LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Tuesday, July 1, 2025
2. Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus
3. Lithuanian president says having questions for PM after journalistic investigation
4. Lithuania has strong trump card in talks with the EC on RDF funds – advisor
5. Nauseda: Lithuanian military intel chief dismissed due to clash between 2 persons emotions
6. Restrictions on gambling advertising come into force in Lithuania
7. Protest staged in Vilnius as Israeli foreign minister visits Lithuania
8. Aleknavicius appointed to head Lithuania’s National Cyber Security Center
9. FM: Poland intends to strengthen checks at its border with Lithuania
10. Police launch administrative probe after Kaunas mayor hits pedestrian
11. Lithuania, Israel share security interest as Iran threats democratic world – Budrys
12. Israeli FM: EU-Israel dialogue on humanitarian situation in Gaza beginning in Jerusalem
13. Lithuania to send in help to assist Latvia in fighting illegal migration
14. Lithuania: tax reform to add EUR 344 mln to Defense Fund next year, over EUR 500 mln later
15. Lithuania’s PM claims he has Seimas’ confidence, does not intend to test it
16. Lithuania focuses on secondary migration as Poland steps up border checks – minister
17. Lithuanian border guards report sharp rise in secondary migration from Belarus via Latvia
18. Lithuanian president vows to make his stance on PM known after institutional assessment
19. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Upcoming events in Lithuania for Tuesday, July 1, 2025

VILNIUS, Jul 01, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Tuesday, July 1, 2025:

PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to meet with PRIME MINISTER Gintautas Paluckas at 1 p.m.

FOREIGN MINISTER Kestutis Budrys to welcome his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar: the two ministers to hold a joint press conference at the Foreign Ministry at 11.30 p.m.; to visit the Paneriai Memorial to honor Holocaust victims at 3 p.m.

INTERIOR MINISTER Vladislav Kondratovic to pay a working visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Monetengro.

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Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus

VILNIUS, Jul 01, BNS – Lithuanian border guards have recorded no attempts to cross into the country from Belarus illegally in the past 24 hours, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Tuesday morning.

Latvia reported 108 illegal border crossing attempts on Monday. Poland denied entry to 163 irregular migrants on Sunday, according to the latest available information.

Lithuania has barred 890 irregular migrants from entering from Belarus at non-designated places so far this year, after turning away 1,002 in 2024.

The influx of irregular migrants into the EU's eastern member states from Belarus began in 2021 and is blamed by the West on the Minsk regime.

Lithuanian border guards have prevented around 23,800 people from crossing illegally from Belarus since the start of the migration crisis triggered by the neighboring country. The number includes repeated attempts by the same people to cross the border.

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Lithuanian president says having questions for PM after journalistic investigation

VILNIUS, Jul 01, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda says Gintautas Paluckas has not yet answered questions that arose after a journalistic investigation that revealed his links with businessman Darijus Vilcinskas and loans received by the prime minister's former business.

“The information was provided, but even after the prime minister presented it, I still had questions,” Nauseda told the national broadcaster LRT on Monday.

“The public needs very clear answers that leave no room for interpretation ... so far, this has not been the case,” he added.

The president and the prime minister will meet on Tuesday to discuss the investigation by the Siena Center for Investigative Journalism and Laisves TV into Paluckas' business dealings from more than a decade ago, loans received, and links with Vilcinskas.

Nauseda said he would ask Paluckas “at least two questions” – first of all, about the income declared by the prime minister at the time.

“What is the real situation with the declared income used to purchase real estate? Was it sufficient, and was it declared? It was not entirely clear,” the president said.

He also said he wanted to clarify the real links between the head of the government and Vilcinskas.

“At first, it was as if claimed that there were none. Later, it was clarified that they did exist and that it was essentially Vilcinskas' idea [to develop a lake bottom topography project], which both partners attempted to implement,” Nauseda said.

The country's leader stated that in such a situation, it is important for politicians to speak accurately, and if they cannot remember some of the information, they should “take a certain pause” and provide answers later.

“Because any new question or doubts about the answer that has been given will give rise to a whole bunch of new questions, and then there will be no end to it. It is in the prime minister's own interest to communicate very precisely,” Nauseda stressed.

“Unfortunately, we see that recently, both the prime minister and perhaps some ministers have sometimes lacked this communication, and this makes the already heated atmosphere even more heated,” he added.

However, he refrained from commenting on the information that has been made public so far, arguing that it would be necessary to wait for the conclusions of the authorities investigating the circumstances surrounding the preferential loan received by a company partly owned by Paluckas.

He emphasized the same point when asked whether Paluckas would be able to continue in his position as prime minister if the information published by journalists was confirmed, or at least partially confirmed.

“Perhaps the conclusions will be favorable to the prime minister and there will be a single option. If they are unfavorable, I believe that the prime minister himself will understand his responsibility,” Nauseda said.

“There is always a possibility for any politician to have to step down for one reason or another,” he said when asked to clarify whether he ruled out the possibility that the prime minister might have to leave office.

The president also said that the information published by journalists could be added to the ongoing investigation by the Financial Crime Investigation Service (FCIS) into a 200,000-euro soft loan granted by the national development bank ILTE to Garnis, a company partly owned by Paluckas.

According to the latest investigation by Laisves TV and the Siena Center for Investigative Journalism, in 2013, Paluckas acquired and managed Sagerta, a recently established company that was carrying out the lake bed topography project MyLakeMap.

According to the investigation, the business was not a success, and the company was granted 180,000 euro in loans between 2013 and 2017, which the company eventually failed to pay back.

The loans were allegedly given by Uni Trading, but the investigation has failed to establish who owned and managed the company. Neither Paluckas, nor Vilcinskas claimed to know this, although the latter represented Uni Trading's interests for some time, according to documents from Center of Registers.

Vilcinskas says that Uni Trading was in fact a shareholder in Sagerta from the first weeks of its operation, but due to a human error, this was not registered in the Center of Registers.

The investigators say that the management structure of Uni Trading - especially in the early years of the financing of Sagerta - raises many questions. At that time, the company was managed through another Lithuanian company, Amber Realty Investments, which in turn was controlled through a Cypriot company, Bitus Holdings Limited.

According to the investigation, Paluckas and Vilcinskas also had other links. In 2012, the politician purchased a 127 square meter apartment in Trinapolis Street in Vilnius from Verslo Investiciju Projektu Centras, a company headed by Vilcinskas.

According to the data Siena received from the Center of Registers, the value of the transaction amounted to 223,000 euros. Both Vilcinskas and Paluckas claimed that the purchase was made using legitimate funds and a bank loan.

Moreover, in the summer of 2018, after Paluckas finally left Sagerta as a shareholder and became a vice mayor of Vilnius, the Vilnius authorities decided to take over the burnt-down Profsajungu Rumai (Trade Union Palace) in Vilnius for public purposes from VIPC Vilnius, a company linked to Vilcinskas, for almost 6 million euros.

The National Concert Hall is now being built in its place.

Vilcinskas explained to journalists that he was no longer involved in the management of VIPC Vilnius in any capacity that year.

According to the investigation, in his written comments, Paluckas has repeatedly stated that he had no common business with Vilcinskas. The latter says that Paluckas is a family friend.

Paluckas said in comments on the said investigation on Monday that such investigations are a “form of business”. Meanwhile, opposition representatives claim that the prime minister cannot continue in his position and call on the president to take a principled look into this situation.

Following this journalistic investigation, the Prosecutor General's Office announced on Monday that it had instructed the Special Investigation Service (SIS) to clarify the circumstances related to the prime minister's previous business activities and ties with business representatives.

The SIS reported that after clarifying the circumstances, it would decide whether to launch a pre-trial investigation.

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Lithuania has strong trump card in talks with the EC on RDF funds – advisor

VILNIUS, Jul 01, BNS - Lithuania will receive about 0.5 billion euros in additional revenue after the adoption of tax amendments by the Seimas, which is a strong argument when talking to the European Commission about the frozen Recovery and Resilience Facility funds, presidential advisor Vaidas Augustinavicius says.

