LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Lithuania's competition watchdog blocks TV3 Grupe's M-1 acquisition
2. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Tuesday, September 19, 2023
3. UN role key to containing consequences of Russia's war in Ukraine – Lithuanian president 
4. US-Lithuania cooperation has huge growth potential – Nauseda 
5. Lithuania, Philippines agree to step up cooperation
6. Lithuanian minister to make proposals to trade unions on raising teachers' salaries
7. Lithuania reports 476 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths
8. Lithuanian parlt to consider impeachment motion against MP for anti-Semitic posts 
9. Amendments on sentencing procedures to be put before Lithuanian parlt
10. Lithuania-Sweden power link repairs to take another week or so – minister
11. Lithuania turns 1,300 tourists away since introduction entry restrictions for Russians
12. Nauseda unveils memorial plaque to Lithuanian librarian Ulpis in New York 
13. No need for SDC to decide on cluster munitions pact – Lithuanian parlt speaker
14. Lithuanian PM on cluster munitions pact exit: there's no easy answer
15. Lithuania's competition watchdog blocks TV3 Grupe's M-1 acquisition (expands)
16. ECB's 'book' decisions could have negative economic consequences – Lithuanian PM
17. Lithuanian parlt urges NATO countries to invite Ukraine to join at Washington summit 
18. All Media Lithuania: M-1 takeover ban sends negative signal
19. Lithuanian president's aide urges step to raise people's income amid interest rate hikes 
20. Civil Union bill remains on Lithuanian parlt's fall agenda
21. Lithuanian parlt sets up Zemaitaitis impeachment commission, opposition opts out
22. Lithuania discusses pope's Russia remarks with Vatican envoy, won't comment on content
23. Ex-Kaunas administration director admits having taken bribes, repents
24. airBaltic to fly from Vilnius to Gran Canaria, to suspend flights to Brussels
25. Lithuanian MPs vote down proposal to grant state recognition to neo-pagans
26. Lithuania discusses pope's Russia remarks with Vatican envoy, won't comment on content (expands)
27. Lithuanian formin calls on Baku to cease fire, start talks with Armenians
28. Lithuania will generate some 75-80 pct of electricity in 2025 – minister
29. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Lithuania's competition watchdog blocks TV3 Grupe's M-1 acquisition

VILNIUS, Sep 19, BNS - All Media Lithuania, part of the Baltic media group TV3 Grupe (TV3 Group), will not be allowed to acquire 100-percent stakes in the three companies operating radio stations M-1, M-1 Plus, Lietus, Laluna and Raduga, as well as in Reklamos Ekspertai, Lithuania's Competition Council has said.

The competition watchdog has not cleared the transaction after finding that it would create or strengthen a dominant position or significantly impede competition in the markets for the sale of radio and television advertising.

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Upcoming events in Lithuania for Tuesday, September 19, 2023

VILNIUS, Sept 19, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Tuesday, September 189, 2023:

PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda attending the UN General Assembly.

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UN role key to containing consequences of Russia's war in Ukraine – Lithuanian president 

VILNIUS, Sep 19, BNS – The United Nation's role is key to containing the consequences of Russia's war in Ukraine for third countries, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said as he met with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York on Monday. 

The Lithuanian president, together with his Latvian and Estonian counterparts, met with Guterres on the margins of the UN General Assembly.

The meeting focused on the organization's role in providing support for Ukraine in its fight against the aggressor, accountability for war crimes and the crime of aggression, and Ukraine's grain exports, Nauseda's office said in a press release. 

"Disruptions in food supply chains were caused by Russia's war in Ukraine. Both the Kremlin and the Lukashenko regime are exploiting this for their own political ends—the possibility of circumventing EU sanctions or having them lifted," it quoted the Lithuanian president as saying.

"But let's not be deceived, and let's not let others be deceived. It is not the EU sanctions that are the cause of these problems, but Russia's aggression. We would appreciate the UN's efforts to facilitate exports of Ukrainian grain, instead of suggesting lifting sanctions against the aggressor," he said.

Nauseda "noted that the disinformation and false narratives about the causes of the food crisis spread by Russia and Belarus in the countries of the Global South are extremely harmful".

It is important that decisions taken at international level are based on facts rather than "Russian propaganda lies", he said.

The issue of Russia's responsibility for crimes of war and aggression was also discussed at the meeting. 

Nauseda "reaffirmed his support for the issuance of arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court to investigate war crimes committed in Ukraine".

However, "there is currently no international court that could hold Russia's top political and military leadership accountable for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, which is why Lithuania supports the establishment of the special international tribunal", according to the Lithuanian leader.

He intends to raise the issue of support for Ukraine in meetings with Global South leaders.

The term "Global South" typically refers to nations of Latin America, Africa and Asia, excluding Israel, Japan and South Korea, and Oceania, excluding Australia and New Zealand.

 

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US-Lithuania cooperation has huge growth potential – Nauseda 

VILNIUS, Sep 19, BNS – US-Lithuanian economic cooperation has a huge potential for growth, President Gitanas Nauseda said at the US-Baltic Strategic Investment Summit in New York on Monday.

"Lithuania is actively seeking to attract investments and expand economic cooperation with the US in the fields of high technologies, defense industry, net-zero industries, as well as shared services centers," Nauseda's office quoted him as saying in a press release. 

The president said that partnership with the US "would help Lithuania make good use of the abundant talent pool available in these areas".

"The potential for growth in economic cooperation is huge," he added. 

In his address to the summit, the Lithuanian leader noted that the Baltic states and the US share common democratic values and openness to foreign investments, and have economies oriented towards free trade. 

This provides a strong foundation for developing not only political and security cooperation but also economic cooperation, he said.

According to Nauseda, "the current geopolitical context dictates the need to expand economic ties between strategic partners and like-minded countries".

