LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Thursday, June 20, 2024
2. Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus
3. Lithuania’s formin to discuss cooperation with EU with his Armenian counterpart
4. Seimas of Lithuania to vote on defense tax package
5. Airbus A340s scheduled to fly from Siauliai to Sri Lanka, Philippines ended up in Iran (media)
6. Lithuanian president says he sees better EC candidates than Landsbergis
7. No place for people of dubious reputation in financial sector – Lithuanian finmin
8. Lithuania’s Litgrid to hand equipment worth more than EUR 4 mln over to Ukraine
9. Attempts to circumvent sanctions up 5 times in three months – LTG
10. Lithuanian president: Europe’s unification process must be completed after EU enlargement
11. Lithuanian parlt OKs Vaiksnoras for chief of defense
12. Seimas of Lithuania adopts defense tax package
13. Bank of Lithuania restricts access to CENTROlink payment system for Foxpay
14. E-voting cannot be introduced in Lithuania without guaranteed security is guaranteed – PM
15. Lithuania’s de-sovietization panel calls for renaming streets named after Salomeja Neris
16. Lithuanian formin meets Armenian counterpart, voices support for EU rapprochement
17. Lithuanian food institute's ex-director found guilty in EUR 300,000 corruption case
18. Lithuanian parlt OKs annual quota for third-country workers, tightens recruitment
19. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Friday, June 21, 2024

Upcoming events in Lithuania for Thursday, June 20, 2024

VILNIUS, Jun 20, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Thursday, June 20, 2024:

PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to meet with EU ambassadors accredited to Lithuania at 10 a.m.

FOREIGN MINISTER Gabrielius Landsbergis to meet with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan at 1.20 p.m., followed by a joint press conference.

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Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus

VILNIUS, Jun 20, BNS – Lithuanian border guards recorded no attempts to cross into the country from Belarus illegally for the third day in a row on Wednesday, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Thursday morning.

Latvia reported no attempts at illegal border crossings on Wednesday, too, and 62 irregular migrants were not allowed into Poland on Tuesday, according to the latest available information.

A total of 237 irregular migrants have been barred from entering Lithuania from Belarus at non-designated places so far this year.

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.

Lithuanian border guards have prevented a total of more than 22,000 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.

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Lithuania’s formin to discuss cooperation with EU with his Armenian counterpart

VILNIUS, Jun 20, BNS – Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis will meet with Ararat Mirzoyan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, in Vilnius on Thursday.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the ministers will discuss cooperation between Lithuania and Armenia at bilateral and international level, the situation in Armenia, democratic reforms and the country's ambition to strengthen cooperation with the European Union (EU), as well as the situation in the South Caucasus and the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process.

Landsbergis and Mirzoyan will sign a memorandum of understanding between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania and Armenia on cooperation on EU-related issues.

During his visit to Lithuania, the Armenian minister will also meet with the Speaker of the Seimas of Lithuania, Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen.

In March, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called for a broad public dialogue on the possibility for the country to apply to join the European Union.

This is yet another sign that the country is moving further away from its traditional ally Russia.

Moscow's full-scale war in Ukraine has intensified the EU's drive for enlargement, and Brussels has recently finally given the green light to Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia to start the long journey towards joining the Community.

Yerevan has reached out to Western countries, in particular the US and France, to seek new security guarantees.

Russia has been the main mediator in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict for decades, but in the last two years it has abandoned the area because of its war in Ukraine.

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Seimas of Lithuania to vote on defense tax package

VILNIUS, Jun 20, BNS – The Seimas of Lithuania on Thursday plans to adopt legislation on the establishment of a Defense Fund and on the taxes that will finance the new fund.

This will allow to allocate 3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) to defense.

The additional funds for defense are to be raised by increasing the corporate tax rate by one percentage point to 16 percent, by raising excise duties on all fuels, alcohol and tobacco, by imposing an annual contribution of 25 million euros on municipalities, and by introducing a levy on a part of insurance contracts.

The ruling coalition's desire to increase the contribution of local governments to defense funding has stirred the most controversy in the Seimas.

Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste on Tuesday asked lawmakers not to hold back the projects, promising to review the government's proposals to redistribute a part of the personal income tax funds allocated to local governments.

The Finance Ministry's proposal will be discussed by the Committees on Budget and Finance on Thursday before the plenary session.

The opposition does not agree that municipalities should receive less of the income tax proceeds; the Liberal Movement – part of the ruling coalition – has promised to oppose the proposal to increase the municipalities' contribution to the Defense Fund, while the third coalition partner, the Freedom Party, on the contrary, has proposed to increase it, because, according to the party’s MPs, the municipalities are expecting to receive 280 million euros in extra revenue this year, and their budgets have grown faster than the state's budget in the past few years.   

The package also suggests lowering the annual income threshold, from 45,000 euros to 20,000 euros, for those working under a business license, which would result in higher taxes for some self-employed individuals.

The Seimas has already approved one initiative included in the package – a one-year extension of the temporary bank solidarity levy introduced last year.

The Defense Fund's solutions would provide additional funding of almost 298 million euros in 2025, more than 421 million euros in 2026, and almost 437 million euros in 2027.

Politicians in Lithuania want to boost defense funding to 3 percent of GDP to speed up the establishment of a military division, to host the German brigade assigned to Lithuania, which is expected to be stationed in the country by 2027, and to prepare for universal conscription.

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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Airbus A340s scheduled to fly from Siauliai to Sri Lanka, Philippines ended up in Iran (media)

VILNIUS, Jun 20, BNS - Two Airbus A340s belonging to Gambia's leasing company Macka Invest Company, which were due to fly from Siauliai to Sri Lanka and the Philippines in late February, ended up in Iran, the vz.kt business news website reports on Thursday.

Their transponders were switched off once they entered Iran. Shortly afterwards, the aviation data platform ch-aviation reported on its website that one aircraft landed at Tehran's Mehrabad airport and the other landed at the Konarak airport in Chabahar in the south of the country.

A few days later, Flightaware's aircraft tracking website reported that one of the planes was at Kabul airport in Afghanistan, and then ch-aviation's database reported that it was back in Iran.

According to vz.lt, Mahan Air, an aviation company operating in Iran, this way got two of its aircraft in circumvention of the existing US sanctions related to Iran's nuclear program.

A third aircraft belonging to Macka Invest Company remained in Siauliai, but according to Aurelija Kuezada, director of Siauliai Airport, it was not allowed to take off because of the spare parts it carried.

"The plane was due to fly to the Philippines, but we assume that it could have landed in Iran as well. And nothing could have prevented that. So we just didn't let it go when we found out that the first plane had landed in Iran," Kuezada said.

Oro Navigacija, Lithuania's state-owned navigation service provider, told the website that the three planes did not raise any suspicions and their movement outside Lithuanian airspace was whitin the competence of air navigation service providers in other countries, so the Lithuanian air transport administrator no longer had any influence.

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Lithuanian president says he sees better EC candidates than Landsbergis

VILNIUS, Jun 20, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda says he sees better candidates for the European Commission (EC) than Gabrielius Landsbergis, the leader of the ruling Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats (HU-LCD) and Foreign Minister.

"I see better candidates, especially considering that this will not be a position of a foreign policy commissioner," Nauseda told the public broadcaster LRT's "Dienos Tema" (The Topic of the Day) on Wednesday.