"The fiscal effect is considerable, as the Finance Ministry says, it will be about half a billion euros in 2027 and beyond, so in our opinion the fiscal effect in the current geopolitical environment, looking at the neighboring countries, has exceeded expectations," he told the Ziniu Radijas news radio on Tuesday. 

"Lithuania has a strong trump card when talking to the European Commission about the RRF funds, because half a billion from tax reform in a socially responsible way is a significant change and a significant argument for the European Commission," he added. 

The EC has frozen 400 million euros in RRF funds pending Lithuania's adoption of tax changes, notably the introduction of a universal property tax.

Finance Minister Rimantas Sadzius also expects the EC to release the RRF funds after assessing the legalized allocation of part of the property tax revenue to defense, as well as other changes, such as the taxation of some insurance contracts.

In June, Lithuanian lawmakers adopted amendments to the personal income tax, corporate income tax, real estate tax, introduced the so-called sugar tax and taxed non-life insurance contracts. The changes were later signed by President Gitanas Nauseda.

Sadzius has said that the state would receive about 250 million in additional revenues from higher taxes next year and 600 million euros in 2027.

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Nauseda: Lithuanian military intel chief dismissed due to clash between 2 persons emotions

VILNIUS, Jul 01, BNS – Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene dismissed military intelligence chief Elegijus Paulavicius from his post last week due to a clash between “two people's emotions”, President Gitanas Nauseda said adding that he himself had no complaints about the colonel.

“... at some stage, it seems that the emotions of two people clashed and led to what we are seeing now,” Nauseda told the national broadcaster LRT on Monday.

The country's leader said he had not seen any problems in the work of the director of the Second Investigation Department under the Defense Ministry, Lithuania's military intelligence service.

“During all that time I worked with Paulavicius in various formats—whether he came to present information to me, participated in State Defense Council meetings, presenting materials, or when I simply came into contact with his activities and learned about them from third parties— I never saw any problems,” the president said.

“Questions naturally arise: why did Paulavicius work without complaint during all those years, and why did this avalanche of dissatisfaction and complaints suddenly hit him in his last weeks on the job? You have to admit, it's a little unnatural,” he added.

Last week, Sakaliene moved Paulavicius to the Defense Ministry's temporary reserve of professional military service personnel, even though his term was due to end in August.

On Thursday, the minister told reporters that she was forced to take this step after receiving complaints from employees about “very serious irregularities” and added that Paulavicius could not continue working in this position while the investigation into the treatment of his subordinates was ongoing.

According to Sakaliene, the situation in the department deteriorated after she refused to appoint Paulavicius for a second term.

The Lithuanian Seimas Committee on National Security and Defense on Friday questioned the lawfulness of the dismissal of Colonel Paulavicius as head of the country's Second Investigation Department under the Defense Ministry and decided to ask the Defense Ministry for all related documents.

According to media sources, Colonel Mindaugas Mazonas, former commander of Lithuania's Special Operations Forces, is expected to be appointed head of the Second Investigation Department in August, succeeding Paulavicius.

Nauseda said that non-appointment of Paulavicius for a second term does not mean that he did a poor job.

Paulavicius has been temporarily replaced by his first deputy Petras Zaptorius until the end of Paulavicius' term.

Colonel Paulavicius was appointed head of military intelligence in August 2020. His term of office would have expired in mid-August.

The Second Investigation Department is one of Lithuania's two intelligence services and is responsible for ensuring and strengthening national security in the defense sector.

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Restrictions on gambling advertising come into force in Lithuania

VILNIUS, Jul 01, BNS - Stricter requirements for gambling advertising come into force in Lithuania on Tuesday.

According to the Gaming Control Authority, the changes are transitional before a full ban on gambling advertising comes into force in 2028. Until then, gambling advertising will be restricted but allowed. The aim is to make gambling less accessible and reduce its harm to society.

"The aim of the amendments to the Gaming Law is to reduce the accessibility of gambling and the harm it causes to society,” Sandra Vitkeviciute, an advisor at the GCA, told BNS.

From July 1, gambling organizers will be able to advertise their names and brands only on their headquarters or gambling venues, while other external advertising is banned. Companies will also be able to advertise their name and trademark on their website.

Only publications dedicated to the gambling business will be allowed to publish information about gambling.

Only betting advertisements will be allowed on TV, radio and the internet, but advertisements will be limited to 15 seconds and aired no more than three times an hour between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., and no more than twice an hour between 6 p.m. until midnight.

Online betting advertisements will not be able to link to the organizers' websites, and restrictions on the space available for its advertisements will be introduced. Such ads will also not be able to appear in pop-up windows that cover the content.

From July, gambling operators will continue to be able to sponsor sporting events, organizations, broadcasts of competitions and athletes, as well as cultural or artistic events and their broadcasts.

However, the names of gambling companies can no longer be used in the names of sports clubs or leagues, but they will still be allowed to appear next to the sponsored club or athlete.

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Protest staged in Vilnius as Israeli foreign minister visits Lithuania

VILNIUS, Jul 01, BNS - Around thirty people are protesting against Israel's policy outside the Foreign Ministry in central Vilnius on Tuesday as Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar visits Lithuania.

"We are here because a representative of a government accused of genocide is visiting Lithuania. A foreign minister who denies genocide, who denies that people are being starved to death, even though international human rights organizations have been talking about Israel committing genocide in Gaza for a long time. It is also carrying out an illegal occupation of Palestine," Ajus Jurgaitis, 29, a human rights expert, told BNS.

"As a country that has suffered from occupation, it is simply shameful to see our government supporting and backing another state that is committing occupation and genocide," he said.

Split into two groups, protesters are holding placards reading "While Europe funds, Israel bombs", "Stop genocide", "From Ukraine to Palestine occupation is a crime", "One day everyone will always be against this", "Sanctions on Israel", "Let Gaza live", "its not two-sided genocide", “This is not a war not a conflict, it is genocide".

Protesters are beating a drum and chant "Since when does Lithuania support the occupier", "Stop bombing children", "Free free Palestine".

There are several police vehicles and officers from other agencies outside the ministry as well.

According to Jurgaitis, such visits should not take place when "the (Israeli - BNS) government is accused of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity".

Jaroslav, 18, who is about to join the army, told BNS that he is protesting because "genocide is happening, that's it".

"That is why I did not like (Prime Minister Gintautas - BNS) Paluckas' statement that what we, Lithuanians, can do if we recognize Palestine. Because this is related to the history of Lithuania. We are a small country and we have to save other small countries that are oppressed by the empire," the young man said.

Jurgaitis made similar demands for the government, saying that even if the recognition of another state would not have a material effect, it would show Lithuania's value position.

Saar's visit to Lithuania comes amid tensions in the Middle East as the Jewish state continues its attacks in Gaza and as Israel and Iran agreed to a ceasefire earlier this month after a 12-day war.

Following the European Union's decision to review its cooperation agreement with Israel over alleged human rights violations in the Gaza Strip, Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said last week that the timing was not right for that.

Brussels took the steps after the majority of EU foreign ministers backed the move at their meeting in a bid to put pressure on Israel. Lithuania opposed it.

On the other hand, Lithuania's top diplomat acknowledges that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip cannot be ignored.

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Aleknavicius appointed to head Lithuania’s National Cyber Security Center

VILNIUS, Jul 01, BNS – Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene appointed Antanas Aleknavicius as director of the country’s National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) on Tuesday, the Defense Ministry said in a press release.

He won a public competition for the position.

Before the appointment, Aleknavicius served as deputy director of the NCSC.

During his term, the new NCSC director plans to focus on preparing to coordinate major cyber security crises by drawing on a larger network of partners both within the country and internationally.