The president noted that the US is Lithuania's largest trade partner and investor outside Europe, adding that the impact of American investments has been particularly prominent in the life sciences and biotechnology sectors in recent years.

Nauseda invited US companies to visit Lithuania next April, when it will host the Three Seas Summit and Business Forum.

 

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Lithuania, Philippines agree to step up cooperation

VILNIUS, Sep 19, BNS – Lithuania and the Philippines agreed to step up their cooperation, according to a joint memorandum signed by the two countries' foreign ministers in New York on Monday.

"Although thousands of kilometers separate Lithuania and the Philippines, we see many global challenges similarly," Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said in a press release.

"The signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation is another step in strengthening our partnership with the Indo-Pacific countries," he said.

The top diplomats of Lithuania and the Philippines also discussed threats posed by autocratic regimes to international order and the need to unite the international community's efforts in countering them.

"The economic coercion experienced by Lithuania has drawn the world's attention to how far China or any other authoritarian regime can go," said Landsbergis. "The international community's solidarity has shown that neither Lithuania nor any other country will be left alone in a similar situation."

The two ministers "also agreed on continuing dialogue during future visits and promoting more intensive cooperation in business, culture and other areas", according to the press release.

 

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Lithuanian minister to make proposals to trade unions on raising teachers' salaries

VILNIUS, Sep 19, BNS – Lithuanian Education, Science and Sport Minister Gintautas Jakstas on Tuesday is meeting with trade unions' representatives to present proposals on raising teachers' salaries.

The ministry has said the meeting will focus on trade unions' common demands that are shared by all teachers, including raising teachers' salaries and reducing class sizes and workload.

"The specific possibilities for implementation will be discussed," it told BNS 

Jakstas said earlier this week that he would provide concrete figures on how much teachers' salaries could rise next year. 

The government says it plans to increase teachers' salaries in two stages next year, in January and September.

The aim is to raise the average teacher's salary in Lithuania to 130 percent of the country's average wage in the early autumn of 2024.

Some teachers staged a warning strike last Friday to press their demands for pay rise, class sizes and other issues.

The Lithuanian Education Employees' Trade Union (LEETU), the organizer of the action, on Monday informed the ministry they would launch an "actual" strike at schools and other educational establishments on September 29.  

Navickas told BNS on Monday that teachers would assess the possibility of reaching a deal when they see the proposals, but he was skeptical, saying that the ministry manipulates figures.

"There isn't much hope for agreement. They present inaccurate numbers; it's clear they don't want a real agreement, they just want to show an agreement to the public, and there isn't much chance of reaching one," he said. 

The Lithuanian Education and Science Trade Union, led by Egidijus Milesinas, has also announced its demands, including on teachers' salaries and class sizes, and does not rule out going on strike.

On September 1, 2020, parliamentary parties' leaders signed a national agreement, committing, among other things, to increase the share of GDP allocated to education and raise teachers' salaries. 

It was signed by the Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats, the Liberal Movement, the Freedom Party, the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party, the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LFGU) and the Labor Party.

The opposition Democrats "For Lithuania" joined the agreement in June 2022.

The LFGU announced its withdrawal from the agreement last week, and the Labor Party plans to make a decision on this matter this week.

 

By Greta Zulonaitė

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Lithuania reports 476 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths

VILNIUS, Sep 19, BNS – Lithuania has recorded 476 new coronavirus infections and no deaths from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, official statistics showed on Tuesday morning.

The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals stands at 42, including two ICU cases. 

The 14-day primary infection rate has risen to 103 cases per 100,000 people, with the seven-day percentage of positive tests at 22.7 percent.

The number of new coronavirus cases hit the peak in Lithuania in early February 2022 when more than 14,000 new infections were recorded daily.

Around 1.19 million people in Lithuania have tested positive for COVID-19 at least once.

Some 68.5 percent of people in the country have received at least one coronavirus vaccine jab so far, according to the statistics.

 

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Lithuanian parlt to consider impeachment motion against MP for anti-Semitic posts 

VILNIUS, Sep 19, BNS – The Conference of Chairs of the Lithuanian parliament has included in the agenda of Tuesday's plenary session the ruling party's initiative to initiate an impeachment against Remigijus Zemaitaitis, a non-attached MP, for his anti-Semitic statements.

The parliament will decide if to set up a temporary commission to look into whether there are grounds for launching impeachment proceedings against Zemaitaitis.

According to the proposal, the commission should present its findings by December 1.

Agne Sirinskiene, head of the political group of non-attached members in the Seimas, says that the item was added to the agenda too late and that Zemaitaitis was not given enough time to prepare to defend against the accusations.

Last week, the ruling bloc gathered 36 signatures in support of an impeachment motion against the parliamentarian for his anti-Semitic statements.

The impeachment text reads that Zemaitaitis' statements "are characterized by constant incitement to hatred, the promotion of anti-Semitic attitudes and the creation of hostility, which is directed specifically against one single minority nationality – the Jewish people and the state of Israel". 

According to the ruling bloc, such systematically repeated statements are aimed at inciting violence and hostility, justifying hatred against the Jewish people as a whole, and provoking social and national discord, which runs counter to the Constitution and the country's interests in the area of international relations.

The impeachment text quotes Zemaitaitis' social media posts, such as "It turns out that, besides Putin, another animal has emerged in the world – ISRAEL" or "We, the Lithuanian nation, must never forget the Jews and the Russians who very actively contributed to the DESTRUCTION OF OUR PEOPLE!", and others. 

In response to the MP's statements, the Prosecutor General's Office has opened pre-trial investigations into public contempt and incitement to hatred against any national, racial, ethnic, religious or other group of people.

Zemaitaitis has told BNS recently that he believes that there is no basis for his impeachment, adding that "every psychopath is given the opportunity to do this thing".

