LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, December 13, 2023
2. One irregular migrant turned away on Lithuania's border with Belarus
3. Lithuania has to either limit immigration or bolster intelligence – intelligence chief
4. Lithuania reports 1,391 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths
5. Lithuanian govt to decide on DefMin's proposed conscription reform
6. Lithuanian intelligence chief mulls turning to law enforcement over defamation
7. SocDems, conservatives continue to top Lithuania's party rankings – Delfi/Spinter poll
8. Police launch probe into Russia-praising Lithuanian citizen's statements
9. Lithuanian PM congratulates Poland’s new Prime Minister Donald Tusk
10. Lithuanian formin hopes to avoid past grievances in ties with Tusk government  - BNS SPECIAL
11. Bubnyte-Sirmene to join CC after position of Lithuanian govt's rep at ECHR abolished
12. Lithuania to set up commission to coordinate preparations to host German brigade
13. Lithuanian govt proposes Krivas for ambassador to Council of Europe
14. Lithuanian president signs 2024 state budget
15. Lithuanian formin discusses ties, support for Ukraine with new Polish counterpart
16. Lithuania must step up gears of defense funding until 2030 - parlt committee chair   
17. Lithuanian court upholds fine for website for spreading disinformation
18. Lithuanian president slams Hungary for objecting to start of EU accession talks with Kyiv
19. Lithuania's Nauseda hopes to meet with Poland's Tusk in Brussels

Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, December 13, 2023

VILNIUS, Dec 13, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Wednesday, December 13, 2023:

PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to attend the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Brussels.

SPEAKER OF THE SEIMAS Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen  to meet with Canadian Ambassador Jeanette Sautner at 10 a.m.

THE CABINET to hold its regular meeting and sitting at 1 p.m.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Vilnius newsroom

One irregular migrant turned away on Lithuania's border with Belarus

VILNIUS, Dec 13, BNS – Lithuanian border guards have in the past 24 hours turned away one migrants attempting to cross into the country from Belarus illegally, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Wednesday morning.

This follows five straight days of no recorded attempts to enter the country illegally.

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

More than 2,500 irregular migrants have been barred from entering Lithuania from Belarus at non-designated places so far this year.

Lithuanian border guards have prevented a total of almost 22,000 people from crossing in from Belarus since August 3, 2021, when they were given the right to turn away irregular migrants. The number includes repeated attempts by the same people to cross the border.

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

Almost 4,200 irregular migrants crossed into Lithuania from Belarus illegally in 2021. However, the vast majority of them fled Lithuania once they were allowed to move freely.

 

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 205 85 08, Vilnius newsroom

Lithuania has to either limit immigration or bolster intelligence – intelligence chief

VILNIUS, Dec 13, BNS – Lithuania's authorities have to either limit immigration or bolster intelligence capabilities as the country nears a point where officers will no longer be able to vet all arriving foreign nationals, Darius Jauniskis, director of the State Security Department (SSD), has said.   

Around 17,000 immigrants arrive from Belarus alone annually, according to Jauniskis.

"We should think about how to stop this process," the intelligence agency's director told BNS in an interview.  

"That threshold has not been reached, but I believe we are approaching a critical point," he said. "That is why I say that we should take these things very seriously and make certain decisions."

Jauniskis said that he understands businesses' needs to bring in labor, but added that this also poses "counter-intelligence risks that the state will not be able to cope with in the near future".

"Either we significantly beef up the capabilities of services, which is a rather lengthy and very costly process, or we take certain measures to halt the growth of diasporas," he said. 

The SSD has warned earlier about an unprecedented level of activity from Belarus' KGB. 

"I understand that the Belarusian opposition has always been a target for the secret services, always seen as a threat, but lately, we have been observing this very strong intensification," Jauniskis told BNS. 

In an effort to curb immigration flows, several MPs of the ruling conservative Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats in early December registered draft legislative amendments aimed at tightening restrictions on Belarusian citizens to make them the same as those currently applied to Russians. An exception would only apply to Belarusians arriving for highly skilled work.

Jauniskis says he supports these proposals.

"Of course I back them, because (...) my duty is to protect the Lithuanian state from counter-intelligence threats. I am always in favor of taking more drastic measures to reduce the risk to our citizens," he said. 

However, the ruling bloc's leaders say that these proposals require a more detailed discussion.

 

By Saulius Jakučionis, Augustas Stankevičius

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 205 85 10, Vilnius newsroom

Lithuania reports 1,391 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths

VILNIUS, Dec 13, BNS – Lithuania has recorded 1,391 new coronavirus infections and no deaths from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, official statistics showed on Wednesday morning.

The 14-day primary infection rate has risen to 539.4 cases per 100,000 people, with the seven-day percentage of positive tests at 38.9 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 1.36 million people in Lithuania have tested positive for COVID-19 at least once.

COVID-19 incidence in Lithuania took an upward turn in mid-September after having stayed at a low level since May. 

Two-thirds of the country's population have received at least one coronavirus vaccine jab so far, according to the statistics.

 

 

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 645 093 86, Vilnius newsroom

Lithuanian govt to decide on DefMin's proposed conscription reform

VILNIUS, Dec 13, BNS – The Lithuanian government is set to decide on Wednesday whether to approve the changes to the existing conscription procedure, proposed by the Defense Ministry.

As Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas told BNS earlier, the proposed changes would create legal preconditions for the implementation of universal male conscription.

Under the new model, the conscription age limit would be set at 18-21 years, instead of the existing 18-23 years, and studies in higher education establishments would not be seen as an exception to postpone military service.

Volunteers would be able to serve so between the ages of 18 and 38, unchanged from now.

Higher education students will be required to perform their service, either by attending the Junior Officer Commanders' training or by joining the National Defense Volunteer Force, thus combining it with their studies.

The reform will also include the reduction of the existing 9-month service time to six months for some conscripts.

Also, conscripts who have acquired a qualification in a profession that is in short supply in the army could serve for three months. The conscription age for such persons would be up to 30 years.

Young men on the conscript lists who are studying and living abroad will have the same choices as those studying and living in Lithuania.

There are also exceptions planned as conscripts who have been deferred on an individual basis would be called up to the age of 22 after the end of the foreseen circumstances. Also, in order to prevent the evasion of service, a conscription age of 30 years would be introduced for persons who have been called up for service but failed to report for service.

According to the ministry, the amendments are also aimed at enabling those who want to serve but are unable to perform compulsory military service because of their health condition. They will have to declare their willingness to serve, and the duration and form of service will be decided by the chief of defense.

In addition, the proposal is to increase the duration of alternative service from 10 to 12 months.

The changes would also extend the length of service in the active reserve and it would last 15 years instead of the existing 10 years. During this service, reserve troops would be periodically called up for repeated reserve training. 