“Cyber attacks do not respect borders or sectoral divisions. Examples from around the world in recent months show that a crisis can affect several countries and different sectors at the same time, disrupting critical services to the public. Therefore, one of my main tasks is to further improve the cyber crisis response model and test it periodically in exercises,” the press release quoted Aleknavicius as saying.

Aleknavicius succeeds Liudas Alisauskas as head of the NCSC.

After Alisauskas left the NCSC in March, Aleknavicius led the organization on an acting basis.

As deputy director of the NCSC, Aleknavicius coordinated cyber incident management, led resilience-building projects, and participated in the drafting of the new Cyber Security Law and the transposition of the provisions of the European Union's NIS2 Directive into Lithuanian national law.

Before joining the NCSC in 2023, Aleknavicius spent more than a decade working at the Defense Ministry, where he headed the Cyber Security and Information Technology Policy Group and a division in the Legal Department.

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FM: Poland intends to strengthen checks at its border with Lithuania

VILNIUS, Jul 01, BNS – Warsaw intends to strengthen border controls between Lithuania and Poland, Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys has said.

“Yesterday, I received a message from Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski that the Polish government intends to adopt a decision today to apply enhanced checks at the Lithuanian-Polish border, as well as at the Polish-German border,” the Lithuanian top diplomat said at a news conference in Vilnius on Tuesday.

According to him, Poland is planning this step in view of the situation regarding irregular migration, the number of detainees, and certain tensions arising from the measures applied at the Polish-German border.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Monday that Warsaw might introduce checks on its border with Lithuania. Meanwhile, spokesman for Lithuania's State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said that Lithuanian officials had not been informed of such plans.

Lithuanian border guards recorded no attempts to cross into the country from Belarus illegally on Monday whereas Poland denied entry to 163 irregular migrants on Sunday, according to the latest available information.

By Vilmantas Venckūnas

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Police launch administrative probe after Kaunas mayor hits pedestrian

KAUNAS, Jul 01, BNS – Police in Lithuania's second-largest city of Kaunas have launched an administrative probe after Mayor Visvaldas Matijosaitis hit a man at a pedestrian crossing while driving his car on Monday afternoon.

"A probe is being launched today," Odeta Vaitkeviciene, spokeswoman for the Kaunas County Police, told BNS on Tuesday.

Matijosaitis is facing a fine ranging between 150 and 300 euros for a violation of the Road Traffic Regulations resulting in minor injuries.

Police have decided not to open a pre-trial investigation into the accident because the victim suffered minor injuries. Police announced on Tuesday morning that the victim, born in 1999, was discharged after receiving treatment in hospital.

According to Vaitkeviciene, the victim is a Russian citizen.

Matijosaitis hit the man at a pedestrian crossing around noon on Monday as he was driving his Rolls-Royce. The mayor sincerely apologized to the pedestrian after the incident and claimed that the incident was caused by a lack of attention and a lack of horizontal markings on the newly laid asphalt. The mayor said that he was driving slowly enough but did not see the pedestrian when changing lanes.

In the winter of 2018, Matijosaitis also hit and injured a pedestrian while driving his car.

The mayor’s car then knocked down an 80-year-old man near the crosswalk in downtown Kaunas, Lithuania's second-largest city. The man sustained minor injuries.

Matijosaitis promised at the time that he would no longer drive during working hours.

In addition, in the fall of 2016, the mayor was involved in an incident when he allegedly failed to yield to a pedestrian crossing the street. A witness then said he saw a man standing on the crossing, leaning against a black car and banging on the bonnet, angry at the driver.

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Lithuania, Israel share security interest as Iran threats democratic world – Budrys

VILNIUS, Jul 01, BNS - Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs and its support for international terrorism pose a threat to the entire world, and therefore Lithuania and Israel share the same interest of ensuring security, Lithuania Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys says.

"We understand that Iran has posed and continues to pose an existential threat to Israel. Iran's nuclear program is a danger to the whole world, and we have every reason to support all efforts to end it in order to make the world more secure and stable," Lithuania's top diplomat said on Tuesday after his meeting with visiting Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.

"The ballistic missile program poses a threat and we also see Iran's activities in support of international terrorism (...). Therefore, this whole situation must be used to ensure our common security interests, and in this area our interests coincide with Israel's interests and the interests of the whole democratic world," he added.

The meeting mainly discussed the situation in the Middle East, Budrys said, adding that the latest military escalation between Iran and Israel has brought great instability to the region and to the world.

Earlier this month, the two countries agreed on a ceasefire after 12 days of war.

The end of this war has created a new opportunity to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas with a view to putting an end to the fighting in the Gaza Strip.

As Israeli attacks on the Palestinian enclave continue and Israel seeks to completely destroy Hamas, Budrys says he understands that "not everything is going as smoothly as we would like".

"The minister assured me that efforts are being made by Israel to improve those conditions. Lithuania's interest is that those efforts are stepped up," he said.

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Israeli FM: EU-Israel dialogue on humanitarian situation in Gaza beginning in Jerusalem

VILNIUS, Jul 01, BNS – Dialogue between the European Union (EU) delegation and Israel on the humanitarian situation in the war-torn Gaza Strip is beginning in Jerusalem, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said while visiting Lithuania on Tuesday.

He made the announcement after a meeting with his Lithuanian counterpart Kestutis Budrys in Vilnius.

The Israeli minister described the dialogue as “an effort not only to exchange views but maybe to see how we can work together to improve the situation”.

“I engaged with EU High Representative Kaja Kallas to begin this dialogue that we will begin today in Jerusalem between the EU and Israel on the matter,” he said adding that this issue had also been discussed in previous phone conversations with Budrys.

Saar's visit to Lithuania comes amid tensions in the Middle East as the Jewish state continues its attacks in the Gaza Strip following a ceasefire agreed between Israel and Iran earlier this month, ending 12 days of fighting between the two countries.

Following the European Union's decision to review its cooperation agreement with Israel over alleged human rights violations in the Gaza Strip, Budrys said last week that the timing was not right for such actions.

Brussels took the steps after the majority of EU foreign ministers backed the move at their meeting in a bid to put pressure on Israel. Lithuania, for its part, opposed this initiative.

On the other hand, Lithuania's top diplomat acknowledged that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip cannot be ignored.

Israel, for its part, accuses the Palestinian militant group Hamas of appropriating aid intended for the population.

“Our aim is to defeat Hamas. We don’t want Hamas to use the humanitarian aid as an economic asset to empower its war machine, but we want it directly to go to the people of Gaza,“ Saar said while visiting the Foreign Ministry in Vilnius.

With Israel continuing to pound the Palestinian enclave, US President Donald Trump has begun stepping up his push on the Israeli government to broker a ceasefire and hostage agreement and bring about an end to the war in Gaza.

Talks between Israel and Hamas have repeatedly faltered over a major sticking point — whether the war should end as part of any ceasefire agreement.

The last meeting between the Lithuanian and Israeli foreign ministers took place in March 2023 in Israel.

By Deividas Kubikis, Paulius Perminas

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Lithuania to send in help to assist Latvia in fighting illegal migration

VILNIUS, Jul 01, BNS - Lithuania is sending officers to Latvia to help the neighboring country fight illegal migration, the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.

On the order of Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovic, police office and border guards are being sent to Latvia to help it deal with secondary illegal migration orchestrated by the Belarusian regime.

According to the ministry, eight Lithuanian police officers have already started their service in Latvia. Lithuanian border guards will soon also start assisting the Latvian Border Guard Service. The exact number is not yet clear.

According to the State Bore Guard Service, Lithuania is facing so-called secondary migration where foreigners who have entered Latvia illegally from Belarus travel via Lithuania and Poland to Western Europe. 352 such irregular migrants were detained in the first half of this year.

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Lithuania: tax reform to add EUR 344 mln to Defense Fund next year, over EUR 500 mln later

VILNIUS, Jul 01, BNS – Tax changes adopted by the Seimas of Lithuania will add approximately 344 million euros to the country’s Defense Fund next year and more than 500 million euros annually in subsequent years, according to forecasts by the Finance Ministry.