According to the Statue of the Seimas, if a group of at least 36 MPs tables an impeachment motion, the parliament sets up a special investigation commission to look at whether there are grounds for opening impeachment proceedings.  

The full parliament then votes on the commission's conclusion and if it decides that there are grounds, it asks for the Constitutional Court's opinion on whether or not the MP has violated the Constitution and broken their oath. 

If the court states that there was a violation, the Seimas votes on whether to strip the MP of their mandate. At least 85 votes in the 141-member parliament are needed to pass the motion. 

 

By Jūratė Skėrytė

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Amendments on sentencing procedures to be put before Lithuanian parlt

VILNIUS, Sep 19, BNS – Lithuanian Justice Minister Ewelina Dobrowolska is set on Tuesday to submit to the country's parliament amendments to the Criminal Code, aimed at systemic changes to ensure proportionality of criminal liability.

The changes are aimed consolidating the criminal liability of legal persons and balancing the criminal measures imposed on natural persons, the minister says.

The bill proposes abandoning the existing rule of the average penalty and instead focusing on the imposition of the minimum penalty provided for in the sanction.

The bill also provides that when issuing a suspended sentence, a court could order intensive supervision, and could only issue a suspended sentence for addicts if they agree to undergo treatment for their addiction. Also, a court could oblige them to take part in programs for the prevention of alcoholism and drug addiction and early intervention.

Moreover, the bill provides for the possibility of a suspended sentence where the imposition of a sentence is clearly contrary to the principle of justice, except for cases of very serious crimes.

Under the bill, for the purposes of aggregation or commutation of sentences, one day of deprivation of liberty should be equated to three days of restriction of liberty, instead of the existing two, and one day of arrest should be equated to a fine of six minimum living standards (MGL), instead of the existing two, and also to twelve hours of community service, instead of the existing six.

One day of restriction of liberty should be equivalent to four hours of community service, instead of the existing three, and a fine of two MGLs, instead of the existing one. Also, a fine of one MGL should be equivalent to two hours of community service, instead of the existing six.

Currently, the MGL provided for in the Criminal Code stands at 50 euros.

The package of amendments to be submitted to the Seimas also proposes tying fine sizes for legal persons to their income.

"The existing maximum fine of 5 million euros for a legal person, enshrined in the Criminal Code, limits a court's right to impose a fair penalty. This must be changed to ensure that crimes are punished in a proportionate way," Dobrowolska said earlier.

For example, under the bill, if the annual revenue of a legal person that commits a crime exceeds 15 million euros, it would receive a fine ranging from 3 to 15 percent of its annual revenue.

The bill also envisages new criminal sanctions for legal persons only, including community service, a ban on the participation in public procurement, a ban to receive aid, subsidies or grants, and a ban on restructuring.

In addition, sentences issued to legal persons for serious and very serious offenses would have to be announced in the media.

The amendments also provide for the possibility of prohibiting a legal person from partaking in certain transactions and revoking their licenses and permits for any activities that led to criminal offense.

The bill also states that foreigners who have committed a serious or very serious crime against Lithuanians in another country may be tried in Lithuania if the state where the crime was committed or the state of the perpetrator's nationality refuses or fails to prosecute them.

Minors would be punished for sexual coercion and illicit drug possession from the age of 14, instead of 16 now. 

The Justice Ministry hopes that the proposed changes will ensure that the average prison term will be reduced to five years by 2030. It was seven years in 2021.

In addition, the aim is to reduce the number of people sentenced to actual imprisonment to 140 per population of 100,000 by 2030.

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Lithuania-Sweden power link repairs to take another week or so – minister

VILNIUS, Sep 19, BNS – The repairs of the Lithuania-Sweden NordBalt power interconnection, which has been out of service for the third week, will likely continue for another week or so, Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys said on Tuesday. 

"At the moment, there is a cable fault on the Swedish side. The location of the fault has been identified. The joint that needs to be replaced has been found, and it will be replaced within a week or slightly more," Kreivys told reporters.

"The cable will then resume its operation," he added. 

The Nord Pool electricity exchange says that the repair of the cable is scheduled to be completed by 11:59 p.m. on September 22.

NordBalt was shut down for repairs on September 2 after a failure. Initially, the work was planned to be completed within a day, but the deadline was later extended to September 14h.

With NordBalt out of service, Lithuania's average wholesale electricity price jumped by 12 percent to 142.44 euros per megawatt-hour (MWh) last week.

 

By Valdas Pryšmantas

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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Lithuania turns 1,300 tourists away since introduction entry restrictions for Russians

VILNIUS, Sep 19, BNS – Tuesday marks exactly one year since the Baltic countries and Poland introduced entry restrictions for Russian nationals, and more than 1,300 people have since been refused entry to Lithuania, data from the country's State Border Guard Service shows.

Some 496,666 Russian citizens have entered Lithuania between September 19, 2022 year and September 18, and most of them – 326,859 – were transiting Lithuania.

Lithuania allowed 169,807 Russians who were not in transit to enter during the period. These are persons whose groups are defined in the Lithuanian legislation, i.e. those who have residence permits in Lithuania or in any other EU country, family members of EU citizens, truck drivers, and holders of long-stay national visas, Giedrius Misutis, spokesman for the SBGS, said.

Also, 40 citizens of Lithuanian origin also came to Lithuania from Russia during that time.

"The number of tourists have has dropped, and it's almost half of what it used to be," Misutis told BNS.

1,343 Russian citizens have been turned back at the Lithuanian border over the past 12 months.

The number of people who were not allowed to enter was higher last year when border guards had to turn away 10 or 20 people a day, but recently there have been only a few such cases, the SBGS spokesman said.

"They don't try to enter anymore," he said.