"Nevertheless, the 18-19-year-olds who finish school and start compulsory military service immediately after leaving school will remain the priority and ideal option," the Defense Ministry says.

The army estimates that up to 7,000 young men graduate from school each year and are fit for service.

Plans to reform conscription in Lithuania were announced in February and the bill was registered in August.

Once approved by the Cabinet, the proposed changed will still need the parliament's approval.

By Augustas Stankevičius

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Vilnius newsroom

Lithuanian intelligence chief mulls turning to law enforcement over defamation

VILNIUS, Dec 13, BNS – Darius Jauniskis, director of Lithuania's State Security Department (SSD), has said he is considering turning to law-enforcement bodies over possible defamation in the so-called whistleblower story currently under scrutiny by a parliamentary commission. 

"I am thinking about it, yes," he told BNS in an interview. 

The director said he does not see a pretext for this yet, but will wait to see the outcome of the parliamentary inquiry, part of which concerns his department's activities.

The temporary parliamentary inquiry commission is looking, among other things, into whether the SSD followed the law when vetting the inner circle and potential financial supporters of Gitanas Nauseda, who was then preparing to run in the 2019 presidential race, and whether it passed its findings to individuals unauthorized to access classified information.

Tomas Gailius, a former head of one of the SSD's boards, testified before the commission last week. The whistleblower back in 2019 turned to Vytautas Bakas, then chairman of the parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defense (CNSD), to report what he considered to be the department's unlawful actions.

Gailius testified that he understood from one of his conversations with Jauniskis that the information collected by his team could be disclosed to a person who had no right to access it and that the vetting had been ordered by this person.

In his interview with BNS, Jauniskis once again denied that the SSD information about Nauseda's inner circle had been leaked outside the department and said that the whistleblower's words contained "a lot of falsehood".

The director reiterated that his agency had adhered to laws and other legal acts.

"I myself have been on the floor of the Seimas twice and answered these questions," Jauniskis told BNS. "We have nothing more to add for now. If the commission has any questions, we are ready to answer them."  

"How long can we keep repeating the same thing? We are not parrots. I say again: if there are certain questions, they will be answered according to the law," he added.

 

By Saulius Jakučionis

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 645 093 86, Vilnius newsroom

SocDems, conservatives continue to top Lithuania's party rankings – Delfi/Spinter poll

VILNIUS, Dec 13, BNS – The opposition Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) continues to top Lithuania's political party rankings, followed in second place by the ruling conservative Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (HU-LCD), according to the latest Spinter Tyrimai opinion poll published by Delfi on Wednesday. 

Some 13.8 percent of respondents said in November that they would vote for the LSDP and 9.7 percent supported the HU-LCD, compared to 15.5 percent and 10.5 percent, respectively, in the previous poll in October.

The opposition Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union ranked third with 8 percent (6.5 percent in October), followed in fourth position by the Liberal Movement, a member of the ruling coalition, with 6.6 percent (7.4 percent). 

Further down the list was the opposition Democratic Union "For Lithuania" with 4 percent (5.5 percent) and the ruling Freedom Party with 3.3 percent (3.5 percent).  

When asked who they saw as best-suited to be prime minister, 8.4 percent of those polled in November chose MEP Vilija Blinkeviciute, the LSDP leader, almost unchanged from 8.2 percent in the previous poll.

Ingrida Simonyte, the incumbent head of government, came in second with 7.2 percent (8 percent in October).

When asked about the current government's performance, 67.8 percent of respondents said their opinion was rather negative or negative (65.8 percent in the previous poll). 

In the representative survey commissioned by Delfi, Spinter Tyrimai polled 1,015 people between November 17 and 29. The results of the poll have an error margin of 3.1 percent.

 

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 205 85 08, Vilnius newsroom

Police launch probe into Russia-praising Lithuanian citizen's statements

VILNIUS, Dec 13, BNS - The Police Commissariat in Lithuania's eastern city of Salcininkai has launched a pre-trial investigation into the statements of a young Lithuanian man praising Russia in a video, Ramunas Matonis, the spokesman for the Police Department, told BNS.

In his words, the probe was launched into public incitement of violence or a physical violent treatment of a group of persons.

"On December 5, a pre-trial investigation under Article 170 of the Criminal Code into a threat of violence against a certain group of people was launched by the Salcininkai District Police Commissariat into this incident," Matonis told BNS.

Under this article, a person faces a fine, restriction of liberty, arrest or custodial sentence of up to three years.

The 15min.lt news website reported on Tuesday that Laurynas Kasciunas, the chair of the Seimas Committee on National Security and Defense, had asked the Prosecutor General's Office, the police and the State Security Department to launch an investigation into the case of the Lithuanian citizen who praised Russia in the video.

In the video, the man, who identified himself as Genadij Rogac, expressed support for Russia's war in Ukraine and disparaged Lithuania, saying that if someone "gave him a Kalashnikov", he would shoot the entire Seimas.

Ukrainian Edgar Mirotvorets shares videos of conversations on his social media accounts, pretending to be pro-Russian and provoking his interlocutors. He then discloses supporters of the Russian regime on social media.

On November 5, the Ukrainian activist shared a conversation with the Lithuanian man who identified himself as 22-year-old Genadij Rogac on his Youtube channel. The young man said he had wanted to beat up his Ukrainians co-workers in Vilnius several times, but feared that he might go to jail for it.

Photos of him wearing a Lithuanian army uniform started circulating on social media. According to the news website, Rogac completed his compulsory military service in 2022 and is currently a member of the ready reserve.

Kasciunas is asking the authorities to assess the young man's statements in terms of possible incitement to hatred, public support for international crimes and possible threats.

In a comment sent to BNS, the Lithuanian army also stated that "an assessment of the content has been initiated with a view to referring the matter to the competent authorities".

Commenting on the video, army representatives said it did not and would not have an impact on their activities, adding that, in this case, "a legal assessment is possible in accordance with the law, but must be carried out by the law enforcement authorities".

By Ingrida Steniulienė

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 685 411 94, Vilnius newsroom

Lithuanian PM congratulates Poland’s new Prime Minister Donald Tusk

VILNIUS, Dec 13, BNS – Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte on Wednesday congratulated her newly appointed Polish counterpart Donald Tusk and said they would meet in Tallinn next week.

In her message of congratulation, Simonyte wished Tusk success in pursuit of Poland’s national goals, promoting the security and prosperity of the country, and strengthening the common European home.

The Lithuanian prime minister hopes to work with the new Polish government to successfully complete key bilateral projects, like the synchronization of the Baltic states' electricity grids with continental European networks and the Rail Baltica, and also take bilateral cooperation further "on all matters of shared concern".

In her message of congratulation, the Lithuanian prime minister also highlighted shared historical experience, common values and a commitment "to the ideals of freedom and democracy".