According to the estimates provided by the ministry to BNS, 343.7 million euros in revenue from tax changes alone is expected to be allocated to the Defense Fund in 2026, 512.7 million euros in 2027, and 524.2 euros million in 2028.

“Approximately 0.5 billion euros will be allocated additionally to defense from 2027, which will account for more than 90 percent of all additional budget revenue that will be received after the adoption of amendments to tax legislation,” the ministry said in a comment sent to BNS.

In June, Lithuanian lawmakers adopted amendments to the personal income tax, corporate income tax, real estate tax, introduced the so-called sugar tax and taxed non-life insurance contracts as well as adjusted some value added tax exemptions.

The amendments have already been signed into law by President Gitanas Nauseda.

Previously, the ministry estimated that the adoption of all tax changes would generate an additional 346 million euros for national defense in 2026 and around 509 million euros annually in 2027 and subsequent years.

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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Lithuania’s PM claims he has Seimas’ confidence, does not intend to test it

VILNIUS, Jul 01, BNS – With the opposition in the Seimas claiming that Gintautas Paluckas, Lithuania’s prime minister and Social Democratic Party leader, cannot hold office due to potentially non-transparent links and conflicts of interest, he insists that he does not intend to test the confidence of the parliament.

“I am certain that I have the confidence of the Seimas, the coalition is united, the coalition sees what kind of speculation and insinuations are being spread in the public domain, so there is no doubt that any interpellations will fail,” he told reporters on Tuesday after a meeting with President Gitanas Nauseda.

According to him, opposition lawmakers have the right to initiate a no-confidence or interpellation procedure, but he is certain that his coalition partners will not support such initiatives.

The center-left coalition has 86 seats in the 141-member Seimas.

According to Paluckas, he had a “frank conversation” with Nauseda about the shadow cast on him due to his business dealings from a decade ago.

“We had a frank and sincere conversation with the president, discussed all the political circumstances and various initiatives put forward by the opposition,” the head of government said.

On Sunday, the Siena Center for Investigative Journalism and Laisves TV published an investigation raising questions about Paluckas' business dealings from more than a decade ago, loans received, and links with businessman Darijus Vilcinskas.

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Lithuania focuses on secondary migration as Poland steps up border checks – minister

VILNIUS, Jul 01, BNS - As Poland steps up checks at its borders with Lithuania and Germany, Lithuania is reacting to the situation by intensifying its fight against secondary migration from Latvia, Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovic says.

In a comment sent to BNS, he noted that it was Poland's decision to step up checks at the border with Lithuania.

"We have been informed about this and are in close contact at the ministerial level. For our part, we are taking additional measures to combat secondary illegal migration coming from the Latvian side," Kondratovic said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Interior Ministry said that Lithuania is sending police officers and border guards to Latvia at the neighboring country's request.

According to Kondratovic, the police and Public Security Service officers are assisting Lithuanian border guards in carrying out additional checks in both the Latvian and Polish directions.

As BNS reported earlier, Poland said on Tuesday it would introduce temporary checks at its borders with Germany and Lithuania from July 7to stop illegal immigration.

According to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the checks at the border with Lithuania are necessary to stop migrants crossing from Belarus.

According to the SBGS, 352 illegal migrants were detained in the first six months of this year after entering Latvia from Belarus and then attempting to reach Western Europe via Lithuania and Poland. The number jumped 2.5 times from the same period last year.

Warsaw's intention to step up checks at the Lithuanian-Polish border because of the migration situation was announced earlier on Tuesday by Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys who said that the two countries' interior ministers were in contact about it.

According to the data from the SBGS, 5,914 migrants have attempted to enter Latvia this year and have been detained and returned to Belarus. This is almost seven times more than the number of attempts to enter Lithuania from Belarus.

14,975 migrants have already tried to enter Poland this year and have been turned back at the border.

By Dominykas Biržietis

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Lithuanian border guards report sharp rise in secondary migration from Belarus via Latvia

VILNIUS, Jul 01, BNS – A total of 352 irregular migrants who entered Latvia from Belarus and then attempted to reach Western Europe via Lithuania and Poland were detained in the first half of 2025, according to data released on Tuesday by the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service (SBGS).

Compared to the first half of 2024, when 140 such migrants were detained, the flow of irregular secondary migration from Latvia increased by two and a half times in January-June this year.

Of the migrants who traveled via the so-called Latvian route, 157 were detained by Lithuanian officers and 195 by Polish officers. Lithuanian border guards say that they usually hand such migrants over to their Latvian colleagues after completing the necessary procedures.

In the reporting period, the SBGS launched 25 pre-trial investigations into the illegal transportation of people across the state border and detained 31 migrant smugglers. In most cases, the aliens were illegally transported from Latvia and, in one case, from Poland.

Among the aliens detained by border guards in the reporting period, the majority were citizens of Somalia and Afghanistan, 150 and 53, respectively. The SBGS noted a particular increase in the number of Somalis detained, especially compared to 52 irregular migrants from that country detained in full 2024.

Somali citizens questioned by Lithuanian border guards most often say they are traveling from Somalia via the United Arab Emirates to Russia, from there to Belarus, and then seek to enter Latvia, from where they usually travel to Germany.

According to the SBGS, irregular migrants travel illegally from Latvia in groups of several to a dozen people, not only using the services of smugglers, but also traveling by regular buses with foreign or forged travel documents.

According to the SBGS data, 5,914 migrants have attempted to enter Latvia this year before being detained and turned back to Belarus. Meanwhile, Lithuanian border guards have barred 890 irregular migrants from entering from Belarus at non-designated places so far this year, after turning away 1,002 in 2024.

As regards Poland, 14,975 migrants have already attempted to enter the country this year and have been turned away at the border.

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Lithuanian president vows to make his stance on PM known after institutional assessment

VILNIUS, Jul 01, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda met with Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas on Tuesday and says he heard the prime minister's explanations and will present his conclusions after the verdict of the responsible institutions.

"The president heard the prime minister's explanations. The president, just as he said yesterday, will make any assessments after the responsible institutions have presented their conclusions," the presidential press service told BNS.

For his part, Paluckas said after the meeting that he had spoken openly with Nauseda about the business he owned a decade ago casting a shadow on him.

The prime minister also said he has the confidence of the Seimas and has no plans to test it.

On Sunday, Laisves TV and the Siena Center for Investigative Journalism published an investigation into a business of Paluckas owned more than a decade ago, the loans it received and his links with businessman Darijus Vilcinskas.

Following this investigation, the Prosecutor General's Office said it had tasked the Special Investigation Service to look into the prime minister's former businesses and ties with business representatives.

As BNS reported earlier, a pre-trial investigation was earlier opened into possible credit fraud following reports that Garnis, a company co-owned by the prime minister received a soft loan from the national development bank ILTE.

The Seimas opposition maintains that Paluckas cannot continue as prime minister because „the shadow of possible corrupt transactions and connections falls on him". The opposition conservative Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats and the Liberals say undeclared loans, interests and connections could pose a risk to national security.

By Paulius Perminas

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Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, July 2, 2025

VILNIUS, Jul 02, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Wednesday, July 2, 2025:

THE PRESIDENT PALACE to host a press conference on childcare at 10 a.m., to be attended, among others, by Katarina Ivankovic Knezevic of the European Commission.

 

INTERIOR MINISTER Vladislav Kondratovic to continue his working visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Monetengro.

LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus
2. Lithuania: NATO border states’ exit from Ottawa Treaty shows resolve to defend themselves
3. Lithuanian defense minister visits Philippines to discuss strengthening bilateral ties
4. Flights between Vilnius and Tel Aviv partly resumed
5. Around 200 Belarusians in Vilnius demanded release of political prisoners in Belarus
6. Govt to establish defense advisor position at Lithuania’s embassy in Poland
7. Lithuania: Hanner, Naresta agree on national stadium, work to start soon
8. Lithuania: Mediatech acquires 22 pct stake in 15min Group owner 4 Bees
9. Lithuania's Seimas gives green light to State Road Fund
10. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar to visit Vilnius on Tuesday
11. Lithuanian PM in hot water over former business, links with businessman Darijus Vilcinskas
12. Lithuanian PM: Vilcinskas invited me to develop app for fishermen
13. Kaunas mayor hits man at pedestrian crossing while driving his car
14. Lithuanian PM says he will transfer management of his companies’ shares to lawyers
15. Lithuanian PM's explanations fail to convince opposition: prime minister must go
16. Lithuanian Finance Minister Sadzius among candidates for Eurogroup president
17. Govt to propose Irnius as Lithuania's ambassador to Spain, Radikaite as ambassador to UK
18. Lithuanian parliament approves EU presidency priorities
19. Lithuania's anti-corruption body to look into circumstances related to PM’s business ties
20. Border guards have no info as Polish PM speaks about possible border checks with Lithuania
21. Lithuania, the Philippines to step up security and defense cooperation
22. NATO jets in Baltics scrambled 3 times over Russian aircraft last week
23. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Tuesday, July 1, 2025

Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus

VILNIUS, Jun 30, BNS – Lithuanian border guards have recorded no attempts to cross into the country from Belarus illegally in the past 24 hours, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Monday morning.

Latvia reported 59 illegal border crossing attempts on Sunday. Poland denied entry to 138 irregular migrants on Saturday, according to the latest available information.

Lithuania has barred 890 irregular migrants from entering from Belarus at non-designated places so far this year, after turning away 1,002 in 2024.

The influx of irregular migrants into the EU's eastern member states from Belarus began in 2021 and is blamed by the West on the Minsk regime.

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Lithuania: NATO border states’ exit from Ottawa Treaty shows resolve to defend themselves

VILNIUS, Jun 30, BNS – The unanimous withdrawal of NATO border states from the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (Ottawa Convention) sends a message that they will defend themselves by all means, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry has said.

On Friday, Lithuania officially handed over its formal notice on its withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention to the United Nations Secretary-General.

The withdrawal will take effect six months after the formal notice is submitted.

"Lithuania, together with other NATO border countries, is implementing an unprecedented regional decision. Together with our regional partners, we have formed a defense coalition that sends an unambiguous message that NATO's eastern border is one and indivisible, and we will defend it together, with all necessary means," a press release from the ministry quoted Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene as saying.

According to the Defense Ministry, anti-personnel mines are an effective and affordable defense tool that can stop enemy infantry and form a strong and resilient defense line that can block invading forces.

According to Sakaliene, given the unstable security environment, it is necessary to have all measures in place “to strengthen our deterrence and defense capabilities”.

The Defense Ministry emphasized that even after denouncing the Ottawa Convention, Lithuania remains committed to the principles and norms of international humanitarian law governing the conduct of war and the protection of civilians.

In early May, the Lithuanian parliament voted to exit the Ottawa Convention, which prohibits the use, stockpiling and production of anti-personnel mines. 

In March, the defense ministers of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland issued a joint statement calling on their countries to exit the Ottawa Convention. They were later joined by Finland.

In late April, the Estonian government approved a proposal to withdraw from the convention, while the Latvian president signed into law a bill on the country's exit from the treaty. 

Leaving the convention would allow Lithuania to acquire, produce, stockpile, use, and transfer anti-personnel mines.

All European Union member states are currently parties to the Ottawa Convention, while China, Russia, the United States, India, and Pakistan are not.

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Lithuanian defense minister visits Philippines to discuss strengthening bilateral ties

VILNIUS, Jun 30, BNS – Lithuania’s Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene is visiting the Philippines on Monday, seeking to strengthen Lithuania's role in the Pacific region.

The agenda of the three-day visit includes planned meetings with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Defense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro, the Defense Ministry said in a press release.

The Lithuanian minister plans to discuss strengthening bilateral relations and opportunities for cooperation in the defense industry.

Regional security challenges will also be discussed, including the activities of the shadow fleet and the security of underwater infrastructure.

According to the Defense Ministry, relations between Lithuania and the Philippines are becoming increasingly strategic, especially in the context of security and defense.

"In line with its Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific Region in the Fields of Security and Defense, Lithuania seeks to strengthen its ties with partners in the Indo-Pacific region in a targeted manner, based on the principles of mutual benefit, value-based cooperation, and strategic selectivity. In developing cooperation, the aim is to focus on the areas where Lithuania has an advantage and can form a meaningful partnership,” the ministry said in the press release.

In the Philippines, Sakaliene will also sign a bilateral memorandum on cooperation in the field of security and defense, in which Lithuania and the Philippines agree to strengthen cooperation in the areas of cyber security and defense, combating disinformation, and information exchange.

This is the first visit by a Lithuanian defense minister to this country.

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Flights between Vilnius and Tel Aviv partly resumed

VILNIUS, Jun 30, BNS – One of the three regular flights between Vilnius and Tel Aviv was resumed on Sunday night after the military conflict between Israel and Iran ended in a ceasefire, Lietuvos Oro Uostai (Lithuanian Airports, or LTOU), the airport operator in Lithuania, reported on Monday.

“Israir Airlines has resumed regular flights between Vilnius and Tel Aviv. The first flight after the break departed from Vilnius Airport yesterday at around midnight,” LTOU spokesman Tadas Vasiliauskas said in a comment sent to BNS. 

According to him, Ryanair and Wizz Air, which also operated flights on this route, have announced publicly that they will resume flights in fall.

In view of the open conflict between Iran and Israel and the exchange of fire between the two countries, Wizz Air, Israir Airlines, and Ryanair announced in mid-June that they were suspending flights between Vilnius and Tel Aviv.

By Lukas Juozapaitis

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Around 200 Belarusians in Vilnius demanded release of political prisoners in Belarus

VILNIUS, Jun 30, BNS - Around 200 Belarusians gathered outside the government office in central Vilnius on Saturday to demand the release of political prisoners from Belarusian prisons and vowed to continue fighting for their country's freedom.

"Change is possible and I will do my best to make it happen," said Siarhei Tsikhanouski, the husband of Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who was released from prison a week ago.

He spent five years in prison for running for president in 2020 against Alexander Lukashenko, Europe's last dictator.

This solidarity rally was organized by the Tsikhanouski and was intended to show that the struggle for a free Belarus continues. The rally featured songs and poems written in prison by Tsikhanouski, posters demanding that Lukashenko's regime stop its repression, and portraits of other political prisoners, including Ales Beliatski and Mikalai Statkevich.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya thanked the US, President Donald Trump and European politicians for her husband's release, saying that prison had failed to break her husband's will and determination.

Anatoly Lebedka, a former political prisoner and a member of the first independent Belarusian parliament, told BNS that the release of some political prisoners was a good thing in human terms, adding that Tsikhanouski's release had put the Belarusian cause back on the international agenda.

"This is a major achievement, we are back on the international agenda. In the short term, everything is good, but the question is what will happen next, how we keep the energy going and what we need to do to get others released," Lebedka said.

In his words, people like Tsikhanouski have a chance to unite the Belarusian opposition.

"This is his chance, his opportunity, but we all have to help him too because he cannot do anything alone. He has a chance if he is supported by international leaders and by us (the Belarusian diaspora - BNS) (...) What people can do? Just come to such rallies. There are tens of thousands of us in Lithuania, and when 20,000, 40,000 come, then everyone will see that not only he (Tsikhanouski - BNS) is in pain, that we are all in pain. Then both Lithuanian and international leaders will see that Belarusians care about them," Lebedka said.

The rally in Vilnius comes exactly one week after Tsikhanouskis was released from prison along with 13 other political prisoners following a meeting between Lukashenko and the US president's Special Envoy Keith Kellogg in Minsk.

Tsikhanouski, 46, spent a total of more than five years in prison. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2021.