Laurynas Kasciunas, chair of the parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defense says the existing restriction policy works.

"Statistics from the Migration Department show that the number of Russian citizens with residence permits here (in Lithuania – BNS) has stopped increasing and has stabilized in recent years. There are about 17,000 of them," the politician said. "I would call the effect positive."

The CNSD chair says the almost 170,000 Russians admitted should not cause any concern as most of them have left Lithuania.

"We have to look at how many enter and how many leave. As far as I have seen, these graphs are equal," he said, adding that the restrictions have also acted as a kind of deterrent to travel to the Baltic states and Poland.

"When the restrictions were introduced, people stopped coming in. There could have been much higher flows if we had not adopted the restrictions. It definitely worked as they went where they could go," Kasciunas told BNS.

Lithuanian border guards have information that 426,000 Russian citizens have been let in by Estonian officers over the past 12 months, and 2,168 have been banned from entering the country. In Latvia, more than 81,000 Russians have been admitted over the past 12 months and 1,093 have been refused entry.

Kasciunas points out that there's no transit via Estonia, adding that the high number of admissions may have been due to national specificities or to the different application of the generally imposed restrictions.

"They may be looking into it differently, there may be national nuances, there may be something to do with the arrival of non-citizens. It's hard to say why this is specific to Estonia, but th fact is that we are more efficient," the MP said.

By Jūratė Skėrytė

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Nauseda unveils memorial plaque to Lithuanian librarian Ulpis in New York 

VILNIUS, Sep 19, BNS – President Gitanas Nauseda unveiled a memorial plaque to Antanas Ulpis, a Lithuanian librarian and bibliographer, at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research in New York on Monday.

When the Nazis occupied Vilnius, around 20 Jews from the Vilna Ghetto, known as the "Paper Brigade," risked their lives to hide Jewish books, Torah scrolls, and other documents.

Later, Ulpis, director of the Vilnius Book Chamber, saved these unique publications from Soviet destruction by hiding them in a storage space in St. George's Church.

Nauseda said during the event in New York that "it is important to preserve the memory of the deeds of (...) Ulpis and the Paper Brigade, because thanks to them, thousands of Jewish books and documents were safeguarded during the Nazi and Soviet occupations", the president's office said in a press release on Tuesday.

"This is not only an important part of the history of Lithuanian Jews that has been preserved, but also an example of humanism, when evil is countered with good and darkness with light," he said.

The president noted that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the liquidation of the Vilnius Ghetto, which "once again reminds us of the painful stages of history from which we must learn lessons and which we must not forget".

In 2022, YIVO completed a seven-year project to process, preserve and digitize the institute's pre-war library and archives rescued in Vilnius.

Materials from New York and Vilnius, fragmented during the Second World War, have been digitally combined for the first time and are now available to the public, according to the press release.

Nauseda is in New York on a working visit to attend the 78th session of the UN General Assembly.

 

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No need for SDC to decide on cluster munitions pact – Lithuanian parlt speaker

VILNIUS, Sep 19, BNS - There is no need for the State Defense Council made up of Lithuania's state and national defense system leaders, to discuss a possible withdrawal from the agreement on cluster munitions, Speaker of the Seimas Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen says.

In her view, the Defense Ministry, which is proposing to do so, should first formulate its own position.

"I think that, first of all, the ministry responsible for these issues, in this case, the Defense Ministry, has to formulate its own position and only later, presumably if there is a need, will the discussion take place in other formats. There is no need, in my opinion, to discuss this in the SDC format," the Seimas speaker told reporters at the Seimas on Tuesday.

The delfi.lt news website reported on Monday that the Defense Ministry had proposed to the SDC to consider a possible withdrawal from the convention banning the use of cluster munitions.

The SDC, however, has no intention to consider a possible withdrawal from this agreement any time soon, the presidential office told BNS on Monday, adding that raised by defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas, the idea has been "discussed during a number of inter-institutional meetings".

"It was agreed that various institutions would answer questions related to the consequences of Lithuania's possible withdrawal from the convention and would present an analysis of various scenarios. Therefore, the State Defense Council has no plans to discuss this issue any time soon," the presidential office said.

The Defense Ministry believes that cluster munitions are a highly effective means of defense Lithuania should be able to use, according to the report.

The ministry is of the opinion that in the event of an armed conflict against Lithuania, Russia and Belarus would undoubtedly use cluster munitions, which would give them a military advantage.

The ministry stresses that the US is not involved in the treaty, as well as "other countries, such as Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Poland, Romania and Turkey, who are our allies and with whom we plan to defend ourselves against possible aggression".

Lithuania joined the Convention on Cluster Munitions in 2011. It prohibits the use, production and acquisition of cluster munitions and sets out specific obligations to address the humanitarian consequences of these weapons.

In mid-July, the United States handed over such munitions, banned in many countries, to Ukraine as it's defending itself against Russian aggression.

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Lithuanian PM on cluster munitions pact exit: there's no easy answer

VILNIUS, Sep 19, BNS – Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte says she does not have a simple answer on whether Lithuania should consider withdrawing from the agreement on the non-use of cluster munitions.

"This is a question when there is no very simple answer," she told reporters at the Seimas on Tuesday.

Her comment comes in response to the Defense Ministry's proposal for the country's State Defense Council to consider the issue.

On the one hand, Simonyte says, such a withdrawal would boost Lithuania's defense, as a potential enemy is already using such weapons. On the other hand, a withdrawal from an international agreement could damage Lithuania's reputation.

"It’s not as a simple matter to consider as the initiators might think. It is up to the SDC chair and the secretariat to decide when to put such an issue on the agenda," the prime minister said.

The delfi.lt news website reported on Monday that the Defense Ministry had proposed to the SDC to consider a possible withdrawal from the convention banning the use of cluster munitions.