"History has repeatedly shown that the freedom of our nations is interconnected. Thus, I am convinced that common goals and exceptionally significant challenges of today will further bring our nations together, and we will firmly support each other in the European Union, NATO, and other international formats," Simonyte said.

The Lithuanian prime minister is set to go to Tallinn on Sunday to attend the Baltic prime ministers' meeting with Tusk.

"Yes, the prime minister will go to Tallinn for a formal meeting of the Baltic prime ministers," Ieva Skarelyte, the head of the prime minister's office, told BNS on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Tusk confirmed that his first visits as head of government would be this week's EU summit in Brussels and a trip to Tallinn to meet with the Baltic prime ministers.

Sworn in on Wednesday, Tusk led the Polish government between 2007 and 2014, and bilateral relations between Vilnius and Warsaw at the time were marred by disagreements over the investments of the Polish oil company Orlen and the situation of the Polish minority in Lithuania.

Radoslaw Sikorski, who served as foreign ministry in the previous Tusk government, will be Poland's top diplomat again. Previously, her reproached Lithuania over national minorities and other issues.

The Tusk-led coalition has replaced the right-wing Law and Justice party in Poland.

By Ignas Jačauskas

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 205 85 08, Vilnius newsroom

Lithuanian formin hopes to avoid past grievances in ties with Tusk government  - BNS SPECIAL

VILNIUS, Dec 13, BNS – Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said that he will set aside past grievances and focus on the future in his relations with Warsaw after Donald Tusk was sworn in as Poland's new prime minister on Wednesday.  

"I believe that we will base our cooperation on this and not look back to the past. We will look to the future and (focus on) what we need to do," Landsbergis told BNS in an interview on Wednesday. 

Tusk served as Poland's prime minister between 2007 and 2014. Bilateral relations between the two neighboring countries during that period were marred by disagreements over the Polish oil group Orlen's investments and the situation of the Polish minority.

Radoslaw Sikorski, who held the post of Poland's foreign minister back then and was also given the job in the new government, was particularly categorical towards Lithuania.

He has said in the past that he will not come to Lithuania until the national minority issues are resolved.

In excerpts from a secretly recorded conversation released by the Polish media in 2017, Sikorski told Orlen CEO Jacek Krawiec that he wanted to "to teach Lithuanians a lesson".

In the conversation laced with foul language, Poland's top diplomat referred to Lithuania as "a tiny state".

Reportedly, Sikorski's conversations were secretly recorded during private meetings in Warsaw restaurants in 2013 and 2014.

"I want to teach Lithuanians a lesson, so that they don't think that s***ting on Poland won't cost anything," Sikorski was quoted as saying. 

In Wednesday's interview with BNS, Landsbergis described his relations with Sikorski as "excellent".

"I communicated with the then MEP Sikorski on more than one occasion. Our relations are really excellent," the minister said.

"I believe they are based, first of all, on the same geopolitical perception and the risks for both our countries," he added.

The Tusk-led coalition ousted the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party from power. 

 

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 239 64 16, Vilnius newsroom

Bubnyte-Sirmene to join CC after position of Lithuanian govt's rep at ECHR abolished

VILNIUS, Dec 13, BNS - Karolina Bubnyte-Sirmene, the Lithuanian government's representative at the European Court of Human Rights, will be transferred to the country's Constitutional Court after her existing position will be abolished next year, the government decided on Wednesday.

The Justice Ministry said it would represent the state at the ECHR and UN Committees as of January under the Law on the Civil Service, adding that the existing model of a one-man special officer is being replaced with new functions within the Justice Ministry.

Bubnyte-Sirmene will assume her new position as a senior advisor in late December.

She has represented Lithuania at the Strasbourg court since March 2014.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 205 85 08, Vilnius newsroom

Lithuania to set up commission to coordinate preparations to host German brigade

VILNIUS, Dec 13, BNS – The government on Wednesday gave the green light for setting up a commission to coordinate Lithuania's preparations to host Germany's brigade.

The commission will be made up of the prime minister, the chancellor of the government and all ministers except those for economy and innovation, energy and culture.

The commission will meet to discuss inter-institutional issues related to the German brigade's presence in the country and to initiate the adoption of the necessary decisions.

It will also consider measures needed to ensure the presence of the German unit and, when needed, submit proposals to the government "on the allocation of necessary resources or other decisions related to the implementation of such measures".

Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas has said in a press release that the commission is needed for the "smooth implementation of the brigade's deployment". 

According to him, the commission will convene as needed to discuss the progress, challenges and decisions regarding the preparations to host the German brigade.

Anusauskas is also mandated to represent the government in a joint task group of the Lithuanian and German defense ministries.

Berlin intends to deploy its brigade in Lithuania over the next few years, with an interstate agreement on this matter expected to be signed next year.

The plan is to station a tank battalion, two maneuver battalions, an artillery battalion and a logistics battalion in Lithuania.

Vilnius and Berlin are currently negotiating what infrastructure Lithuania will have to provide for the incoming German troops.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has said that Lithuania will have to put in place not only military infrastructure, but also social infrastructure, such as schools, kindergartens and leisure facilities.

 

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 645 093 86, Vilnius newsroom

Lithuanian govt proposes Krivas for ambassador to Council of Europe

VILNIUS, Dec 13, BNS –  The government on Wednesday decided to nominate Andrius Krivas to serve as Lithuania's ambassador to the Council of Europe.

If approved by President Gitanas Nauseda, the diplomat will take office on January 3.  

The Foreign Ministry says that the nomination has been discussed by the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and that the candidate's vetting procedures have been completed.

Krivas noted that Lithuania will chair the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers from May to November next year, adding that the representation in Strasbourg will be "a very important pillar of support" for the foreign minister "in performing this important function".

"We view the defense of democratic values against aggression and authoritarianism as a top priority," the diplomat said.

The search for a new ambassador to the Council of Europe began after Andrius Namavicius was recalled from the position on October 31.

The Foreign Minister then said that the decision to recall Namavicius, a lawyer by profession, was made in preparation for transferring him to Vilnius' embassy to the Netherlands to work with international legal institutions, as Lithuania is involved in legal proceedings at The Hague-based courts.

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

 

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 645 093 86, Vilnius newsroom

Lithuanian president signs 2024 state budget

VILNIUS, Dec 13, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda on Wednesday signed the law on the state budget for 2024, the presidential press service said. 

The president also signed amendments to the Law on Corporate Income Tax to promote modern investments. 

Nauseda reiterated that when adopting the 2024 budget, the ruling block failed to make use of all the possibilities to better meet the needs of the state and the population, although he acknowledged that the government had heard some of the criticism and improved the budget.

In his words, the 2024 budget lacked the commitment to raise teachers' salaries and the political parties' agreement on education policy and adherence to the government's program.