Ruled by Lukashenko since 1994, Belarus has all opposition movements banned and is the only European country with the death penalty still in place.

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Govt to establish defense advisor position at Lithuania’s embassy in Poland

VILNIUS, Jun 30, BNS – A defense advisor position will be established at the Lithuanian Embassy in Poland starting in July of this year on the initiative of the Defense Ministry.

The Cabinet has already approved the ministry’s decision to this effect.

According to the ministry, a defense advisor in Poland is needed to strengthen bilateral and regional cooperation in the fields of security and defense.

Currently, Defense Attaché Vilmas Satas and his deputy Darius Kaleda work at the embassy in Warsaw, and they are accredited to Poland, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Slovakia, and Hungary.

According to the ministry, the defense advisor would focus primarily on cooperation with the Polish Defense Ministry, while the defense attaché and his deputy would give priority to cooperation with the Polish military leadership and military intelligence agencies.

“It is expected that with the new position of defense advisor created, Lithuania's defense attaché will have more opportunities to focus on other countries of accreditation,” the ministry said.

According to the ministry, the position of defense advisor is also particularly relevant in preparation for Lithuania's presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2027.

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Lithuania: Hanner, Naresta agree on national stadium, work to start soon

VILNIUS, Jun 30, BNS – Lithuanian real estate development company Hanner has completed negotiations with construction company Naresta on the national stadium project in Vilnius.

Hanner owner and CEO Arvydas Avulis told BNS that Naresta, which has already completed the demolition of the remains of the previously started and unfinished stadium in 2023, will construct the main stadium, two football pitches and install the main engineering networks in the entire territory for 70 million euros. 

The contract with both Naresta and investment company BaltCap will be signed this week, and the construction of the national stadium is expected to resume within a week, Avulis said.

"We should start the construction work within a week. (...) It is not always the case that you sign a contract and then the next day the equipment and people are already on their way there. The main thing is that we are determined to start the work immediately, but we need to take the circumstances into account and give people at least a week to prepare," Avulis told BNS.

The company is also getting close to an agreement with another contractor to develop the rest of the project, the Hanner CEO added.

BNS reported that last week Hanner had completed negotiations with BaltCap on the takeover of the national stadium project in Vilnius. 

In late May, the European Commission gave its final approval to amendments to the concession agreement for the stadium project, which provides for state aid to the project.

The Vilnius authorities and the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport signed a 25-year concession contract with Vilniaus Daugiafunkcis Kompleksas (Vilnius Multifunctional Complex) in October 2021, Naresta started construction in the fall of 2023, which is currently on hold.

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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Lithuania: Mediatech acquires 22 pct stake in 15min Group owner 4 Bees

VILNIUS, Jun 30, BNS – Mediatech, a digital media company, completed the acquisition of 22.18 percent of shares in 4 Bees, 15min Group's managing company, in June becoming its minority shareholder, the Lithuanian-owned media and digital business group reported on Monday.

The Competition Council gave its clearance for the deal in May.

Mediatech, a Lithuanian company, is part of the Tesonet group of tech companies. It operates a number of global media projects, the largest of which is Cybernews.

The 15min Group includes the 15min.lt news website, radio stations M-1, M-1 Plius, Lietus, M-1 Dance, Laluna, magazines Zmones, Ji, Legendos, the BNS news agency, and the home cinema platform Zmones Cinema.

4 Bees and its partners also operate the Manodaktaras.lt health services platform and the subscription booking platform Prenumerata.lt.

Other shareholders of 4 Bees include Tomas Balzekas, Martynas Basokas, Gabriele Burbiene and Tomas Bindokas.

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Lithuania's Seimas gives green light to State Road Fund

VILNIUS, Jun 30, BNS – Lithuanian lawmakers on Monday approved the establishment of a State Road Fund from next year. This special fund should generate around 400 million euros in additional funds for roads, bringing the total funding for roads to almost 1 billion euros.

97 Seimas members voted in favor of the bill today, there were no votes against and eight MPs abstained.

Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas has said that taking part of funding for the new fund from other lines of the state budget will not reduce the capacity to finance overall spending.

Presenting the bill, Transport and Communications Minister Eugenijus Sabutis said that the establishment of the fund would improve the condition of national roads and increase funding for them.

The fund is expected to raise the most - up to 200 million euros - from the heavy transport toll information system, the so-called e-tolling, which will replace the current vignettes.

A further 60 million euros is expected to be raised from the car registration tax, 18 million euros will come from the same tax on goods vehicles, and another 30 million euros will be raised from fines for infringements of road traffic rules and non-payment of tolls and vignette fees. In addition, the fund could borrow around 100 million euros.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications estimates that the shortfall for national and local roads this year alone stands at around 1.27 billion euros. 583 million euros has been allocated to the road maintenance and development program for 2024-2025.

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar to visit Vilnius on Tuesday

VILNIUS, Jun 30, BNS – Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar will arrive in Lithuania on Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry announced.

Saar will meet with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys, and they are expected to discuss bilateral cooperation and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The two ministers will also discuss the situation in the Middle East. Saar's visit comes amid tensions in the region as the Jewish state continues its attacks in the Gaza Strip following a ceasefire agreed between Israel and Iran earlier this month.

The last meeting between the Lithuanian and Israeli foreign ministers took place in March 2023 in Israel.

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Lithuanian PM in hot water over former business, links with businessman Darijus Vilcinskas

VILNIUS, Jun 30, BNS - After more than a decade, Lithuanian Prime Minister and Social Democratic leader Gintautas Paluckas has found himself in hot water over his former business, loans it received and links with businessman Darijus Vilcinskas.

According to the latest investigation by Laisves TV and the Siena Center for Investigative Journalism, in 2013 Paluckas acquired and managed Sagerta, a recently established company that was carrying out the lake bed topography project MyLakeMap.

According to the investigation, the business was not a success, and the company was granted 180,000 euro in loans between 2013 and 2017, which the company eventually failed to pay.

The loans were allegedly given by Uni Trading, but the investigation has failed to establish who owned and managed the company. Neither Paluckas, nor Vilcinskas claimed to know this, although the latter represented Uni Trading's interests for some time, according to documents from Center of Registers.

Vilcinskas says that Uni Trading was in fact a shareholder in Sagerta from the first weeks of its operation, but due to a human error, this was not registered in the Center of Registers.

The investigators say that the management structure of Uni Trading - especially in the early years of the financing of Sagerta - raises many questions. At that time, the company was managed through another Lithuanian company, Amber Realty Investments, which in turn was controlled through a Cypriot company, Bitus Holdings Limited.

According to the investigation, Paluckas and Vilcinskas also had other links. In 2012, the politician purchased a 127 square meter apartment in Trinapolis Street in Vilnius from Verslo Investiciju Projektu Centras, a company headed by Vilcinskas.

According to the data Siena received from the Center of Registers to Sienai, the value of the transaction amounted to 223,000 euros. Both Vilcinskas and Paluckas claimed that the purchase was made using legitimate funds and a bank loan.

Moreover, in the summer of 2018, after Paluckas finally left Sagerta as a shareholder and became a vice mayor of Vilnius, the Vilnius authorities decided to take over the burnt-down Profsajungu Rumai (Trade Union Palace) in Vilnius for public purposes from VIPC Vilnius, a company linked to Vilcinskas, for almost 6 million euros.

The National Concert Hall is now being built in its place.

According to the investigation, in his written comments, Paluckas has repeatedly stated that he had no common business with Vilcinskas. The latter says that Paluckas is a family friend.

"I have no relationship with the Lithuanian prime minister. But we are family friends with Gintautas Paluckas for 15+ years and it is no secret," he said.

In late May, Siena and Laisves TV reported that Garnis, a company co- owned by Paluckas, which plans to produce battery systems, had received a loan of 200,000 euros at a preferential interest rate from the national development bank ILTE.

Law enforcement authorities are now investigating whether the loan was obtained legitimately and whether it was used for its intended purpose.