The SDC, however, has no intention to consider a possible withdrawal from this agreement any time soon, the presidential office told BNS on Monday, adding that raised by defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas, the idea has been "discussed during a number of inter-institutional meetings".

"It was agreed that various institutions would answer questions related to the consequences of Lithuania's possible withdrawal from the convention and would present an analysis of various scenarios. Therefore, the State Defense Council has no plans to discuss this issue any time soon," the presidential office said.

The Defense Ministry believes that cluster munitions are a highly effective means of defense Lithuania should be able to use, according to the report.

The ministry is of the opinion that in the event of an armed conflict against Lithuania, Russia and Belarus would undoubtedly use cluster munitions, which would give them a military advantage.

The ministry stresses that the US is not involved in the treaty, as well as "other countries, such as Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Poland, Romania and Turkey, who are our allies and with whom we plan to defend ourselves against possible aggression".

Lithuania joined the Convention on Cluster Munitions in 2011. It prohibits the use, production and acquisition of cluster munitions and sets out specific obligations to address the humanitarian consequences of these weapons.

In mid-July, the United States handed over such munitions, banned in many countries, to Ukraine as it's defending itself against Russian aggression.

By Augustas Stankevičius

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Lithuania's competition watchdog blocks TV3 Grupe's M-1 acquisition (expands)

VILNIUS, Sep 19, BNS - All Media Lithuania, part of the Baltic media group TV3 Grupe (TV3 Group), will not be allowed to acquire 100-percent stakes in the three companies operating radio stations M-1, M-1 Plus, Lietus, Laluna and Raduga, as well as in Reklamos Ekspertai, Lithuania's Competition Council has said.

The competition watchdog has not cleared the transaction after finding that it would create or strengthen a dominant position or significantly impede competition in the markets for the sale of radio and television advertising.

All Media Lithuania, which broadcasts TV3, TV6, TV8 and TV3 Plius, planned to acquire three companies operating the M-1 radio stations and Reklamos Ekspertai, a company that sells advertising there.

All Media Radijas, a company linked to All Media Lithuania, broadcasts Power Hit Radio on radio frequencies and Power Gold radio program online, and sells advertising, while All Media Digital owns the tv3.lt and other websites where it also sells advertising.

According to the Competition Council, All Media Lithuania, which has a significant share in the television advertising market, would significantly increase its share in the radio advertising market by joining the largest group of radio stations in Lithuania.

The Council found that the radio stations M-1 and Power Hit Radio, owned by the parties to the transaction, are close competitors in the market for the sale of radio advertising, and that their competition is significant and would be eliminated as a result of the transaction, and that the parties to the transaction would have the largest market share in terms of revenues, control the radio stations with the largest share of the listening time, and would further widen the gap with their other competitors.

"The emergence of such a large market player would, in the Competition Council's assessment, make it more difficult for other radio stations to compete effectively and would leave radio advertising buyers with fewer alternatives to choose from," the Council stated.

All Media Lithuania had previously offered commitments to sell All Media Radijas, the holding company of Power Hit Radio, and to refrain from the practice of linking TV and radio advertising. However, the Council acknowledged that this would not eliminate the negative effects on competition. 

The Competition Council's decision can be appealed with the Vilnius Regional Administrative Court.

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ECB's 'book' decisions could have negative economic consequences – Lithuanian PM

VILNIUS, Sep 19, BNS – The European Central Bank is raising interest rates "by the book", Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte says, warning that this may have not only positive consequences for the economy. 

"he fact is that we have seen significant increases in key interest rates in a very short period of time, but it’s a central bank's classic monetary policy when a central bank feels that inflation is not slowing down fast enough, it usually raises interest rates, and it has always been like that," she told reporters at the Seimas on Tuesday.

The problem, she said, is that interest rates have risen by 4 percentage points in a year, such a phenomenon has never been seen before, although "we have also not seen the kind of inflation that we had in 2022".  

"The central bank is reacting by the book, and the consequences for the real economy may not necessarily be entirely positive. Inflation is clearly slowing down, but rising borrowing costs and the availability of new loans for businesses and the economy is, of course, a problem when we have interest rates at their current level," the prime minister added.

She refrained to predict what the ECB's next decisions will be but hopes that the attitude of the ECB's board will change "as soon as possible".

By Erika Alonderytė-Kazlauskė

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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Lithuanian parlt urges NATO countries to invite Ukraine to join at Washington summit 

VILNIUS, Sep 19, BNS – The Lithuanian parliament on Tuesday adopted a resolution expressing support for Ukraine's NATO membership and calling on the Alliance's member states to invite Ukraine to join the organization at its next summit in Washington, DC.

The resolution was passed with 122 votes in favor, none against and no abstentions.

"Ukraine is a provider of security, so its NATO membership will strengthen the Alliance and will be much more effective and less costly than the support currently provided to Ukraine to defend itself," the document reads.

"With full support for Ukraine through practical means, including NATO's political support, it is right to invite Ukraine to join NATO," it says.

Zygimantas Pavilionis, chairman of the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, said while presenting the resolution to the parliament that four signatories to Lithuania's March 11 Act of Independence, Vytautas Landsbergis, Emanuelis Zingeris, Albinas Januska and Petras Vaitiekunas, had contributed to the document.

"What was not done in Vilnius, we hope to achieve in Washington in ten months," he said.

Pavilionis warned of a threat of a "bad peace" if Ukraine's NATO membership is not approved, which he said would also affect Lithuania's security. 

The resolution says that Ukraine's membership of the Alliance is supported by the "overwhelming majority of the public" and that NATO's summit in Vilnius in July stated that such a move will be possible "when allies agree and conditions are met". 

"Inviting Ukraine to become a NATO member will clearly confirm that Russia does not have a veto on NATO enlargement and cannot create grey security zones in Europe," the document says.