"I welcome the fact that the budget allows for an increase in funding for national defense next year, if the conditions are right. The government also increased funding for the country's roads, albeit by making a one-off decision at the end of the budget adoption process. Funding for non-formal education for children was also increased very slightly. However, the overall focus on families with children remains insufficient," the president was quoted as saying in the statement.

Nauseda also welcomes the fact that fiscal discipline has been respected in terms of expenditure planning as the budget deficit will stay below the Maastricht criterion of 3 percent of GDP and government debt will stand at 39.9 percent.

More than 2 billion euros, or 2.75 percent of GDP, has been earmarked for defense next year, and Nauseda says all financial instruments earmarked for defense must be used to the maximum extent possible, and at least 3 percent of GDP could be spent on defense, if there is a surplus of revenue.

Commenting on teachers' salaries, the president vowed to follow the country's economic forecasts in 2024 and remind the government of the promises it made to teachers.

Among other things, the president point out to the planned 10 percent increase in the minimum wage from 840 to 924 euros and the 20 percent increase in the non-taxable income rate that will go up from 625 to 747 euros, meaning that an additional 75 euro increase in income for the lowest earners. 

Moreover, pensions will rise next year, bringing the country closer to the 50 percent ratio of the average pension and the average wage.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 205 85 17, Vilnius newsroom

Lithuanian formin discusses ties, support for Ukraine with new Polish counterpart

VILNIUS, Dec 13, BNS – Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis had a phone conversation with his new Polish counterpart Radoslaw Sikorski on Wednesday and discussed bilateral and regional ties and support for Ukraine, Paulina Levickyte, the spokesperson for the Lithuanian minister, told BNS.

"Landsbergis congratulated newly-appointed Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski. The ministers discussed bilateral and regional cooperation and ensuring full support for Ukraine," Levickyte told BNS.

Lithuania and Poland are strategic partners and share the same stance on many international issues, Landsbergis underlined during the conversation. He also thanked Sikorski for Poland's contribution to strengthening regional security and noted that further defense and security cooperation remains an important priority.

Sikorski will serve in the new Polish government led by Donald Tusk who was sworn in earlier on Wednesday.

Tusk also led the Polish government between 2007 and 2014. At the time, bilateral relations between Vilnius and Warsaw were marred by disagreements over the investment of the Polish oil company Orlen and the situation of the Polish minority in Lithuania.

Sikorski also served as foreign minister at the time and was very categorical towards Lithuania, saying that he will not come to Lithuania until the national minority issues have been resolved.

Polish media also released a secretly recorded conversation released in 2017 when Sikorski told Jacek Krawiec, the CEO of Orlen, that he wanted to "give the Lithuanians a lesson".

Speaking with BNS on Wednesday, Landsbergis said his relations with Sikorski were excellent and he also hoped to set aside past grievances and focus on the future relations with Warsaw.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 205 85 08, Vilnius newsroom

Lithuania must step up gears of defense funding until 2030 - parlt committee chair   

VILNIUS, Dec 13, BNS – Lithuania must continue to increase the pace of defense funding until 2030, which requires clearing identifying the Armed Forces' needs, Mindaugas Linge, chairman of the parliamentary Committee on Budget and Finance (CBF), said on Wednesday. 

"The critical period is until 2030. Until then, we must keep stepping up the gears, which requires more funding, too," Linge told BNS. 

"Afterward, we should evaluate the situation based on how much democracy has emerged in the countries where we see risks. And if the processes move in a democratic way in Russia or Belarus after 2030, then we could think that this funding could be within the framework of (NATO) agreements," he said. 

The CBF discussed the issue of defense funding in a closed meeting earlier on Wednesday.

According to Linge, the current financial planning allows the implementation of prioritized projects to be excessively extended in time, which is why the plans should be made more concrete and the need for funds should be linked to specific dates.

"For instance, the issue of creating a division. It has been publicly stated that with the current funding, it would be implemented by 2035, while our plan aims for 2030. Again, this involves additional amounts that we want to have as soon as possible," he said. 

Liberal MP Vytautas Mitalas, who initiated the committee's discussion on defense matters, said that increased defense funding would also help the local defense industry to develop faster.

By purchasing more from Lithuanian manufacturers, more funds would remain in the country, making "the budget issue not so painful" compared to other areas, according to him.

Next year's total defense budget is planned at 2.06 billion euros, or 2.7 percent of GDP, compared to 2.76 percent this year. 

The Defense Ministry has announced plans to spend more than 3.1 billion euros on the acquisition of military stockpiles over the next decade.

This year, the ministry has signed several ammunition procurement contracts, incloding medium-range surface-to-air AMRAAM missiles and Javelin anti-tank missiles from the United States, and Carl-Gustaf grenade launchers and RBS-70 short-range air defense missiles from Sweden. It is also buying ammunition of various caliber (from 4.6 to 40 mm) through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA).

According to the ministry, the national defense industry is also being incentivized as a contract was signed earlier this year with the Giraite Armaments Factory, a Lithuanian maker of small caliber ammunition, for the purchase of 7.62x51 mm ammunition.

Lithuania's defense budget earmarks a total of around 2.7 billion euros for acquisitions in 2024-2026.

 

By Jūratė Skėrytė, Milena Andrukaitytė

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 239 64 16, Vilnius newsroom

Lithuanian court upholds fine for website for spreading disinformation

VILNIUS, Dec 13, BNS - The Vilnius Regional Administrative Court last week rejected the appeal of the Musu TV (Our TV) website and upheld the Lithuanian Radio and Television Commission's decision to fine it 2,200 euros for spreading misinformation.

The court ruled that the website's operator was aware of and responsible for the content it chooses and uploads.

According to the court, the media watchdog was right to conclude that Musu TV had spread disinformation and that programs were uploaded onto its website knowingly and intentionally, and with the knowledge and understanding that they constituted disinformation.

Musu TV was fined on October 19, 2022.

According to the LRTC, the news reports published on the musutv.lt website were aimed at forming a favorable opinion towards Russia and Belarus' foreign policy, discrediting the Lithuanian authorities, their legitimacy, independence and democracy.

The reports also gave biased coverage of events in Donetsk and Luhansk, essentially questioning Ukraine's sovereignty and its territorial integrity, and justifying Russia's military aggression in these regions. The aim was to give the viewers the impression that Ukraine was in fact the aggressor in the military conflict with Russia and that Ukraine was using targeted military action against the civilian population. It was also alleged that Ukraine was run by Fascists and Nazis.

Moreover, the new reports in question highlighted Lithuania's dependence on other countries and lack of independence, and the foreign policy and actions of NATO governments were presented as warmongering and fomenting discord in Eastern Europe.