The Chief Official Ethics Commission is also investigating whether Paluckas did not find himself in a conflict of public and private interests when he made decisions related to the national development bank ILTE, even though Garnis had received a loan from it.

The prime minister says that he is not involved in the day-to-day activities of Garnis and denies any conflict of interests.

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Lithuanian PM: Vilcinskas invited me to develop app for fishermen

VILNIUS, Jun 30, BNS – Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas says he was invited to develop an app for fishermen more than a decade ago by entrepreneur Darijus Vilcinskas, adding that he did not receive any benefit from this business.

"I was invited to implement a nice idea to create a system for renting bathymetric maps, and I was invited by Darijus Vilcinskas to implement this project," the prime minister told reporters at the Seimas on Monday, adding that he and Vilcinskas have been friends for 15 years.

The Social Democrat leader said his business plan to create MyLakeMap, a lake bed map project and an app for fishermen to know fish-rich areas, failed.

"Users did not want to pay for them and the business plan basically failed," Paluckas said. "I did not receive any benefit from Sagerta, in any form, neither myself nor my relatives, except for the minimum wage during the period of my management."

According to the latest investigation by Laisves TV and the Siena Center for Investigative Journalism, published on Sunday, in 2013 Paluckas acquired and managed Sagerta, a recently established company that was carrying out the lake bed topography project MyLakeMap.

According to the investigation, the business was not a success, and the company was granted 180,000 euro in loans between 2013 and 2017, which the company eventually failed to pay.

The loans were allegedly given by Uni Trading, but the investigation has failed to establish who owned and managed the company. Neither Paluckas, nor Vilcinskas claimed to know this, although the latter represented Uni Trading's interests for some time, according to documents from Center of Registers.

"This is speculation. I don't know and I can't know who is involved. The investor and lender, Uni Trading, represented at the time by Darius Vilcinskas, certainly did not give me any doubts. Therefore, additional questions about who are the deeper beneficiaries or even links to sanctioned persons from Belarus are simply taken out of air," Paluckas said on Monday.

In his words, it is normal that loans are not repaid once the money has been spent for the intended purpose and the project has failed.

"If there is money to repay the loans, then there is repayment of the loans and continuation of the project. In this case, as I said, unfortunately the project has not been a commercial success," the prime minister said.

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Kaunas mayor hits man at pedestrian crossing while driving his car

KAUNAS, Jun 30, BNS – Kaunas Mayor Visvaldas Matijosaitis hit a man at a pedestrian crossing while driving his car on Monday afternoon.

The man was taken to hospital, Odeta Vaitkeviciene, spokesperson of the Kaunas County Police Headquarters, confirmed to BNS.

“We received a report at 12:04 p.m. from a passerby that a Rolls-Royce driven by the city mayor hit a 30-year-old pedestrian at a pedestrian crossing on Pramones Avenue, according to preliminary data,” she said. 

The pedestrian was taken to a medical facility due to the injuries sustained.

“According to the available information, the pedestrian's life is not in danger, and the mayor was driving sober,” Vaitkeviciene said.

“Officers are still working at the scene and it will take a little longer to complete the traffic accident report. They are still working on it,” she said when asked if the police had launched an investigation into the incident.

In winter 2018, Matijosaitis also hit and injured a pedestrian while driving his car.

The mayor’s car then knocked down an 80-year-old man near the crosswalk in Sv. Gertrudos Street in downtown Kaunas, Lithuania's second-largest city. The injuries sustained by the pedestrian were not serious.

Matijosaitis promised at the time that he would no longer drive during working hours.

In addition, in the fall of 2016, the mayor was involved in an incident when he allegedly failed to yield to a pedestrian crossing the street. A witness then said he saw a man standing on the crossing, leaning against a black car and banging on the bonnet, angry at the driver.

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Lithuanian PM says he will transfer management of his companies’ shares to lawyers

VILNIUS, Jun 30, BNS – Gintautas Paluckas, Lithuania’s prime minister and Social Democratic Party leader, says he intends to transfer the management of companies’ shares in his possession to lawyers.

“Yes, a contract has been prepared, an agreement is being finalized with one of the law firms, and once these matters have been formalized, the public will certainly be informed,” he told reporters in the Seimas on Monday.

He said he would not yet disclose which law firm would be entrusted with managing the shares.

The government leader is a shareholder in the companies Emus and Garnis.

Paluckas said in early June that President Gitanas Nauseda had urged him to transfer the management of shares in the companies partly owned by him and admitted considering the proposal seriously.

Saulius Skvernelis, the speaker of the parliament, has also called on the prime minister to distance himself from the companies. He said that if the investigations' findings are favorable, the prime minister could make decisions to separate his political career from even indirect involvement in business.

The investigative journalism center Siena (Wall) and Laisves TV reported in late May that Garnis, which plans to produce battery systems, received a 200,000-euro soft loan from the national development bank ILTE after Paluckas had already taken office. 

Law enforcement agencies are investigating whether this loan was obtained legitimately and whether the funds are being used for their intended purpose.

Moreover, the Chief Official Ethics Commission is investigating whether Paluckas confused public and private interests when the prime minister made decisions related to ILTE despite the loan received by Garnis from the national development bank.

The prime minister denies any conflict of interest and says he is not involved in his companies' day-to-day operations.

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Lithuanian PM's explanations fail to convince opposition: prime minister must go

VILNIUS, Jun 30, BNS - After hearing Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas' explanations on the recently published journalistic investigation, the opposition conservative Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats and Liberal groups say he cannot in this position and call on the president to take a principled look into this situation.

"The prime minister, who is under the shadow of possible corrupt transactions and connections, undeclared loans and conflicts of interest, and the risk of those connections to national security, cannot continue to hold the office, and we call on the president to assess the situation in a principled manner and to demand the political responsibility from the PM," the two groups said in a joint statement on Monday.

They said that the prime minister's answers failed to dispel doubts, but "revealed an even greater lack of transparency and unwillingness to take responsibility", the statement says, adding and that the information provided "raises serious doubts as to Paluckas' suitability to hold the highest office in the state".

For his part, the prime ministers told lawmakers today that journalistic investigations, like in his case, are a form of business, adding that answers to questions will not help those who do not want to hear them and who will in any case be left with doubts.

Even before the prime minister's explanations, the opposition called for a confidence vote in the prime minister and said they were waiting for the president's reaction.

President Gitanas Nauseda plans to meet with the prime minister and discuss the latest journalistic investigation on Tuesday.

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Lithuanian Finance Minister Sadzius among candidates for Eurogroup president

VILNIUS, Jun 30, BNS - Lithuanian Finance Minister Rimantas Sadzius is among the three candidates for the post of Eurogroup president.

"There are currently three candidates and the nominations were put forward and announced on Friday evening," Sadzius told the vz.lt business news website on Monday.

Besides Sadzius, the group's incumbent president, Irish Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe, and Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo are also in the race.

The new Eurogroup president will be elected on July 7. 

The Eurogroup chair is tasked with making sure EU countries that use the euro coordinate national financial policies -- a job whose significance was on full show during the 2008 global financial crisis.

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Govt to propose Irnius as Lithuania's ambassador to Spain, Radikaite as ambassador to UK

VILNIUS, Jun 30, BNS – The Lithuanian government is set to propose that President Gitanas Nauseda appoint Tomas Irnius, Lithuania’s former consul in Valencia, as the country’s ambassador to Spain and permanent representative to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, and Asta Radikaite, Lithuania's incumbent ambassador to Denmark, as ambassador to the United Kingdom (UK).

Irnius would start work on August 25, replacing Lyra Puisyte-Bostroem, who will hold these positions until August 22. 

Radikaite, who currently serves as ambassador to Denmark and Iceland, would begin her work as Lithuania's representative to the UK, Northern Ireland, and Portugal on August 8.

It is proposed that she be recalled from her current position on August 7.

The ambassadorial position in London has been vacant since mid-April last year when then Ambassador Eitvydas Bajarunas, earlier accused of mobbing and abuse of office by embassy staff, was removed from office.