At their Vilnius summit, NATO leaders pledged to invite Ukraine to join the Alliance when all of the bloc's members agree and the country meets the conditions in terms of military and other domestic policy reforms.

Ukraine is seeking membership in the Alliance to ensure its long-term security, after more than a year and a half of efforts to fight back Russia's invasion.

Kiyv formally applied to join NATO on September 30, 2022. 

 

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All Media Lithuania: M-1 takeover ban sends negative signal

VILNIUS, Sep 19, BNS - All Media Lithuania, part of the pan-Baltic media group TV3 Grupe (TV3 Group), says the Lithuanian Competition Council's ban for it to acquire the M-1 radio stations sends a negative signal for the media and the whole business sector.

The company on Tuesday expressed its regret over the competition watchdog's decision, saying that it will cause long-term damage to both the Lithuanian media and the economy.

"The Competition Council has not only dealt a blow to our business, but the impact of such a decision on the future of the media as a whole is much more worrying," Laura Blazeviciute, CEO of All Media Lithuania, said in a statement.

All Media Lithuania is competing with Google, Meta, Youtube, Spotify and other players that have a significant share of the Lithuanian advertising market and consumers are spending more and more time with them, she said, adding that local businesses need to look for ways to ensure the effectiveness of their advertising and to compete successfully in order to survive.

"We can only stand up to the global giants by investing in quality and audience-appealing content, employees and solutions that deliver value to advertisers. This requires enormous resources that can only be accessed through expansion. For us, the acquisition of the M-1 group meant an opportunity to increase operational efficiency and fight for audiences by investing more into content quality. We must not disappoint the audience's expectations of content quality. Otherwise it will be taken over by global players who offer freedom but are unable to ensure responsibility," Blazeviciute underlined.

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Lithuanian president's aide urges step to raise people's income amid interest rate hikes 

VILNIUS, Sep 19, BNS – Policymakers should look for ways to help people facing additional expenses as a result of the European Central Bank's continued interest rate hikes, Irena Segaloviciene, President Gitanas Nauseda's chief economic and social policy advisor, said on Tuesday.

"If interest rate hikes continue, it is obvious that politicians will have to look for additional solutions to help people in this situation within the framework of their responsibilities," she told the Ziniu Radijas radio station. 

While raising income is the best way to help people, the parliament and the government may also propose other solutions, according to the advisor. 

"We currently see an increase in income as one of the key things, because it is quite universal and it can help people, but without a doubt, both members of the Seimas and the government can come up with all sorts of solutions and the immediate future will show whether they are needed," she said. 

The ECB last Thursday raised its key interest rates by 25 basis points for the tenth consecutive time, saying that "inflation continues to decline but is still expected to remain too high for too long". 

Gediminas Simkus, the Lithuanian central bank's governor, said on Friday that while the decision might be painful for some people, it is an appropriate measure to rein in inflation.   

He added that he expected the ECB's 10th straight interest rate hike to be the last one in the current cycle.

 

By Valdas Pryšmantas

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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Civil Union bill remains on Lithuanian parlt's fall agenda

VILNIUS, Sep 19, BNS – Lithuanian lawmakers on Tuesday refused to remove a civil union bill that would legalize gender-neutral partnerships from the parliament's fall agenda.

Tabled by Agne Sirinskiene, the elder of the non-attached group, the motion not to consider this bill was backed by 49 MPs, 57 lawmakers voted against and 11 abstained.

"I would say that if you don't have the votes and if you don't find consensus both within the Seimas and with the public, there's no reason to anger the public and consider this bill that have no prospects in the Seimas," she said on Tuesday.

For her part, Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte reminded that not all opposition proposals receive support in the parliament but no one proposes to remove them from the agenda.

Freedom party leader Ausrine Armonaite, one of the politicians behind the initiative to legalize same-sex partnerships, said earlier this fall session was the last one to adopt the civil union bill.

In May, the Seimas gave its initial backing to this bill with a majority of several votes. The bill needs one last vote to be adopted. It would then legalize same-sex partnerships.

In Lithuania, partnerships are not legal now both for male-female or same-sex couples. Previous attempts to have such a bill adopted in the Seimas have failed.

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Lithuanian parlt sets up Zemaitaitis impeachment commission, opposition opts out

VILNIUS, Sep 19, BNS – The Lithuanian parliament on Tuesday established a temporary commission to look into whether there are grounds for launching impeachment proceedings against Zemaitaitis, a non-attached MP, for his anti-Semitic posts and statements.

The motion to set up the commission was backed by 70 MPs, most from the ruling coalition parties and six from the opposition.

However, the opposition's political groups in the parliament refused to delegate their members to the commission, meaning that it will only consist of six MPs from the conservative Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats, the Liberal Movement and the Freedom Party.

Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, speaker of the parliament and leader of the Liberal Movement, said that opting out of the impeachment commission is already "a statement of position".

The commission is expected to present its findings by December 1.

Last week, the ruling bloc gathered 36 signatures in support of the impeachment motion against the parliamentarian for his anti-Semitic statements.

The impeachment text reads that Zemaitaitis' statements "are characterized by constant incitement to hatred, the promotion of anti-Semitic attitudes and the creation of hostility, which is directed specifically against one single minority nationality – the Jewish people and the state of Israel". 

According to the ruling bloc, such systematically repeated statements are aimed at inciting violence and hostility, justifying hatred against the Jewish people as a whole, and provoking social and national discord, which runs counter to the Constitution and the country's interests in the area of international relations.

The impeachment text quotes Zemaitaitis' social media posts, such as "It turns out that, besides Putin, another animal has emerged in the world – ISRAEL" or "We, the Lithuanian nation, must never forget the Jews and the Russians who very actively contributed to the DESTRUCTION OF OUR PEOPLE!", and others. 