The president said that Lithuania's desire to have a foreign policy-related post is ambitious.

“We want posts that are either economic or related to the enlargement of the European Union, and if the position of a defense commissioner is created, I think it would certainly be worth competing for it as well,” Nauseda said.

He noted, however, that the President of the European Commission had not yet been confirmed and that the likelihood that the current President of the EC, Ursula von der Leyen, would secure a second term was “not 100 percent”.

On Monday, Nauseda attended an informal EU summit in Brussels to discuss the distribution of key EU positions.

The president said after the summit that he would not be bypassed in negotiations on who Lithuania should delegate to the EC.

Landsbergis has been mentioned by the media and his fellow party members as one of the main candidates for a European commissioner.

The leader of the Conservatives has insisted he would not comment on these rumors and said that Lithuania is not late in confirming its candidate for the EU’s executive arm.

The minor partners in Lithuania's ruling coalition – the Freedom Party and the Liberal Movement – say they expect the main coalition party – the HU-LCD – to unveil its candidate for Lithuania's European commissioner soon and argue that any delay will leave the country with an unimportant portfolio.

According to them, Lithuania is already too late because other Baltic countries have confirmed their candidates – ex-Latvian PM Valdis Dombrovskis is expected to continue as an EC vice-president, while Estonian PM Kaja Kallas is tipped as the favorite for the position of EU foreign policy chief.

Landsbergis admits that he sees the need for the coalition to discuss the EC nomination, but notes that the coalition partners themselves do not raise the issue in their meetings.

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No place for people of dubious reputation in financial sector – Lithuanian finmin

VILNIUS, Jun 20, BNS - There is no place for people of questionable reputation in the financial sector, Lithuanian Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste says as the country's law enforcement and supervisory authorities investigate the activities of Foxpay, a fintech company owned by Ieva Trinkunaite.

"The financial sector is an area that relies on consumer confidence, so in any case, people with questionable reputation have no place in this sector and the authorities will have to answer those questions," she told the Ziniu Radijas news radio on Thursday.

She hopes that the reputation of one company would not affect the fintech sector's whole ecosystem.

"We have really good examples of companies that are successful, reliable and provide a range of innovative services to consumers and create high value-added jobs," Skaiste pointed out.

Foxpay, which operates in the financial sector of strategic importance to national security, came under the scrutiny of the law enforcement authorities after the central Bank of Lithuania launched a review into the company's operations back in March to investigate possible breaches in its governance, the prevention of money laundering and the financing of terrorism, as well as the possible illegal activities of its customers and the handling of their funds.

The Special Investigation Service is also investigating possible non-transparent activities at Foxpay.

As BNS reported on Wednesday, Trinkunaite lied to the government commission that vets the transactions of strategic companies about her links with Vilhelmas Germanas (formerly known as Vilnius Zidelis), who has served time for financial crimes, in order to acquire Litlab, a company that manages an office building next to Vilnius Airport, from ex-minister Monika Navickiene's husband.

Moreover, Trinkunaite was found to have failed to cooperate properly with the Bank of Lithuania as it's carrying out a review of Foxpay's operations.

On June 5, based on the government commission's conclusion, the government found that Trinkunaite was not in line with the country's national security interests and determined that she had no right to attend and vote at the company's shareholders' meeting or to exercise any other non-proprietary rights of shareholders.

Trinkunaite' ties with Germanas cost Navickiene her post as she was forced to resign last week. Skaiste has been temporarily appointed to cover for her.

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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Lithuania’s Litgrid to hand equipment worth more than EUR 4 mln over to Ukraine

VILNIUS, Jun 20, BNS – Litgrid will hand autotransformers and other equipment worth more than 4 million euros over to Ukraine, the Lithuanian electricity transmission system operator said on Thursday.

“In preparation for synchronization with the continental European grid and modernization of our country's transmission lines and transformer substations, we are dismantling various substations, line equipment and materials that are no longer used in Litgrid's facilities but are in good condition,” a press release from Litgrid quoted its CEO, Rokas Masiulis, as saying.

According to the company, the Lithuanian and Ukrainian electricity systems use the same voltage, which are different from those used in many European countries. Therefore, the transformers and other substation equipment provided by Litgrid are suitable for the Ukrainian electricity transmission system.

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Attempts to circumvent sanctions up 5 times in three months – LTG

VILNIUS, Jun 20, BNS – The number of attempts to circumvent the existing Western sanctions against Russia and Belarus have increased fivefold over the past three months, from 74 in May to 14 in March, Lietuvos Gelezinkeliai (Lithuanian Railways, LTG), the country's state-owned railway group, says.

While the group is looking into the new trends, it cannot yet say why the number of attempts to circumvent them has increased so much, Gediminas Seckus the group's chief resilience officer, said.

He did not rule out the possibility that this is an attempt to test the effectiveness of sanction controls.

According to Egle Sime, CEO of LTG Cargo, the group's freight arm, 4 wagons were turned around at the border in March, 10 in April and 62 in May.

Most of the infringements were related to the transport of fuel or petroleum products. LTG Cargo did not approve a single application for transport to Russia or Kaliningrad in the three months.

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Lithuanian president: Europe’s unification process must be completed after EU enlargement

VILNIUS, Jun 20, BNS – The process of European unification must be completed after the enlargement of the European Union (EU), Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said on Thursday after a meeting with the ambassadors of the EU countries accredited to Lithuania.

The Lithuanian leader met with the envoys to discuss the results of the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council, the current EU agenda, support to Ukraine, security and defense, and the new EU political cycle.

According to the president, the European Council decisions will be implemented on June 25, when negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova on their accession to the EU will kick off.

Kyiv and Chisinau applied for EU membership shortly after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

“Europe is at an important juncture in its history. The fight for freedom and European values is taking place on our doorstep and the future of Europe is being decided. The results of the European Parliament elections point to the changing mood of EU citizens, which we must reflect in our decisions – in the EU's strategic agenda to build a strong, competitive and democratic Europe,” a press release from the presidential office quoted Nauseda as saying.

Speaking about the results of the Ukraine Peace Conference held in Switzerland last weekend, the Lithuanian leader said that it is the collective duty of the allies to demonstrate full solidarity with Ukraine and to support it until victory.

He also stressed the importance of effective military assistance to Ukraine and the need to make and implement decisions on assistance in a timely manner.

The president told EU ambassadors that Europe must strengthen its defense capabilities, increase investment in the defense industry and develop new financing instruments.

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Lithuanian parlt OKs Vaiksnoras for chief of defense

VILNIUS, Jun 20, BNS – Lithuanian lawmakers on Thursday backed President Gitanas Nauseda's nomination of Brigadier General Raimundas Vaiksnoras as the country's next chief of defense after 110 MPs unanimously voted in favor.

Vaiksnoras is set to assume his new position for five years on July 24.

According to the Constitution, the president appoints and dismisses the chief of defense with the Seimas' approval. In Lithuania, the chief of defense is appointed for five years.

Vaiksnoras is currently serving as deputy chief of staff for military training at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE).

His has in the past served as commander of the Lithuanian Land Force, the force's deputy chief of staff for operations, chief of the Operations Department at the Defense Staff, and commander of the Iron Wolf brigade.