The Lithuanian Embassy in London is currently headed by temporary representative Lina Zigmantaite.

Radikaite has previously led the Foreign Ministry's European Union Department and worked as a counselor at the Lithuanian Embassy in France.

The government also intends to propose new ambassadors to Estonia and Turkey – Gitana Skripkaite and Marius Janukonis, respectively.

Skripkaite, a diplomat, would begin work in Tallinn on August 11, replacing Raimonda Murmokaite, who is being recalled on July 17.

Janukonis, who previously served as Lithuania's ambassador to Ukraine, would take up his post in Turkey on September 15. Ricardas Degutis, who currently holds this position, will leave his post on August 25.

The government also proposes to appoint Arnoldas Pranckevicius, Lithuania's ambassador to France, as the country's representative in Morocco, too, starting from August 18.

In Lithuania, ambassadors are appointed and dismissed by the president on the proposal of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and with the approval of the Seimas Committee on Foreign Affairs and the government.

By Karolina Ambrazaitytė

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Lithuanian parliament approves EU presidency priorities

VILNIUS, Jun 30, BNS - The Seimas of Lithuania on Monday approved the main tasks, priorities and responsibilities of Lithuania's EU presidency in 2027.

The resolution confirms that the main objective of the presidency is to ensure the efficient and smooth work of the Council, combining the interests and political priorities of the presidencies of Ireland, Lithuania and Greece and the EU as a whole.

Lithuania will hold the rotating EU presidency in the first half of 2027, and will draw up a joint presidency program with Ireland and Greece. The former will precede and the latter will follow Lithuania.

The Seimas resolution stipulates that Lithuania's EU presidency will focus on the security of the European area, defense issues, EU enlargement, competitiveness, internal security, including migration, the preservation of historical memory and social security.

Priority areas include strengthening the security and defense of the EU and the Euro-Atlantic area, ensuring full support for Ukraine and adequate defense funding, the competitiveness and economic resilience of the bloc, and a multiannual EU budget that responds to needs.

Lithuania will hold the EU presidency for the second time after holding it in 2013. Poland currently holds the presidency and Denmark will take over from July.

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Lithuania's anti-corruption body to look into circumstances related to PM’s business ties

VILNIUS, Jun 30, BNS – Following the latest journalistic investigation into Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas, the Prosecutor General's Office announced on Monday that it had instructed the Special Investigation Service (SIS) to clarify the circumstances related to the prime minister's previous business activities and ties with business representatives.

“Following reports in the public information domain about the businesses developed by Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas, his connections with other business representatives, and possible benefits obtained in a non-transparent manner, the Deputy Prosecutor General ... has today instructed the SIS to clarify these circumstances and take a procedural decision in accordance with the procedure established by the Code of Criminal Procedure,” the Prosecutor's Office said in a press release.

The SIS reported that after clarifying the circumstances, it would decide whether to launch a pre-trial investigation.

After more than a decade, Paluckas has found himself in hot water over his former business, loans it received and links with businessman Darijus Vilcinskas.

According to the latest investigation by Laisves TV and the Siena Center for Investigative Journalism, in 2013 Paluckas acquired and managed Sagerta, a recently established company that was carrying out the lake bed topography project MyLakeMap.

Paluckas said in comments on the said investigation that such investigations are a “form of business”. Meanwhile, opposition representatives claim that the prime minister cannot continue in his position and call on the president to take a principled look into this situation.

President Gitanas Nauseda plans to meet with the prime minister and discuss the latest journalistic investigation on Tuesday.

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Border guards have no info as Polish PM speaks about possible border checks with Lithuania

VILNIUS, Jun 30, BNS - Warsaw may introduce checks on its border with Lithuania, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Monday.

Meanwhile, spokesman for Lithuania's State Border Guard Service says Lithuanian officials have not been informed of such plans.

Tusk said at a press conference on Monday that the government had invested "a lot of effort, money, sweat and, unfortunately, some blood, to make the eastern border with Belarus air-tight", according to PAP.

He said "measures will be taken so that people who cross borders illegally do not come from the Lithuanian direction."

Tusk made the announcement in the context of the Polish-German border, where Poland may also introduce checks.

"We have informed the German side that if there are cases that we see as doubtful, we'll have to reinstate checks at the Polish-German border," Tusk said, referring to reports that Germany may be sending illegal migrants to Poland.

Such reports have spurred some right-wing groups in Poland to organise the so-called Civic Guard units, which 'patrol' the border crossings with Germany looking for attempts to enter Poland by illegal migrants.

Lithuania has not been officially informed about Warsaw's plans, SBGS spokesman Giedrius Misutis said, adding that if we are talking about the entry of irregular migrants from Lithuania to Poland, we are referring to so-called secondary migration.

"Those migrants who are apprehended by the Poles have illegally crossed the Belarusian-Latvian border, not the Belarusian-Lithuanian border," Misutis told BNS. 

In his words, more than 300 such people have already been detained this year. Most of them were caught in Lithuania. And the number of attempts to cross the border illegally in Latvia is also much higher than in Lithuania, he added.

"They (migrants - BNS) see where it is easier to cross the border, so they go there," he said.

A total of 890 illegal migrants have been refused entry into Lithuania this year. Last year, 1,002 attempts were made to enter the country from Belarus in non-designated areas.

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Lithuania, the Philippines to step up security and defense cooperation

VILNIUS, Jun 30, BNS – Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene and Secretary of National Defense of the Philippines Gilberto C. Teodoro have signed a bilateral memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation, which provides for closer cooperation between the countries.

"Strengthening bilateral defense relations between Lithuania and the Philippines is an important part of Lithuania's defense and security strategy in the Indo-Pacific region. The Philippines is an important partner for Lithuania in strengthening regional stability, societal resilience and defense capabilities," Sakaliene said.

"The signed agreement reflects our countries' common approach to emerging security threats. It is not only a symbolic step, but also a practical basis for joint projects that will strengthen the resilience of both countries," the minister said.

The document enshrines cooperation in areas such as maritime security, including threats posed by Russian and Chinese shadow fleets and the protection of both countries' undersea infrastructure, hybrid threats and disinformation campaigns targeting democracies and their societies, the Defense Ministry said on Monday. It also covers cyber security, intelligence sharing, military cooperation, including training, exercises and exchanges of experts.

According to the ministry, the memorandum also discusses cooperation in areas such as civil defense and crisis management to strengthen society's emergency preparedness, the defense industry, in particular ammunition production, and migration, with a view to analyzing the impact of this phenomenon on national security.

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NATO jets in Baltics scrambled 3 times over Russian aircraft last week

VILNIUS, Jun 30, BNS – NATO fighter jets policing Baltic airspace were scrambled three times last week to intercept Russian aircraft flying in international airspace over the Baltic Sea in violation of flight rules, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry said on Monday.

On June 25, NATO jets took off to identify a Russia passenger plane IL-18 flying in international airspace.

On June 26, NATO jets were scrambled to identify a Russian reconnaissance plane IL_20 and a SU24SM tactical bomber. On the same, a SU30SM fighter aircraft was also intercepted.

Two of the three Russian aircraft were flying with their onboard transponders off, without flight plans, and without radio communication with the regional air traffic control center.

The Alliance's Baltic Air Policing mission is carried out from Lithuania and Estonia.

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Upcoming events in Lithuania for Tuesday, July 1, 2025

VILNIUS, Jul 01, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Tuesday, July 1, 2025:

PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to meet with PRIME MINISTER Gintautas Paluckas at 1 p.m.

FOREIGN MINISTER Kestutis Budrys to welcome his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar: the two ministers to hold a joint press conference at the Foreign Ministry at 11.30 p.m.; to visit the Paneriai Memorial to honor Holocaust victims at 3 p.m.

INTERIOR MINISTER Vladislav Kondratovic to pay a working visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Monetengro.

 

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