In response to the MP's statements, the Prosecutor General's Office has opened pre-trial investigations into public contempt and incitement to hatred against any national, racial, ethnic, religious or other group of people.

Zemaitaitis insists that there is no basis for his impeachment. He denies any anti-Semitic content in his posts and says that all his statements can be substantiated with international documents or historical sources.

According to the Statue of the Seimas, if a group of at least 36 MPs tables an impeachment motion, the parliament sets up a special investigation commission to look at whether there are grounds for opening impeachment proceedings.  

The full parliament then votes on the commission's conclusion and if it decides that there are grounds, it asks for the Constitutional Court's opinion on whether or not the MP has violated the Constitution and broken their oath. 

If the court states that there was a violation, the Seimas votes on whether to strip the MP of their mandate. At least 85 votes in the 141-member parliament are needed to pass the motion. 

 

 

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Lithuania discusses pope's Russia remarks with Vatican envoy, won't comment on content

VILNIUS, Sep 19, BNS – Deputy Foreign Minister Jovita Neliupsiene met with the Vatican's envoy to Lithuania in early September to discuss Pope Francis' recent remarks about Russia, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday, but gave no details about the meeting.

"Vice-Minister Jovita Neliupsiene met with the Apostolic Nuncio for a conversation on September 8," Paulina Levickyte, spokeswoman for Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, told BNS. 

The Foreign Ministry would not comment on the content of the meeting which was not announced in advance. 

Levickyte only said that no diplomatic note was handed to the nuncio during the meeting.

The ministry said in late August that it was planning to invite Petar Rajic, the Vatican's envoy to Lithuania, "for a conversation" in response to the pontiff's remarks about Russia and its culture. 

The meeting was originally scheduled for September 6. The ministry said on that day that the meeting had been postponed due to the nuncio's holiday, but it did not announce a new date.

Francis said in a video speech to young Catholics in St. Petersburg, "You are the heirs of the great Russia: the great Russia of saints, of kings, the great Russia of Peter the Great, of Catherine II, of that great, enlightened Russian empire, of great culture and great humanity".  

Kyiv accused the pontiff of spreading "imperial propaganda".

The Vatican's spokesman Matteo Bruni later issued a statement saying that France's "off the cuff" remarks were intended "to encourage young people to preserve and promote what is positive in Russia’s great cultural and spiritual heritage, and certainly not to glorify imperialistic logics and governmental personalities".  

 

 

By Augustas Stankevičius

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Ex-Kaunas administration director admits having taken bribes, repents

VILNIUS, Sep 19, BNS – Vilius Siliauskas, the former municipal administration director in Kaunas, Lithuania's second-largest city, admitted having taken bribes and repented at a Kaunas Regional Court hearing on Tuesday.

"He (Siliauskas - BNS) testified, pleaded guilty and repented," court spokeswoman Milda Kryze told BNS.

Later, she said the case hearing had been adjourned until October 23 when closing arguments will be delivered.

Speaking with Siliauskas's defense lawyer Ruslan Boiko could not say what sentence he would ask the court for his client.

The delfi.lt news website reported on Tuesday that the prosecutor's indictment states that Juozas Kriauciunas, the CEO of Autokausta, a construction company, would bring bribes to Siliauskas at the latter's home and also at the company's premises.

Bribes ranged from 10,000 to 20,000 euros, according to the lrytas.lt news website. Siliauskas demanded the largest bribe of 200,000 euros in March 2022 but received 140,000 euros.

According to the pre-trial investigation, Siliauskas directly demanded and accepted 260,000 euros in bribes for his own benefit from the head of Autokausta between 2021 and 2022.

Bribes were allegedly taken in return for future favors and for acting lawfully in the exercise of powers, making decisions related to the execution and administration of contracts between the Kaunas City Municipality and the company in question.

Earlier, Juozas Kriauciunas, the head of Autokausta, a construction company, was also suspect in this case but was released from criminal liability.

Siliauskas was detained in March 2022.

By Greta Zulonaitė

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airBaltic to fly from Vilnius to Gran Canaria, to suspend flights to Brussels

VILNIUS, Sep 19, BNS - Latvian airline airBaltic will start flying from Vilnius to Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Turin and Dubai from the end of October, and will no longer fly between Vilnius and Brussels.

The airline also plans to increase the frequency of flights between Vilnius and Munich (6 times a week), Tallinn (7 times), and between Palanga and Riga (10 times a week).

airBaltic also says it will keep one more aircraft in Vilnius throughout the winter season, bringing their total number to two. This will allow airBaltic to expand its operations in Vilnius, the company said.

airBaltic will offer flight to 14 destination from Lithuania next summer, including new flights from Vilnius to Krakow and from Palanga to Amsterdam. The airline will also fly more frequently Vilnius to Paris (5 times a week), Munich (6 times) and Tallinn (8 times) and from Palanga to Riga (11 times).

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Lithuanian MPs vote down proposal to grant state recognition to neo-pagans

VILNIUS, Sep 19, BNS – The Lithuanian parliament on Tuesday voted down a proposal to grant state recognition to Romuva, a religious association that says it practices an ancient Baltic pagan faith.

The proposal to grant recognition to Romuva failed to pass the second reading with 48 MPs voting in favor, 31 voting against and 30 abstaining, and was finally rejected in a further vote on whether or not to send the draft resolution to the lead committee for improving.

Tomas Vytautas Raskevicius, chairman of the Seimas Committee on Human Rights, said he would table an alternative draft resolution during the Seimas' evening session so that the parliament could formally refuse to grant this recognition.

"The law obliges the Seimas to make a decision one way or the other, either to recognize or not to recognize," the Freedom Party's MP told BNS.