In its defense, Musu TV claimed that the reports referred to by the LRTC were not its content and that it was not responsible for the content published by others. The media watchdog, however, said, the first person who disseminates untrue information is liable for publishing it.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Vilnius newsroom

Lithuanian president slams Hungary for objecting to start of EU accession talks with Kyiv

VILNIUS, Dec 13, BNS - Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has criticized Hungary for objecting to the start of EU accession talks with Ukraine.

He made the remarks on Wednesday in Brussels as he arrived for a European Council meting that will focus on financial support for Ukraine and the possible start of its EU membership talks.

"By demonstrating its different approach from that of the whole EU, Hungary is harming itself in a sense as refraining from helping Ukraine at this time, whether we are talking about military support or political support or, in this case, the start of membership talks, it's like handing all the cards to Vladimir Putin," Nauseda said.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 205 85 10, Vilnius newsroom

Lithuania's Nauseda hopes to meet with Poland's Tusk in Brussels

VILNIUS, Dec 13, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda arrived in Brussels for a European Council meeting on Wednesday and hopes to hold a bilateral meeting with Poland's new Prime Minister Donald Tusk who is also attending the meeting.

"I think we might, given that we will be here in the same room and we will talk both formally and informally," Nauseda told reporters in Brussels. "Of course, it will be quite difficult to discuss all the details and technical issues that have to do with our bilateral relations during such a short encounter, but I really think that this bilateral (...) meeting will definitely take place."

The Tusk government was sworn in earlier on Wednesday. He also led the Polish government between 2007 and 2014. At the time, bilateral relations between Vilnius and Warsaw were marred by disagreements over the investment of the Polish oil company Orlen and the situation of the Polish minority in Lithuania.

When journalists pointed this out, Nauseda replied: "There is no need to be so scared".

Nauseda pointed out that he had already met Tusk once before when he took office as president in 2019 and Tusk was then ending his term as president of the European Council.

Over the next few days, EU leaders will discuss Western Balkan countries' further European integration and decide whether to launch membership talks with Ukraine and Georgia.

By Augustas Stankevičius, Saulius Jakučionis

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 205 85 10, Vilnius newsroom

LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Lithuanian President Nauseda will seek re-election
2. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Thursday, December 7, 2023
3. Eighteen irregular migrants turned away on Lithuania's border with Belarus
4. Lithuanian president to announce Thursday if he'll run for re-election 
5. Germany's 21st brigade starts rotation in Lithuania 
6. Lithuanian PM calls 2024 budget 'good result' given limited resources    
7. After whistleblower's testimony, Lithuanian intelligence body insists it followed law 
8. Lithuania reports 1,280 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths
9. If citizenship helps to bypass sanctions, we should consider taking it away- Lithuanian PM (expands)
10. Improving China-Lithuania trade relations are fragile – minister
11. Lithuanian panel to focus on 'dark money' allegedly used during last presidential election
12. Sustainable defense funding in Lithuania can only come from taxes – ruling block
13. Stalled US aid will still reach Ukraine – Lithuanian PM, defmin
14. Minister sets up commission over Lithuanian passports of Abramovich's children 
15. Over 32,000 Ukrainian soldiers trained under UK-led Operation Interflex – Lithuanian army
16. Lithuania's conscription reform opens way for universal male draft – minister 
17. Businesses transporting Russian food behave immorally but legally – Lithuanian PM
18. New Russia sanction package to put more responsibility on EU firms – Lithuanian official  
19. Government's promises to teachers will "hang in the air" – Lithuanian president
20. Lithuanian President Nauseda will seek re-election
21. Lithuanian president skeptical of draft amendments to revoke citizenship by descent
22. Elections in US, other countries will affect Ukraine aid discussion – Lithuanian president
23. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Friday, December 8, 2023

Lithuanian President Nauseda will seek re-election

VILNIUS, Dec 07, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda announced on Thursday his decision to seek re-election next year.

"I am determined and committed to continue the started work. I will run for president in May 2024 and I hope that the people of Lithuania will give me a strong mandate of trust, as they did in 2019," Nauseda told a press conference at the Presidential Palace on Thursday.

Nauseda was elected president in 2019, defeating incumbent Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte in the runoff.

Public opinion polls show Nauseda, 59, is the clear favorite to win the presidential election next year.

His main rivals are Simonyte and lawyer Ignas Vegele. The latter has already announced his plans to run for president earlier this month.

In total, more than ten people have announced their plans to run for president in May.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 205 85 10, Vilnius newsroom

Upcoming events in Lithuania for Thursday, December 7, 2023

VILNIUS, Dec 07, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Thursday, December 7, 2023: 

THE SEIMAS' plenary sittings to start at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. 

SPEAKER OF THE SEIMAS Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen welcome participants of a Lithuanian-Belarusian journalists' forum at 10:30 a.m.; to attend a Chanukah candle-lighting ceremony at Vilnius' Choral Synagogue at 2 p.m.; to attend a reception hosted by the Netherlands' embassy at 6 p.m. 

THE SEIMAS to host Baltic journalists' forum entitled "International conflicts and journalism:
the aim is to maintain the highest standards of journalism" at 10:30 a.m.  

PRIME MINISTER Ingrida Simonyte to give an interview to LRT Radio at 8:05 a.m.; 
to participate in the so-called "government hour" at the Seimas at noon.

OTHER EVENTS

The Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania to host, starting at 10 a.m., an international scientific conference on "The Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 18th Century. Citizen. Family. Education".

 

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Vertimų skyrius

Eighteen irregular migrants turned away on Lithuania's border with Belarus

VILNIUS, Dec 07, BNS – Lithuanian border guards have in the past 24 hours turned away 18 migrants attempting to cross into the country from Belarus illegally, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Thursday morning.

Latvia reported eight attempts at illegal border crossings on Wednesday, and 16 irregular migrants were not allowed into Poland on Tuesday, according to the latest available information.

More than 2,500 irregular migrants have been barred from entering Lithuania from Belarus at non-designated places so far this year.

Lithuanian border guards have prevented a total of almost 22,000 people from crossing in from Belarus since August 3, 2021, when they were given the right to turn away irregular migrants. The number includes repeated attempts by the same people to cross the border.

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

Almost 4,200 irregular migrants crossed into Lithuania from Belarus illegally in 2021. However, the vast majority of them fled Lithuania once they were allowed to move freely.

 

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Vilnius newsroom

Lithuanian president to announce Thursday if he'll run for re-election 

VILNIUS, Dec 07, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda is expected to announce on Thursday whether or not he will run for a second term in next year's elections.

Nauseda, who has previously said he will announce his decision on December 7, is holding a news conference on Thursday.

Nauseda was elected president in 2019 after winning the run-off against Ingrida Simonyte, the current prime minister.

Opinion polls indicate that the 59-year-old incumbent is a clear favorite to win the presidential elections scheduled for next May.