By Jūratė Skėrytė

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Seimas of Lithuania adopts defense tax package

VILNIUS, Jun 20, BNS – The Seimas of Lithuania on Thursday adopted a package of the so-called defense taxes, initiated to increase the funding of national defense to 3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).

To achieve this goal, the parliament increased the corporate tax rate and excise duties on alcohol, cigarettes and fuel, and adopted the so-called Defense Fund Law.

The Seimas also decided that local governments would contribute 25 million euros annually to civil protection projects from their share of personal income tax proceeds.

The Defense Fund will be used to accumulate funds to cover the most urgent needs of priority national defense capabilities and civil protection reinforcement.

The law establishing the fund was adopted in a vote of 107 to two with 18 abstentions.

“This is the best investment in peace,” Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste said.

She stressed that “there is a strong signal” that there is political support for such defense funding.  

“This year we will be able to take decisions on acquisitions, to allocate money for advance payments,” the minister added.   

Amendments to the Law on Excise Duties, which would increase taxes on alcohol and smokes, were adopted in a vote of 116 to zero with five abstentions.

The excise duty rates on alcoholic beverages and tobacco products set by the Seimas will apply from 2025 to 2027.

Excise duties on fuel were increased shortly afterwards, with 67 MPs voting in favor. Annual increases in some of these excise duties are foreseen until 2028-2030.

As proposed by the government, the Seimas increased the corporate tax rate by one percentage point to 16 percent. For small businesses, it would rise by the same margin, i.e. by one point to 6 percent.

The respective amendment to the Law on Corporate Income Tax was adopted in a vote of 118 to two with eight abstentions.    

However, the parliament did not support the proposal by Lukas Savickas and Algirdas Butkevicius of the Democrats “For Lithuania” to increase the corporate tax rate to 17 percent.

Economy and Innovation Minister Ausrine Armonaite said that an even higher corporate tax rate would be detrimental to economic growth.

“Let's protect our investment climate,” she said.

As decided by the Seimas, 4.1 percent of excise revenue will be transferred to the Defense Fund in 2025, 7.1 percent in 2026, and 7.4 percent in 2027 and beyond.  

Also on Thursday, the MPs did not approve a proposal by the Farmers and Greens Union to transfer 80 percent of the Bank of Lithuania's profits for the years 2024-2026 to the Defense Fund.

Politicians in Lithuania want to boost defense funding to speed up the establishment of a military division, to host the German brigade assigned to Lithuania, which is expected to be stationed in the country by 2027, and to prepare for universal conscription.

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Bank of Lithuania restricts access to CENTROlink payment system for Foxpay

VILNIUS, Jun 20, BNS – The Bank of Lithuania has restricted access to its CENTROlink payment system for the financial technology company Foxpay, which has come under the scrutiny of law enforcement.

According to the central bank, the restrictions do not apply to the company's payments related to the public sector.

“The Bank of Lithuania has not disconnected Foxpay from the CENTROlink system. In accordance with the CENTROlink regulation and in order to protect the public interest, the Bank of Lithuania has currently partially restricted the rights of Foxpay to submit payment orders and receive transfers through the CENTROlink payment system operated by the Bank of Lithuania," the central bank said in comments sent to BNS on Thursday.

CENTROlink is a payment system operated by the Bank of Lithuania, providing the gateway to the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA).

Via its infrastructure, the Bank of Lithuania provides technical access to SEPA for all types of payment service providers (PSPs) – banks, specialized banks, credit unions, electronic money or payment institutions – licensed in the European Economic Area (EEA).

The central bank has been carrying out an unscheduled inspection of Foxpay and its owner Ieva Trinkunaite since mid-March.

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E-voting cannot be introduced in Lithuania without guaranteed security is guaranteed – PM

VILNIUS, Jun 20, BNS – E-voting cannot be introduced in Lithuania until 100 percent security is guaranteed, Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte says.

"The main question is security, and as long as it’s impossible to answer that security question 100 percent, that it is 100 percent secure, secret, but secure, then I think experiments in this area would be simply dangerous for democracy," she told reporters at the Seimas on Thursday.

The Central Electoral Commission presented a feasibility study on Wednesday, showing that there is a possibility of introducing an e-voting information system in Lithuania, but it is recommended to do so after minimizing social and technological risks.

"I believe this is a question for future generations, not for future governments," Simonyte said, adding that any e-voting system must ensure both data security and voting secrecy.

"To be honest, I am not the best expert on IT security, but I have not seen any experts who assure me that it is possible to meet both requirements simultaneously. And that is probably the main problem," the prime minister said.

Given that all democracies are now targeted by regimes that use information systems to wreak havoc, steal or falsify data, the issue of security in the current geopolitical context is crucial, Simonyte pointed out.

In her words, the experience of other countries shows that e-voting does not encourage voter turnout.

Carried out by Civitta, the e-voting feasibility study also concludes that the implementation of an e-voting project in Lithuania "creates more risks than benefits". These include the geopolitical situation and the loss of electoral legitimacy in the event of a cyber attack, as well as the public's lack of trust in public authorities and information systems due to misinformation.

Technological risks include the possibility of leakage and distortion of voting data, even with the most advanced ballot encryption technologies.

A market survey carried out during the study showed that the development, implementation and maintenance of an e-voting system from 2025 to 2038 would cost the state about 20 million euros. The report authors recommend acquiring a system already existing abroad and adapt it to Lithuania's needs.

By Jūratė Skėrytė

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Lithuania’s de-sovietization panel calls for renaming streets named after Salomeja Neris

VILNIUS, Jun 20, BNS – Lithuania’s so-called de-sovietization commission is calling on the country's three district municipalities – Telsiai, Akmene and Radviliskis – to change the names of streets named after Soviet-era writer Salomeja Neris, but to keep the name in her hometown of Vilkaviskis.

“The overall assessment remains unchanged, but we have additionally adopted a recommendation to keep the name of the street [in Vilkaviskis], with an explanatory plate saying that this is her birthplace,” Vitas Karciauskas, Chairman of the Inter-institutional Commission for the Assessment of the Compliance of Public Places with the Prohibition of the Promotion of Totalitarian and Authoritarian Regimes and Their Ideologies in Public Places, told BNS on Thursday.

“As far as the other towns are concerned, it [the name of the street] should still be changed, it is enough that one main town has a street named after her,” he added.

At the same time, the commission recommended changing the names of other streets named after Neris in Vilkaviskis District.

The commission also proposes to change the names of the streets named after Petras Cvirka, a writer and Soviet activist, in the municipalities of Vilkaviskis, Jurbarkas, Telsiai, Akmene and Sirvintos Districts.

According to Karciauskas, the municipality of Zarasai District has been recommended to remove the monument of a Russian soldier with a rifle, which is located at the burial site of Soviet soldiers from the Second World War in the town of Turmantas.

The law prohibiting the promotion of totalitarian and authoritarian regimes and their ideologies in public places came into force in Lithuania in May 2023. The law bans any form of commemoration or representation of persons, symbols, information propagating totalitarian or authoritarian regimes and their ideologies.

By Greta Zulonaitė

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Lithuanian formin meets Armenian counterpart, voices support for EU rapprochement

VILNIUS, Jun 20, BNS -  Lithuania supports the Armenian government's reforms and closer cooperation with the European Union, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told a joint press conference in Vilnius on Thursday after meeting with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan.