"Since the Seimas rejected the resolution to recognize, we will submit a draft resolution to not recognize, and if the religious association does not agree with the Seimas' decision, it will be able to appeal it," he said.  

During Tuesday's debate, MP Rita Tamasuniene of the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania-Christian Families Alliance said that while she appreciates Romuva's nurturing of ethnic culture, she cannot agree to it being treated as a religion. 

"Europe was built on the foundation of Christianity, and all democratic values came from Christian Europe. Lithuania was one of the last to join this community, and now perhaps it's time for revenge after 600 years, because a decision is coming from Strasbourg to level everything out, to do a lot for everyone, and about nothing," she said.

Agne Sirinskiene, head of the political group of non-attached MPs, noted that the parliament is dealing not only with the recognition of a religious community, but also with a legal issue.

She warned her fellow MPs "not to wake up with a second case at the European Court of Human Rights". 

The parliament several years ago failed to adopt a resolution to grant state recognition to Romuva. The association then took the matter to the European Court of Human Rights and won the case.

Under the law, non-traditional religious associations can be recognized by the state as part of Lithuania's historical, spiritual, and social heritage if they have public support and their teachings and rites do not contradict the law and morality.

State recognition means that the state supports the spiritual, cultural, and social heritage of religious associations.

A religious association may apply for state recognition no sooner than 25 years after its initial registration in Lithuania.

 

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Lithuania discusses pope's Russia remarks with Vatican envoy, won't comment on content (expands)

VILNIUS, Sep 19, BNS – Deputy Foreign Minister Jovita Neliupsiene met with the Vatican's envoy to Lithuania in early September to discuss Pope Francis' recent high-profile remarks about Russia, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday, but both sides gave no details about the meeting.

"Vice-Minister Jovita Neliupsiene met with the Apostolic Nuncio for a conversation on September 8," Paulina Levickyte, spokeswoman for Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, told BNS. 

The Foreign Ministry would not comment on the content of the meeting which was not announced in advance. Levickyte only said that no diplomatic note was handed to the nuncio during the meeting.

Approached by the Nunciature of the Holy See in Lithuania also refrained to comment on the meeting.

The ministry said in late August that it was planning to invite Petar Rajic, the Vatican's envoy to Lithuania, "for a conversation" in response to the pontiff's remarks about Russia and its culture. 

The meeting was originally scheduled for September 6. The ministry said on that day that the meeting had been postponed due to the nuncio's holiday, but it did not announce a new date.

Francis said in a video speech to young Catholics in St. Petersburg, "You are the heirs of the great Russia: the great Russia of saints, of kings, the great Russia of Peter the Great, of Catherine II, of that great, enlightened Russian empire, of great culture and great humanity".  

Kyiv accused the pontiff of spreading "imperial propaganda".

The Vatican's spokesman Matteo Bruni later issued a statement saying that France's "off the cuff" remarks were intended "to encourage young people to preserve and promote what is positive in Russia’s great cultural and spiritual heritage, and certainly not to glorify imperialistic logics and governmental personalities".

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Lithuanian formin calls on Baku to cease fire, start talks with Armenians

VILNIUS, Sep 19, BNS – Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis has called on Azerbaijan to cease fire and start negotiations with the Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.

"We urge immediate ceasefire&launching of dialogue between Baku & Karabakh Armenians as the only way towards peaceful coexistence," Lithuania's top diplomat posted on X on Tuesday, adding that Azerbaijan's military operation undermines efforts by the international community to bring lasting peace.

Baku launched a military operation in the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh on Tuesday and demanded that Armenian forces withdraw completely from the disputed mountainous territory as a precondition for peace.

In recent months, Armenia has accused Azerbaijan of military build-up and condemned the blockade of the only land link to Nagorno-Karabakh.

The latest escalation comes almost three years after a short but brutal war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the mountainous region.

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Lithuania will generate some 75-80 pct of electricity in 2025 – minister

VILNIUS, Sep 19, BNS - Green electricity generation in Lithuania is expected to reach 8 gigawatts (GW) in 2025 and account for 75-80 percent of the country's electricity consumption, Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys predicts. 

"2025 is a breakthrough year when the installed capacity of solar and wind power plants in Lithuania will reach eight gigawatts. This is an enormous amount, and in real terms it will allow us to generate almost 75-80 percent of all the electricity we need," Kreivys told lawmakers on Tuesday.

Such volumes are estimated in the agreements on grid reservations and letters of intent between project developers and grid operators, Kreivys said.

"Huge deposits have been made and solar power plants and wind farms have to be built within three years," he pointed out.

Solar and wind power generation in Lithuania is expected reach almost 3.5 GW in 2024, and more than 12 GW of capacity is currently reserved for these plants in the transmission grid. 

"Based on what I showed about how our generation is developing, in 2030, we will reach a tipping point where all the electricity will be produced in Lithuania, despite its much higher consumption," the energy minister said.

By Giedrius Gaidamavičius

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, September 20, 2023

VILNIUS, Sept 20, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Wednesday, September 20, 2023:

PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda attending the UN General Assembly.

SPEAKER OF THE SEIMAS Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen's interview with TVP World and TVP Wilno at 4 p.m.

DEFENSE MINISTER Arvydas Anusauskas and his Polish counterpart Mariusz Błaszczak to have an informal meeting between at the intersection of the Lithuanian, Polish and Belarusian borders at 4 p.m. to discuss the security situation at the border with Belarus, followed by a media briefing at 6.15 p.m.

HEALTH MINISTER Arunas Dulkys to attend The Economist's  World Cancer Series_Europe 2023 conference in Brussels.

JUSTICE MINISTER Ewelina Dobrowolska to meet with French Ambassador to Lithuania Alix Everard at 11 a.m.

FOREIGN MINISTER Gabrielius Landsbergis to attend the UN General Assembly.

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