Ignas Vegele, a lawyer who has recently announced his decision to stand in the elections, and Simonyte, who is running for the ruling conservative Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats, are seen as his main challengers.

So far, nine candidates have already announced that they will run in the elections.

The Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union is fielding Aurelija Veryga, a former health minister and now an MP. The Democratic Union "For Lithuania" has named Giedrimas Jeglinskas, a former deputy defense minister and NATO assistant secretary general, as its candidate.

The Freedom Party is nominating Dainius Zalimas, a former president of the Constitutional Court, and the Freedom and Justice has named Arturas Paulauskas, its acting chairman, as the party's candidate.

Valdas Tutkus, a former chief of defense, Mantas Varaska, the mayor of Kazlu Ruda, a town in southern Lithuania, and Antanas Kandrotas have also announced their intention to run in the presidential race. 

Kandrotas, known by the nickname Celofanas (Cellophane), is on trial in a criminal case concerning the August 2021 riot outside the parliament building in Vilnius. 

 

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Vilnius newsroom

Germany's 21st brigade starts rotation in Lithuania 

VILNIUS, Dec 07, BNS – The German Army's 41st Brigade, assigned to Lithuania since the fall of 2022, is being replaced by the 21st Brigade, the Lithuanian Armed Forces said on Wednesday.

The troops of the outgoing rotation were awarded Medals for Mutual Support by Lithuania's Chief of Defense General Valdemaras Rupsys.  

"It took only a few months until Commander Brig Gen Christian Nawrat and his troops with combat assets were in Lithuania after Germany took the decision to assign an enhanced Vigilance Activity Brigade to Lithuania in the summer of 2022," Rupsys told the troops.

"A few more months later, the Brigade had already reached Full Operational Capacity to be effective in the territory of Lithuania with our and Allied troops," the general said. 

"It is a vitally important signal of solidarity and an example of German and NATO unity materialized in concrete actions and deeds," he added. 

The incoming eVA Brigade, the 21st Armored Brigade of the Bundeswehr, led by Commander Marco Eggert, is taking "the baton of deterrence and defense tasks in Lithuania", according to the press release. 

The 4,000-strong brigade is one of the rapid response units of the German Armed Forces. 

Most of it is currently stationed in Germany. 

President Gitanas Nauseda and Chancellor Olaf Scholz last year signed a joint communiqué on the assignment of a German brigade to Lithuania. After debating for some time whether the unit should be deployed in the country only for exercises or permanently, the countries finally agreed on the latter option.

Berlin intends to deploy its brigade in Lithuania over the next few years, with an interstate agreement on this matter expected to be signed next year.

 

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 205 85 10, Vilnius newsroom

Lithuanian PM calls 2024 budget 'good result' given limited resources    

VILNIUS, Dec 07, BNS – Lithuania's 2024 state budget, passed by the parliament this week, is a compromise and a good result given the limited resources, Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said on Thursday. 

"I think what we've achieved is a good compromise. I saw a comment somewhere saying the budget isn't perfect. I don't know if there ever is a perfect budget, because it is always about unlimited desires and limited resources," Simonyte told LRT Radio. 

"Under these limited resource conditions, I believe the government has achieved a good result," she added. 

According to the prime minister, the budget was adopted considering next year's uncertain economic situation, the Maastricht criteria, support for Ukraine, spending on Lithuanian defense, and the needs of many interest groups.

"The government really sought a balance between several fires burning at the same time while preparing the budget," she said. 

Vaidas Augustinavicius, an advisor to Gitanas Nauseda, said on Wednesday that the budget was "not perfect" and that the president Gitanas Nauseda had yet to decide whether to sign the bill, passed by the parliament on Tuesday, into law.

Next year's state budget is planned with a deficit of 3 percent of GDP, with revenue projected at 16.98 billion euros and expenditure at 20.6 billion euros.

 

By Valdas Pryšmantas

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Vilnius newsroom

After whistleblower's testimony, Lithuanian intelligence body insists it followed law 

VILNIUS, Dec 07, BNS – After a whistleblower's testimony, the Lithuanian State Security Department (SSD) reiterates that it followed the law when vetting the team of Gitanas Nauseda, then a presidential candidate.  

"The SSD strictly complies with the requirements of the law in its activities," the department told BNS in a comment after Tomas Gailius, its former employee, on Wednesday testified before a parliamentary inquiry commission about his whistleblower report. 

"The SSD has provided information on the totality of actions carried out in the context of the 2019 Lithuanian presidential elections both to the CNSD, which conducted its investigation at that time, and to the current temporary inquiry commission, based on the questions presented," the intelligence agency said.

It did not comment in more detail on the whistleblower's testimony. 

Gailius told the parliamentary commission that the top SSD officials might have committed a disciplinary offense or even a crime by asking the department's employees to vet Nauseda's inner circle and possibly sharing information with unauthorized persons. 

The parliamentary inquiry is looking into where the vetting was justified and at whose request it was conducted. 

The commission has until March 10 to present its findings.

It was set up after the Prosecutor General's Office stated last spring that the report submitted by the whistleblower, then an intelligence officer, to Vytautas Bakas, who chaired the Committee on National Security and Defense (CNSD) of the previous parliamentary term, in 2019 had not been properly examined.

The whistleblower's story was recorded in a book by journalists Dovydas Pancerovas and Birute Davidonyte, titled The Whistleblower and the President. 

The former SSD officer told the journalists that in July 2018, he received several sheets of paper with many names and a verbal instruction from Remigijus Bridikis, the intelligence agency's deputy director, "to vet the electoral team of one candidate and the list of possible supporters".

It turned out that the list contained the names of supporters and associates of the then-presidential candidate Nauseda.

Having looked into the situation at the time, the CNSD stated that the SSD had acted lawfully in vetting people close to the presidential candidates, but urged refraining from verbal instructions in such situations.

While SSD officials said that all presidential candidates' teams had been vetted, the whistleblower claimed that only Nauseda's team had been subjected to checks and that Bridikis confirmed to him that the lists had been obtained from Nauseda.

The president categorically denies having asked the SSD to vet his team. 

Gailius testified publicly to the parliament commission on Wednesday, having opted to stop hiding his identity.

The man also said that he had been subjected to psychological pressure at work, such as not being invited to leadership meetings and having his vacation request denied, after it became known that he was a whistleblower. 

 

By Saulius Jakučionis

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 205 85 10, Vilnius newsroom

Lithuania reports 1,280 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths

VILNIUS, Dec 07, BNS – Lithuania has recorded 1,280 new coronavirus infections and no deaths from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, official statistics showed on Thursday morning.

The 14-day primary infection rate has risen to 490.3 cases per 100,000 people, with the seven-day percentage of positive tests at 39.2 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 1.36 million people in Lithuania have tested positive for COVID-19 at least once.