"We support the government's turn to the path of European integration and its ambition to strengthen the resilience of the country and its society, and we welcome Armenia's bold steps in this direction," Landsbergis told the press conference.

"We are convinced that reforms and rapid rapprochement with the EU will best ensure Armenia's independence, security and economic prosperity," he said.

Landsbergis also is in favor of the EU's stronger role in Armenia and strengthening the EU's expertise and financial support for reforms in the country.

For his part, the Armenian minister said that despite the existing difficult circumstances, Yerevan had taken all necessary measures to implement its "ambitious reform agenda".

In his words, Armenia is strengthening its cooperation with the EU and is working together on the development of a national resilience plan and a new cooperation agenda.

Landsbergis and Mirzoyan also signed a memorandum of understanding between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania and Armenia on cooperation on EU-related issues.

In March, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called for a broad public dialogue on the possibility for the country to apply to join the European Union.

This is yet another sign that the country is moving further away from its traditional ally Russia.

Moscow's full-scale war in Ukraine has intensified the EU's drive for enlargement, and Brussels has recently finally given the green light to Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia to start the long journey towards joining the Community.

Yerevan has reached out to Western countries, in particular the US and France, to seek new security guarantees.

Russia has been the main mediator in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict for decades, but in the last two years it has abandoned the area because of its war in Ukraine.

By Vilmantas Venckūnas

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Lithuanian food institute's ex-director found guilty in EUR 300,000 corruption case

VILNIUS, Jun 20, BNS – Gediminas Pridotkas, a former director of Lithuania's National Food and Veterinary Risk Assessment Institute, has been found guilty of taking more than 300,000 euros of bribes, as well as of illegal enrichment and other crimes.

Pridotkas was sentenced to two years in prison, fined 18,000 euros and banned from holding any public office for five years. The verdict can still be appealed to the Lithuanian Court of Appeal.

The former civil servant was also found guilty of falsifying documents, fraudulent book-keeping and money laundering.

Pridotkas was found guilty of using a legal entity he set up with his wife, and 15 other related companies, to accept bribes from natural persons in return for favorable treatment during future public procurement tender conducted by the institute he then managed, the Special Investigation Service said.

A total of 23 people have been prosecuted in this case including Pridotkas' wife Evelina Pridotkiene, former interim director of the Department of Drugs, Tobacco and Alcohol Control. The total amount of fines imposed on them amounts to more than 77,000 euros, and 60,000 euros was confiscated during the process.

The National Food and Veterinary Risk Assessment Institute is the State Food and Veterinary Service's subordinate body that carries out risk assessment functions and laboratory tests in the areas of food and feed safety, quality and veterinary medicine.

The investigation was supervised by the European Public Prosecutor's Office.

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Lithuanian parlt OKs annual quota for third-country workers, tightens recruitment

VILNIUS, Jun 20, BNS - The Seimas of Lithuania on Thursday introduced an annual 40,000 quota for third-country nationals coming to work in Lithuania with the aim of restricting the level of how much workforce employers can bring in each year.

87 lawmakers voted in favor of the quota, one was against and eight abstained.

"We will have a real quota that will allow us to ensure that all workforce migration processes will be better controlled in Lithuania," Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite told lawmakers on Thursday.

The quota would amount to about 40,000 persons, or up to 1.4 percent of the number of permanent residents in Lithuania in July 2022.

Lawmakers also tightens the conditions for the employment of foreigners, requirements for companies, and the procedure for issuing temporary residence permits in Lithuania, the minister added.

"When tackling labor shortages, we certainly cannot overlook threats to our national security and prevent abuse of migration procedures," Bilotaite said.

The new quota will only apply to newcomers. Bilotaite says the quota was calculated after assessing the authorities' capacity to monitor compliance and the needs of the country's labor market. 

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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Upcoming events in Lithuania for Friday, June 21, 2024

VILNIUS, Jun 21, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Friday, June 21, 2024:

DEFENSE MINISTER Laurynas Kasciunas and US Ambassador to Lithuania Kara C. McDonald to visit the US troops stationed in Pabrade at 10 a.m.

HEALTH MINISTER Health Arunas Dulkys to attend a meeting of the EU's Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council in Luxembourg.

JUSTICE MINISTER Ewelina Dobrowolska to attend an official reception at the US Embassy in Vilnius at 1 p.m.

By Vilmantas Venckūnas

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LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Lithuania's defense budget could reach 3 pct of GDP this year – Landsbergis 
2. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Tuesday, June 11, 2024
3. Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus
4. Lithuanian president to take part in Bucharest Nine summit in Riga
5. Lithuanian PM to attend Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin
6. Defense Fund package to be presented to Lithuanian parliament
7. Social media reveals iSun's links to convicted German brothel owner (media)
8. Future EU commissioner should strengthen Europe and Lithuania within it – Landsbergis
9. Lithuania's defense budget could reach 3 pct of GDP this year – Landsbergis (expands)
10. Kaunas decides to erect monument to former President Brazauskas, yet to choose location 
11. Lithuanian formin calls French EP election results 'clear call' from voters
12. Lithuania's defense budget could reach 3 pct of GDP this year – Landsbergis (expands)
13. Lithuanian customs officers seize firearms parts from Russian citizen
14. NATO summit's success to be gauged by progress on Ukraine – Lithuanian president 
15. German, Polish, Latvian citizens were most active EP election voters in Lithuania
16. Nominee for Lithuania's defense chief supports phasing in of universal conscription
17. Military exercise involving 1,000 troops kicks off in northern Lithuania  
18. Lithuanian court adjourns in EP-elected Grazulis LGBTIQ contempt case
19. Lithuanian, Dutch PMs talk support for Ukraine, response to Russian aggression
20. Lithuanian army chief to discuss defense plans, brigade deployment during German visit
21. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, June 12, 2024
22. SSD calls Minsk court's guilty verdict for Lithuanian woman 'baseless insinuations'

Lithuania's defense budget could reach 3 pct of GDP this year – Landsbergis 

VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – Lithuania's defense budget could reach 3 percent of GDP as early as this year, Gabrielius Landsbergis, leader of the ruling conservative Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (HU-LCD), said on Tuesday.

"I wouldn't be surprised if we reach 3 percent this year. There are such options," the foreign minister told reporters.

 

By Augustas Stankevičius

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Upcoming events in Lithuania for Tuesday, June 11, 2024

VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Tuesday, June 11, 2024.

PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to attend the Bucharest Nine Summit in Riga.

SPEAKER OF THE SEIMAS Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen to continue her visit to Poland.

PRIME MINISTER Ingrida Simonyte to pay a working visit to Berlin, to attend the Ukraine Recovery Conference.

CULTURE MINISTER Simonas Kairys to pay a working visit to Berlin.

FOREIGN MINISTER Gabrielius Landsbergis to attend a celebration of the US Independence Day at 4.15 p.m.

OTHER EVENTS

A professional solidarity rally in support of lawyer Maxim Znak, imprisoned in Belarus, to take place outside the Belarusian Embassy in Vilnius at 2 p.m.

A celebration of the US Independence Day, organized by the US Embassy, to take place in the courtyard of the Old Arsenal of the National Museum of Lithuania at 4.15 p.m.

