Lithuania to ensure fairness, transparency of online platforms
VILNIUS, Nov 16, BNS – The European Commission has called on Lithuania to respect EU platform-to-business rules ensuring fairness and transparency for business users.
Hungary has also urged to do that as well.
"Lithuania and Hungary have failed to provide national rules implementing the P2B Regulation with respect to its effective enforcement in due time," the EC said on Thursday.
Lithuania and Hungary now have two months to reply to the Commission and take the necessary measures. Otherwise, the Commission may decide to refer the case to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Vilnius newsroom