COVID-19 incidence in Lithuania took an upward turn in mid-September after having stayed at a low level since May. 

Two-thirds of the country's population have received at least one coronavirus vaccine jab so far, according to the statistics.

 

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 205 85 08, Vilnius newsroom

If citizenship helps to bypass sanctions, we should consider taking it away- Lithuanian PM (expands)

VILNIUS, Dec 07, BNS - If citizenship is acquired to circumvent international sanctions, it can be stripped by means of changing the country's laws, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said on Thursday after it emerged that two children of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, who has close ties with the Kremlin, have Lithuanian citizenship.

"It certainly doesn’t look good for our country when people close to the regime have some legal documents of residence and can use these documents to circumvent international sanctions. So I really think that this issue needs to be resolved, and if amendments are needed, they will be initiated," the prime minister told the public radio LRT on Thursday.

"Apparently, there is a need to discuss whether laws should be changed. (...) Usually, in such cases, people have more than one citizenship, even on the grounds of descent, and we could talk about the grounds for stripping them of citizenship in the Seimas as well, but, of course, that would require amendments to the law," Simonyte said.

Many people close to the Kremlin obtained residence permits in EU countries before the Russian invasion of Ukraine and openly expressed support for the Russian leadership, which is a problem, the Lithuanian prime minister added.

On Wednesday, Lithuania's Migration Department confirmed that two of Abromovich's children have Lithuanian citizenship, but he's not a Lithuanian citizen. 

Also speaking on Wednesday, Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite said that legislation was being drafted that would allow stripping persons of Lithuanian citizenship on the grounds of a threat to national security, including for those who have acquired their passports on the basis of their descent.

Her comment came after Siena, a Lithuanian investigative journalism center that contributed to an international investigation, reported on Wednesday that Abramovich's children Anna and Arkady Abramovich, who may have helped their father circumvent the existing international sanctions, have Lithuanian passports.

By Valdas Pryšmantas

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Vilnius newsroom

Improving China-Lithuania trade relations are fragile – minister

VILNIUS, Dec 07, BNS - Lithuania's bilateral trade situation with China is stabilizing two years after Beijing imposed trade restrictions on Lithuania, Lithuania' Economy and Innovation Minister Ausrine Armonaite says, warning, however, that this stability is fragile.

"Right now the situation is stabilizing, but as always when you do business with communist regimes or other regimes, you cannot be sure of your own ownership or the stability of that partnership," Armonaite told the Ziniu Radijas news radio on Thursday.

"We don't have the final figures for this year's exports yet. We had for January-September, and we see recovery in exports," the minister added.

She also pointed out that Lithuania's exports to China were not very high even before the deterioration of relations with Beijing.

Earlier, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said that Lithuanian and Chinese officials were talking about normalizing diplomatic relations. In an interview with Bloomberg in late November, he said that Lithuanian business remained cautious about trading with China.

By Greta Zulonaitė

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Vilnius newsroom

Lithuanian panel to focus on 'dark money' allegedly used during last presidential election

VILNIUS, Dec 07, BNS – As the State Security Department's whistleblower Tomas Gailius on Wednesday testified to the Seimas' temporary inquiry commission about the possible non-transparent financing of the 2019 presidential election, the commission now plans to pay more attention to investigating whether the campaign in question could in fact have been financed by dark money.

Gailius, a former SSD officer, claimed he had seen information on the possible non-transparent financing of the 2019 presidential election campaign when he worked for the intelligence service.

"Yes, I saw such information while working for the department," Gailius, who decided to no longer hide his identity, told the commission in public testimony, asked by Vytautas Bakas, who chairs the commission.

Neither Bakas, nor Gailius named a particular candidate.

Gailius said he could not comment further on the question during a public hearing as it was classified information, and he only confirmed that he was really talking about the 2019 presidential election. The commission now plans to go deeper into this issue when Gailius testifies in private.

The public will know

Speaking with BNS on Thursday, Bakas said that the possible non-transparent financing of the 2019 presidential election campaign will now be an investigation priority.

"That line of inquiry, I think, will now be a priority, and we will go deeper into it, it is one of the serious versions of the commission's investigation that dark money may have been used during the presidential election campaign," Bakas said.

He said he could not answer where the suspicious moment came from, from Lithuania or outside, and only said that if the commission confirmed that, the public would be informed about this, despite the material currently under investigation being confidential.

He also could not say whether President Gitanas Nauseda or other candidates' election campaigns were referred to in the context of non-transparent financing.

Set up in October, the commission is, among other things, tasked to assess the financing costs of all candidates during the 2019 presidential election campaign and compare information to the monitoring data made public at the time.

The commission is also expected to find out what influence persons involved in Belarusian fertilizer business had on Nauseda, his election campaign staff and advisers, and what role they played in the campaign.

Nauseda checks

The temporary parliamentary inquiry commission is also looking into the whistleblower's provided information about the SSD leadership's actions in checking Nauseda's inner circle when he was running for president.

Gailius told the commission on Wednesday he turned to politicians four years ago because he suspected that his superiors might have committed "a disciplinary offense or even a crime".

Gailius also said that when presenting to Darius Jauniskis, the SSD director, the material collected by his team on Nauseda's inner circle, he realized that the confidential information could be disclosed to a person who had no right to access it

Following Gailius' testimony, the SSD confirmed on Wednesday that it followed the law when it vetted Nauseda's team when he was still a presidential candidate.

The issue of transparency of Nauseda's election campaign financing is raised in The Whistleblower and the President a book published early this year and partly based on Gailius' testimony.

By Milena Andrukaitytė

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 239 64 16, Vilnius newsroom

Sustainable defense funding in Lithuania can only come from taxes – ruling block

VILNIUS, Dec 07, BNS - Sustainable defense funding can only come from one source – taxes – but a broader consensus among political parties on specific measures is needed, say the prime minister, the parliament speaker and the defense minister.

The idea of a defense tax has recently been raised by Laurynas Kasciunas, chair of the parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defense, after the presidential office earlier criticized next year's defense budget for not having funds for the State Defense Council's approved plan to create a land division within the country's army.

"We have no other sources, only taxes. This issue was raised a few months ago, and I myself proposed one option, that is, changing the corporate income tax, and all other options are also possible," Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas told reporters at the Seimas.

In the long term, he said, there's a need for sustainable financial sources, and taxes "are exactly that".

In his words, the cost of strengthening air defense capabilities and acquiring armored vehicles would cost several hundred million euros each.

His view is echoed by Speaker of the Seimas Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen who also says that, especially in the election year, the idea of new taxes "requires a consensus among all the political, at least parliamentary, parties".

"I would see a strong need to build on the best practices of the defense agreement to initiate a broad parliamentary discussion on the way forward in strengthening Lithuania's defense and security. The topic is very important, it is fundamental, and it is the basis of everything. But if it becomes one of the instruments of electoral battles, I doubt we will be able to achieve a result," she said.