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Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus

VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – Lithuanian border guards have in the past 24 hours recorded no attempts to cross into the country from Belarus illegally, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Tuesday morning.

Latvia reported 34 attempts at illegal border crossings on Monday, and 106 irregular migrants were not allowed into Poland on Sunday, according to the latest available information.

A total of 231 irregular migrants have been barred from entering Lithuania from Belarus at non-designated places so far this year.

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.

Lithuanian border guards have prevented a total of almost 22,000 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.

 

 

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Lithuanian president to take part in Bucharest Nine summit in Riga

VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda is heading to Riga on Tuesday to take part in the summit of the Bucharest Nine group of NATO's eastern flank countries.

The gathering will focus on preparations for NATO's summit in Washington, D.C.  in July, support for Ukraine, and strengthening the Alliance's eastern flank, Nauseda's office has said.

The Lithuanian president is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings on the margins of the summit.

The Bucharest Nine format was launched in 2015 in response to Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014.

 

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Lithuanian PM to attend Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin

VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte is taking part in the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin on Tuesday.

Simonyte is to address a roundtable discussion of heads of state and government on Ukraine's reconstruction and the conference's session on the war-torn country's European integration, and to deliver the national statement outlining Lithuania's support for Ukraine, the government's press office has said. 

The Ukraine Recovery Conference is an international format that was known as the Ukraine Reform Conference before the war.  It was hosted by Lithuania in 2021.

Speakers at the conference in Berlin also include German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska, and others.

 

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Defense Fund package to be presented to Lithuanian parliament

VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – The so-called Defense Fund package, which aims to increase Lithuania's defense funding to 3 percent of GDP in the coming years, is being presented to the parliament on Tuesday.

The government is asking the parliament to debate the proposed draft amendments to the laws on corporate and personal income taxes, and excise duties under a fast-track procedure. 

The aim is to raise additional funds for defense by increasing the corporate income tax by one percentage point to 16 percent, raising the reduced corporate tax rate for small-sized businesses from 5 percent to 6 percent, introducing a so-called "defense component" of 6 euro cents (5-cent excise duty and 1-cent VAT) on automotive fuel, and further hiking excise duties on alcohol and tobacco.

The package also suggests lowering the annual income threshold, from 45,000 euros to 20,000 euros, for those working under a business license, which would result in higher taxes for some self-employed individuals.  

Other proposals include abolishing special corporate income tax regimes for the insurance and health sectors. 

The package also calls for scrapping the limitation of car cost deductions linked to environmental friendliness. The amendments provide for deducting from income 75,000 euros in expenses for the purchase and rental of passenger vehicles if their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are zero and 10,000 euros if their CO2 emissions exceed 200 grams per kilometer. 

President Gitanas Nauseda last week called on politicians to find the will to make timely decisions on boosting defense funding.

Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, speaker of the parliament and leader of the Liberal Movement, has said that the Defense Fund package contains a number of measures that have not been agreed in the coalition, while Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte has said that the ruling coalition partners agree on the government's key proposals. 

Issues that caused controversy within the coalition include the government’s proposal to channel 25 million euros from municipalities' share of personal income tax into civil protection annually.   

The Finance Ministry estimates that the proposed measures could raise an additional 297.8 million euros in state budget revenue in 2025, 421.2 million euros in 2026, and 436.5 million euros in 2027.

Politicians want to boost defense funding to 3 percent of GDP to speed up the establishment of a military division, to host a German brigade, which is expected to be stationed in the country by 2027, and to prepare for universal conscription.

 

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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Social media reveals iSun's links to convicted German brothel owner (media)

VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS - Marcus Prinz von Anhalt, a Dubai-based German brothel owner with several past convictions for illegal activities, has promoted the Swiss iSun group's projects on social media, the vz.lt business news website reports on Tuesday. 

According to the website, one of such projects was Swissmoney, an iSun-owned company previously run by Mindaugas Navickas, the husband of Lithuanian Social Security and Minister Monika Navickiene.

Moreover, the German man's account also features information on Bitandpay, which is run by Alfonsas Ambrazas, a former iSun employee. Bitandpay has been mentioned in an illegal e-casino service scheme.

One of the videos uploaded by Prinz von Anhalt on Instagram also shows Vilhelmas Germanas (formerly Vilius Zidelis), the partner of Ieva Trinkunaite, the founder and board chair iSun Group, on a private plane. Germanas has served several prison sentences for financial crimes in Lithuania.

When approached by vz.lt, both Germanas and Trinkunaite denied that they had any business relations with the German and said they had only ever spoken to him "in a large company".

Last Friday, the Lithuanian government aid it had already approved the conclusion of its commission vetting transactions of strategic companies on whether Trinkunaite, the Foxpay shareholder, was in line with national security interests.

The central Bank of Lithuania is carrying out an investigation into Fox activities, and a separate probe is being conducted by the Financial Crime Investigation Service at the prosecutor general's request. 

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Future EU commissioner should strengthen Europe and Lithuania within it – Landsbergis

VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – Lithuania's future representative to the European Commission should strengthen Europe and Lithuania within it, Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis says.

"I think the person who can do the best job in the European Commission is the one who can not only represent Lithuania, because this is not Lithuania's position later, it is the European Commission's position, but who can do the best job of strengthening Europe and Lithuania within it," the minister told reporters at the Seimas on Tuesday, adding that he sees people in Lithuania who can do this, without mentioning specific names. 

A new European Commission is being formed after Sunday's European Parliament election where the ruling conservative Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats won three out of Lithuania's 11 seats in the EP. The opposition Social Democrats came in second with two seats.

Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said on Monday she has no plans to to apply to become an EC member.

Politico also mentioned Landsbergis as one of the potential candidates for this position. However, asked whether he would be willing to take it, the HU-LCD leader on Tuesday avoided giving a straight answer, as he has done in the past.

"I have never been involved in discussions on whether someone wants it or not, it's not a beauty contest," Landsbergis told reporters.

One commissioner is nominated by each European Union member state. Currently, Lithuania is represented by Virginijus Sinkevcčius who is responsible for environment, oceans and fisheries. 

In Lithuania, the government, the Seimas and the president have to approve the country's candidate for a European commissioner, and then the European Parliament decides on all the candidates.

By Greta Zulonaitė

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Lithuania's defense budget could reach 3 pct of GDP this year – Landsbergis (expands)

VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – Lithuania's defense budget could reach 3 percent of GDP as early as this year, Gabrielius Landsbergis, leader of the ruling conservative Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (HU-LCD), said on Tuesday.

"I wouldn't be surprised if we reach 3 percent this year. There are such options," the foreign minister told reporters.

"Additional funding for this year is under consideration," he added.

Landsbergis' comment came after the so-called Defense Fund package, which aims to boost Lithuania's defense funding in the coming years, was tabled in the parliament on Tuesday. 

"The package under consideration, in its entirety, would put us significantly above 3 percent of GDP," the foreign minister said. 

"I think we are approaching 3.5 or 3.2 percent of GDP. That would place Lithuania among the top three NATO countries," he said. 

The proposed legislative amendments aim to raise additional funds for defense by increasing the corporate income tax by one percentage point to 16 percent, raising the reduced corporate tax rate for small-sized businesses from 5 percent to 6 percent, introducing a so-called "defense component" of 6 euro cents (5-cent excise duty and 1-cent VAT) on automotive fuel, and further hiking excise duties on alcohol and tobacco.

The package also suggests lowering the annual income threshold, from 45,000 euros to 20,000 euros, for those working under a business license, which would result in higher taxes for some self-employed individuals.  

Other proposals include abolishing special corporate income tax regimes for the insurance and health sectors. 

The package also calls for scrapping the limitation of car-related deductions linked to the environmental impact. The amendments provide for deducting from income 75,000 euros in expenses for the purchase and rental of passenger vehicles if their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are zero and 10,000 euros if their CO2 emissions exceed 200 grams per kilometer. 

Landsbergis said the proposed measures would allow Lithuania to make significant purchases in the coming years.

In response to some MPs' criticism of the government's proposals, the minister said that the military would lose some planned additional acquisitions if certain parts of the package were voted down.

"While voting against certain parts, we have to understand that there's a specific acquisition attached to a certain part," the conservatives' leader said.

Politicians want to boost defense funding to speed up the establishment of a military division, to host a German brigade, which is expected to be stationed in the country by 2027, and to prepare for universal conscription.

 

By Augustas Stankevičius

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Kaunas decides to erect monument to former President Brazauskas, yet to choose location 

VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – The Kaunas City Council on Tuesday approved an initiative to erect a monument to former Lithuanian President Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas, with the exact location to be decided later.

The motion was passed in a vote of 25 to seven with seven abstentions.  

Saulius Rimas, head of the municipality's cultural heritage division, said that a competition will be held to select the monument's design. Participating artists will propose specific locations, which will be evaluated by a municipal commission.

There has been some discussion about placing the monument in the courtyard of the Historical Presidential Palace in Kaunas, but this idea has faced criticism from some politicians and cultural figures.

Rimas told BNS that this would be hardly possible legally "because the municipality is neither the owner or the user" of the courtyard. 

The Historical Presidential Palace with its courtyard is a division of the National M.K. Ciurlionis Museum of Art, which is owned by the Culture Ministry.

According to Rimas, the cost of the project will be known after the competition.

The idea of erecting a monument to Brazauskas was put forward by Kaunas Mayor Visvaldas Matijosaitis, who said that 15 years after the former president's death, his memory has not been properly honored. 

"We will try to do this in Kaunas," the mayor said in an earlier statement.

He suggested the monument could be placed in the courtyard of the Historical Presidential Palace.

Brazauskas, a signatory of Lithuania's 1990 Independence Act, served as speaker of the Lithuanian parliament from 1992 to 1933, as president from 1993 to 1998 and as prime minister from 2001 to 2006.

During the Soviet era, Brazauskas headed the Lithuanian branch of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union for some time. He was elected leader of the Lithuanian Communist Party after it split from the Soviet Communist Party under his leadership in 1988. He later became chairman of the Lithuanian Democratic Labor Party, which merged with the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party in 2001. 

The former president passed away on June 26, 2010, after a serious illness.

 

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Lithuanian formin calls French EP election results 'clear call' from voters

VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS - Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis has called the European Parliament election results in France, where the far-right party won a majority of seats, a clear call from the voters.

"It’s a clear call from the voters. That is obvious. Perhaps it is also part of a broader pan- European signal when we see that the center parties are not withstanding the pressure in many countries," Lithuania's top diplomat told journalists at the Seimas on Tuesday.

In France, the far-right National Rally got the majority of votes and secures 30 seats in the European Parliament. Meanwhile, President Emmanuel Macron's centrist Renaissance party won 13 seats. Just as the exit-polls were coming out, Macron announced that he was dissolving the parliament and called a snap election on June 30, acknowledging that the EP election results were not good for the pro-European parties.

In Germany, the Conservatives came in first in the EP election, followed by the far-right Alternative for Germany and Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats. In Italy, Giorgia Meloni's far-right Brothers of Italy party won a landslide victory in the election, making it one of the few European Union leaders to strengthen its position after the vote.

"However, if we look at the bigger picture, the only centrist party that has withstood the pressure and got more seats in the European Parliament is the European People's Party – a conservative party the HU-LCD belongs to," Landsbergis pointed out.

"Despite some European indications, we see that there is probably more of a crumbling of the left and a strengthening of the right. I am happy that the center-right, while also holding the center, is withstanding that pressure and securing a solid number of votes in the new EP", the minister said.

The ruling conservative HU-LCD won Sunday's EP election in Lithuania, securing three out of Lithuania's 11 seats in the European Parliament, according to preliminary data from the Central Electoral Commission.

The opposition Lithuanian Social Democratic Party came in second with two seats. And the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union, the Freedom Party, the Democratic Union "For Lithuania", the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania-Christian Families Alliance, the Liberal Movement, and the People and Justice Union got one eat each.

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Lithuania's defense budget could reach 3 pct of GDP this year – Landsbergis (expands)

VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – Lithuania's defense budget could reach 3 percent of GDP as early as this year, Gabrielius Landsbergis, leader of the ruling conservative Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (HU-LCD), said on Tuesday.

"I wouldn't be surprised if we reach 3 percent this year. There are such options," the foreign minister told reporters.

"Additional funding for this year is under consideration," he added.

Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste has confirmed to BNS that the government is considering the possibility of additional borrowing for defense this year.

"Right now, the planned defense funding in the state budget is about 2.76 percent of GDP, and there's still some way up to 3 percent (...), and the we would need some 200 million euros extra," she said.

According to the finance minister, the state budget includes a clause allowing borrowing to finance defense needs, provided the budget deficit does not exceed 3 percent of GDP.

"The Finance Ministry is now in the process of updating its economic projections and we will have new economic data in late June and we will see how the state budget revenues are collected and we will have more precise data on what the budget deficit is most likely to look like at the end of the year. If the updated projections show that there is room for a deficit of up to 3 percent of GDP, the government will definitely use that option (to borrow - BNS)," Skaiste said, adding that the government will be able to decide on this as soon as the economic projections are updated.

Defense Fund package

Landsbergis' comment came after the so-called Defense Fund package, which aims to boost Lithuania's defense funding in the coming years, was tabled in the parliament on Tuesday. 

"The package under consideration, in its entirety, would put us significantly above 3 percent of GDP," the foreign minister said.

"I think we are approaching 3.5 or 3.2 percent of GDP. That would place Lithuania among the top three NATO countries," he said. 

The proposed legislative amendments aim to raise additional funds for defense by increasing the corporate income tax by one percentage point to 16 percent, raising the reduced corporate tax rate for small-sized businesses from 5 percent to 6 percent, introducing a so-called "defense component" of 6 euro cents (5-cent excise duty and 1-cent VAT) on automotive fuel, and further hiking excise duties on alcohol and tobacco.

The package also suggests lowering the annual income threshold, from 45,000 euros to 20,000 euros, for those working under a business license, which would result in higher taxes for some self-employed individuals.  

Other proposals include abolishing special corporate income tax regimes for the insurance and health sectors. 

The package also calls for scrapping the limitation of car-related deductions linked to the environmental impact. The amendments provide for deducting from income 75,000 euros in expenses for the purchase and rental of passenger vehicles if their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are zero and 10,000 euros if their CO2 emissions exceed 200 grams per kilometer. 

Landsbergis said the proposed measures would allow Lithuania to make significant purchases in the coming years.

Three additional contracts

"My goal is to reach 3 percent of GDP on defense this year, maybe a little more. It will depend on the consultations with the government, with the finance minister, with the prime minister. They are both very good-natured, both have defense as a priority. I have presented very specific projects on what could be done with the additional money," Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas told reporters at the Seimas on Tuesday.

The money would be used to finance additional purchases related to medium air defense and short-range air defense systems, as well as mechanization, the minister said, adding that the advance payments and new contracts related to the new army division and air defense are a priority.

"If we reach 3 percent, three contracts are possible in these areas," the minister noted.

"The rule here is when the money moves and you see the law still allows you to borrow more. Of course, we will borrow, but on a very limited scale," Kasiunas said when asked about the sources of additional funding.

However, he noted that the total amount is not yet clear and will be negotiated. The minister expects decisions to be made before July and announced in early July.

In response to some MPs' criticism of the government's proposals, Landsbergis said that the military would lose some planned additional acquisitions if certain parts of the package were voted down.

"While voting against certain parts, we have to understand that there's a specific acquisition attached to a certain part," the conservatives' leader said.

Politicians in Lithuania want to boost defense funding to speed up the establishment of a military division, to host the German brigade assigned to Lithuania and expected to be stationed in the country by 2027, and to prepare for universal conscription.

By Augustas Stankevičius, Jūratė Skėrytė, Paulius Perminas

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Lithuanian customs officers seize firearms parts from Russian citizen

VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – Lithuanian customs officials have seized suspected firearms parts from a Russian citizen who tried to bring in them from Belarus.

According to the Vilnius Territorial Customs Office, customs officers at the Medininkai road checkpoint detained a Jaguar car driven by a Russian citizen who had a Latvian residence permit and found 21 pistol grips, five adjustable folding stocks for automatic weapons, nine tactical stocks with adjustable cushion, nine rifle handguards, 21 rails for attaching special equipment to weapons. These parts were marked '83 OTK' and are possibly intended for firearms.

Officers are now looking into whether these can be classed as military or dual use goods.

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NATO summit's success to be gauged by progress on Ukraine – Lithuanian president 

VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – Ukraine is bound to take center stage during NATO's summit in Washington, D.C. in July, and the success of the gathering will be gauged by the progress made on this issue, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said in Riga on Tuesday. 

"Ukraine's victory is the only way to restore the destabilized international system and prevent the spread of war in Europe in the future," he said at the Bucharest Nine summit.

The summit in Riga focuses on preparations for NATO's summit and long-term support for Ukraine, Nauseda's office said in a press release.

The Lithuanian president said in Riga that the upcoming NATO summit must yield clear results and the necessary decisions to bolster security and defense across the Euro-Atlantic area, rather than being just a celebration of the Alliance's 75th anniversary.

"The Washington Summit will be an important milestone in shaping the future of the Euro-Atlantic area. We have to ensure that NATO remains the strongest defense alliance. We have to effectively implement the decisions taken last year in Vilnius and further strengthen NATO's eastern flank," he was quoted as saying in the press release.

Nauseda underlined the importance of implementing NATO's regional defense plans and the rotational air defense model.

The president also called for efforts to boost defense investment and invigorate the defense industry.

"Today we see that 2 percent of GDP is no longer sufficient as a minimum target – must aim for at least 3 percent to sustainably strengthen security and defense," he said.

Nauseda was to address the Bucharest Nine leaders' discussion on support for Ukraine on Tuesday afternoon.

The Bucharest Nine group brings together nine countries on NATO's eastern flank: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. 

The format was launched in 2015 in response to Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014.

 

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German, Polish, Latvian citizens were most active EP election voters in Lithuania

VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS - German, Polish and Latvian citizens voted in large numbers in Sunday's European Parliament election in Lithuania, the Central Electoral Commission said on Tuesday.

Some 228 EU citizens exercised their right to vote in Lithuania. In total, 7,060 people were eligible to vote. According to the CEC, 53 German, 46 Polish, 22 Latvian, 18 French, 17 Italian and 11 Dutch citizens voted to pick Lithuanian MEPs.

EU citizens were able to vote in Lithuania if they were 18 or over on the election day, had a residence permit in Lithuania and wished to vote here to elect Lithuanian representatives to the European Parliament. They need to file a request to the VRK to be added to the electoral register.

In comparison, some 300 EU citiens voted in Lithuania in the 2019 EP election.

The ruling conservative HU-LCD won Sunday's EP election in Lithuania, securing three out of Lithuania's 11 seats in the European Parliament, according to preliminary data from the Central Electoral Commission.

The opposition Lithuanian Social Democratic Party came in second with two seats. And the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union, the Freedom Party, the Democratic Union "For Lithuania", the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania-Christian Families Alliance, the Liberal Movement, and the People and Justice Union got one eat each.

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Nominee for Lithuania's defense chief supports phasing in of universal conscription

VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – Brigadier General Raimundas Vaiksnoras, President Gitanas Nauseda's nominee to become Lithuania's next chief of defense, said on Tuesday that he supports universal conscription, but believes that it should be introduced gradually. 

"As a candidate, I support universal conscription, but it should be done gradually," Vaiksnoras told the parliament. 

"It requires infrastructure and training fields, and requires training instructors, but gradually (...) we can increase the number of young draftees, thus increasing the reserve," he said.   

Under Nauseda's decree on Vaiksnoras' nomination, which the president signed last week, the brigadier general would take over as chief of defense from General Valdemaras Rupsys on July 24.

"The geopolitical situation today dictates that we don't have the luxury of wasting time, so the main focus must be on deterrence and the defense of the entire NATO alliance," Vaiksnoras told the parliament.

The brigadier general also said the reinforcement of the Armed Forces' capabilities must be balanced, ensuring the functioning of all operational battle systems.

The candidate sees ensuring the implementation of NATO plans as one of his tasks if he is appointed to the post.

According to Vaiksnoras, the deployment of the German brigade in Lithuania and its integration along with the US units currently stationed in the country will ensure maximum deterrence effect, but it will be a challenging task.

Other tasks mentioned by the brigadier general include interacting with the paramilitary Lithuanian Riflemen's Union, and assisting local governments and civilian institutions in preparing for emergencies.

The tasks also include forming a national division and achieving its full operational capability, which "will allow us to fill capability gaps and will be a clear signal to the Allies of our own contribution to the defense of the Alliance", he said. 

Kestutis Budrys, Nauseda's chief national security advisor, said while presenting the nomination to the parliament that the president had met with several candidates and that his requirements for them included a consistent military career, international experience, and clear leadership qualities.

The advisor outlined the president's expectations, including achieving the division's full operational capability by 2030. 

Vaiksnoras is currently serving as deputy chief of staff for military training at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE).

His has in the past served as commander of the Lithuanian Land Force, the force's deputy chief of staff for operations, chief of the Operations Department at the Defense Staff, and commander of the Iron Wolf brigade.

The five-year term of office of Rupsys, the incumbent chief of defense, is set to expire in July.

According to the Constitution, the president appoints and dismisses the chief of defense with the parliament's approval.

Both ruling and opposition MPs interviewed by BNS last week said they were in favor of the nomination.

 

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Military exercise involving 1,000 troops kicks off in northern Lithuania  

VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – The National Defense Volunteer Force's exercise involving about 1,100 Lithuanian and NATO allied troops and members of the paramilitary Riflemen's Union got underway in northern Lithuania on Tuesday.

Troops from the National Defense Volunteer Force and other Land Force units will be training along with allied soldiers from the United Kingdom, the United States, Latvia, France, Denmark, and Germany in a number of northern districts until Sunday. 

The exercise will take place during both daylight and nighttime hours: troops will move on foot or in wheeled military vehicles, using simulated ammunition and explosives, special equipment, and smoke grenades.

A large part of the tasks will be carried out in civilian areas, the military said in a press release.

 

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Lithuanian court adjourns in EP-elected Grazulis LGBTIQ contempt case

VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – A Lithuanian court has decided to adjourn in controversial ex-MP Petras Grazulis' LGBTIQ contempt case after he was elected to the European Parliament on Sunday.

On Tuesday, Vilnius Regional Court also ordered, Jurgita Jasiuniene, the prosecutor in this case,, to ask the Central Electoral Commission for permission to prosecute Grazulis.

"The court adjourned and told me to ask the CEC for permission to prosecute Petras Grazulis. (...) He has been elected (to the EP – BNS), but it is not officially confirmed, the official data will be available in about a week and until Grazulis receives his MEP mandate he may be prosecuted," Jasiuniene told reporters.

If the CEC allows Grazulis to be prosecuted, the court will have about a month to deliver its verdict. The EP will hold its first sitting in mid-July and then Grazulis will get legal immunity.

Grazulis is accused of publicly ridiculing and expressing contempt for a group of persons or a person on grounds of their sexual orientation.

Prosecutors launched an investigation against him on May 26, 2022 after Grazulis' statement in a parliament corridor.

On May 26, 2022, after the Seimas gave its initial backing to the civil union bill legalizing same-sex unions, Grazulis met several representatives of the LGBTIQ community as he was leaving the plenary session hall and called them degenerates spreading STDs, and said they should get treatment.

Last year, the Lithuanian Seimas stripped Grazulis, 65, of his mandate for breaking his oath as a lawmaker, after he voted for another MP.

By Vilmantas Venckūnas

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Lithuanian, Dutch PMs talk support for Ukraine, response to Russian aggression

VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte met with her Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte in Berlin on Tuesday and discussed support for Ukraine, the response to Russia's hybrid aggression, the forthcoming NATO summit in Washington, and EU current affairs.

"We have neither the reason nor the luxury to assume that the long-term Russian threat to Europe and to transatlantic security will fade," Simonyte was quoted as saying in a statement released by the government press service. "Our priority must be the victory of Ukraine and investment in our own defense and deterrence, vigilance on all fronts where Russia is targeting the democratic world, including through acts of hybrid aggression which must not go unanswered."

Ukraine's future membership in NATO must also remain one of the alliance's priorities, and bringing the country closer to membership at the next NATO summit in Washington would send an important signal to both Ukrainians and the aggressor Russia, the Lithuanian prime minister aid after the meeting.

Rutte is the leading contender to replace Norway's Jens Stoltenberg as NATO secretary general as he has already secured backing from the UK, Germany, the US and Lithuania.

Simonyte also thanked the Dutch prime minister for his country's participation in the NATO Forward Presence in Lithuania, the Rotational Air Defense Model and NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission, which "significantly contribute to the security of NATO's eastern flank and the Alliance as a whole".

The meeting also discussed EU issues, Community incentives for the development of the defense industry, and the implementation and strengthening of sanctions against Russia and Belarus.

The Netherlands will send its Patriot long-range air defense system to Lithuania for several weeks of army drills in July.

Simonyte is on Tuesday attending the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin.

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Lithuanian army chief to discuss defense plans, brigade deployment during German visit

VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – Lithuania's Chief of Defense General Valdemaras Rupsys is visiting Germany to discuss NATO regional defense plans and the deployment of the German brigade assigned to Lithuania.

During the visit, the general is scheduled to meet with his German counterpart Carsten Breuer, and representatives of the federal Ministry of Defense, the Lithuanian army told BNS on Tuesday.

"The chiefs of defense will discuss military cooperation in the bilateral and NATO context, NATO's regional defense plans, their implementation through the generation of assigned capabilities and military exercises," the army said.

"The Lithuanian and German chiefs of defense will also discuss relevant aspects of the permanent deployment of he 45th Brigade Lithuania of the Bundeswehr in Lithuania," the statement added.

Lithuania and Germany have been cooperating closely in the field of security in recent years.

Since 2017, Berlin has been leading the NATO multinational battalion deployed in Lithuania. Also, Germany intends to deploy its army brigade in Lithuania by 2027 to enhance regional security mid Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine.

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Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, June 12, 2024

VILNIUS, Jun 12, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Wednesday, June 12, 2024.

CULTURE MINISTER Simonas Kairys to continue his working visit to Berlin.

JUSTICE MINISTER Ewelina Dobrowolska to attend the General Assembly of the Council of the Notariats of the European Union (CNUE) at 10 a.m.; to meet with Poland's Deputy Justice Minister Maria Ejchart at 4 p.m.

By Greta Zulonaitė

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SSD calls Minsk court's guilty verdict for Lithuanian woman 'baseless insinuations'

VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – As a Belarusian court on Tuesday found a Lithuanian woman guilty of spying, Lithuania's State Security Department has called the verdict 'baseless insinuations'.

"The KGB, one of the key pillars of the Belarusian regime, made absurd accusations that she had undermined Belarus' national security while living in Lithuania," the SSD said in a statement on Tuesday.

According to Belarusian media, Elena Ramanauskiene was found guilty of spying by a Minsk city court and sentenced to six years in prison.

"The charges against Ramanauskiene are untrue," the SSD states. "Ramanauskiene has not engaged in any activity that could in any way harm Belarus, and therefore these charges are baseless insinuations."

The opposition news website afn.by and the ONT TV cannel reported earlier in the day that Ramanauskiene, an employee of Belorus, a Belaruina-owned sanatorium in Lithuania's southern city of Druskininkai, had been found guilty of agent activities.

The trial took place behind closed doors. The 59-year-old woman was accused of repeatedly passing on information about incoming guests, including high-ranking Belarusian officials.  

She was allegedly recruited by Lithuanian special services more than 10 years ago.

The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry told BNS it’s aware of the situation, but stressed it had no reason to believe the allegations were substantiated.

The ministry also once again reiterates its recommendation not to travel to Belarus, warning that Lithuanian citizens may be illegally detained in Belarus, face false accusation, and be interrogated by Belarusian security officers.

The 15min news website reported earlier that Ramanauskiene may have been detained by Belarusian officers last year when she was on her way back to Lithuania from Belarus where she was visiting family members.

In the summer of 2023, Belarusian media reported that Andrei Kobel, the former head doctor of the Belorus sanatorium in Lithuania's southern resort town of Druskininkai, would be tried for spying for Lithuania. He was detained by the Belarusian KGB in late 2022.

Afn.by points out now that he was earlier sentenced to nine years in prison. According to ONT, he is already serving his sentence.

By Augustas Stankevičius

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