For her part, Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte says it would be important to get the tax system itself in order and to harmonize taxation before raising taxes.

"The easiest way would be, of course, what is sometimes said in public, to simply increase one or another tax rate because this is a large base and means large revenue," the prime minister said.

"But it seems to me that we still have some internal problems within the tax system where that simple increase in one rate could mean a disproportionately higher burden for middle-income earners, which is already a problem within the Lithuanian tax system as due to the existing exemptions, people with the same income but in different ways are paying different taxes, so that people who are employed are paying much more tax on the same euro earned," she said.

Last summer, the Seimas gave its initial backing to a proposed tax reform that would, among other things, foresee higher taxes for people working under individual activity certificates, and broader real estate taxation.

As the reform subsequently stalled, the ruling conservative Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats now want a separate law on real estate taxation. It went through the initial reading, but the vote on the adoption of these amendments has been postponed.

Simonyte admits that the amendments "have more to do with the question of fairness, hygiene" and would not lead to the collection of large additional amounts.

"If we are talking about large sums of money, we must be talking about one of the main taxes," she said.

Also last summer, the Defense Ministry proposed changing the existing conscription procedure by making service conditions more flexible and increasing the number of conscripts per year to around 5,000. The government is yet to discuss the proposed reform and submit it to the parliament. However, the bill does not include universal conscription.

Some members of the ruling block, including the prime minister and HU-LCD leader and Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, as well as President Gitanas Nauseda, are calling for a renewed debate on universal conscription, but the idea does not enjoy broad support.

By Austėja Masiokaitė-Liubinienė

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 645 093 86, Vilnius newsroom

Stalled US aid will still reach Ukraine – Lithuanian PM, defmin

VILNIUS, Dec 07, BNS - The stalled US aid to Ukraine is an unpleasant circumstance, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte says. However, she and Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas believe it will eventually be approved.

Their comments came after Republican senators on Wednesday blocked a White House request for a 106 billion US dollar (97.4 billion euro) joint emergency aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, as Republicans objected to the bill's lack of immigration reforms.

"This is a problem because, on the one hand, there doesn't seem to be any doubt at the rhetorical level about the aid as, in general, there is a majority in favor of aid to Ukraine in the Senate and in the House of Representatives, in the Congress, (...) and it is a great pity that this issue, and not only of Ukraine, but also of Israel and of the overall aid package, it has become a hostage of domestic politics," the prime minister told reporters on Thursday.

She has no doubt that the aid package would be approved if it was put on the agenda.

"But it simply is not put the agenda. This is a very unpleasant circumstance, but I still think it is a circumstance, not a decision, but just a circumstance, and that sooner or later the decision will reach the voters and then the vote, I believe, will be a positive one," the prime minister said.

The defense minister said he discussed the issue with Republican senators during his recent visit to the United States and was assured that the issue would be resolved by mid-December.

As the Russian war in Ukraine continues, the aid issue will continue to be an issue in all countries, Anusauskas said.

"Yes, there are many domestic problems, but the Ukraine issue and the war in Ukraine and Russia's actions are destroying the international order, and if it collapses, it will cost tens of times more than it is now," the minister said.

Without US support, "it would be difficult for Ukraine", he said. Nevertheless, he remains optimistic on the issue and has no doubt that aid provision will be resumed.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 205 85 08, Vilnius newsroom

Minister sets up commission over Lithuanian passports of Abramovich's children 

VILNIUS, Dec 07, BNS – Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite on Thursday set up a commission to look into the circumstances under which two children of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich acquired Lithuanian citizenship.

The ministry also instructed the Migration Department to review the list of persons and entities subject to EU sanctions and check whether any family members of the sanctioned persons hold Lithuanian passports.

"The granting of citizenship cannot be a secret and a Lithuanian passport cannot be a cover for circumventing sanctions or for other abuses," Bilotaite said in a press release. "In this geopolitically complex period, the protection of personal data cannot take precedence over national security interests."

The Migration Department confirmed on Wednesday that two of Abramovich's children were granted citizenship before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but that he does not hold a Lithuanian passport.

Bilotaite also said that legislation is being drafted to allow stripping people of Lithuanian citizenship acquired by descent if they are deemed a threat to national security.

Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said earlier on Thursday that if citizenship is acquired to bypass international sanctions, its revocation can be considered, even if it requires amending the country's laws.

Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, speaker of the parliament, said she believes that the situation reveals the need to review the remaining loopholes in the law, which she expects to be done.

Siena, a Lithuanian investigative journalism center that contributed to an international investigation, has reported recently that Anna and Arkady Abramovich, who hold Lithuanian passports, may have helped their father circumvent international sanctions.

 

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 645 093 86, Vilnius newsroom

Over 32,000 Ukrainian soldiers trained under UK-led Operation Interflex – Lithuanian army

VILNIUS, Dec 07, BNS – The third rotation of Lithuanian military instructors are returning from UK-led Operation Interflex, which has trained a total of over 32,000 Ukrainian soldiers so far, the Lithuanian Armed Forces said on Thursday.

Lithuania's military instructors have trained about 2,300 members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces this year, including about 500 under the UK-led operation.

The Lithuanian Armed Forces plan to continue to participate in Operation Interflex and the European Union Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine), and to contribute to the basic military training of Ukrainian service members, according to the press release. 

Lithuanian instructors train Ukrainian troops under around 50 different training programs, it said.

 

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Vilnius newsroom

Lithuania's conscription reform opens way for universal male draft – minister 

VILNIUS, Dec 07, BNS – Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas said on Thursday that his ministry's proposed conscription reform creates the legal prerequisites for a universal military draft for men. 

His comment comes as his ministry prepares to submit the draft conscription reform to the government for approval.

According to the minister, universality in conscription can be achieved by the new model where studying at a higher education establishment will not be treated as an exception allowing service deferral.

"In this case, we are talking about a reform that eliminates exceptions that prevented calling up everyone, well, except women," he told BNS on Thursday.

The draft reform proposals include making it mandatory for higher education students to do their military service either by enrolling in the Junior Officer Command Training Program or by joining the National Defense Volunteer Force, thus combining their service with studies.

The reform will also allow conscripts to choose either six months or nine months of basic compulsory military service. 

The conscription age limit would be set at 18-21 years, instead of 18-23 years currently. 

According to Anusauskas, with these changes in place and adjustments to the annually set maximum number of conscripts, it will be possible to call up as many young people as needed at that time.

The military estimate that each year up to 7,000 young men graduate from school and are fit for service.

"We are proposing a legal framework, a tool for how to conduct conscription and who falls under it," said Anusauskas. "How many will be called up is determined by another law." 

The reform has yet to be approved by the government and the parliament.

The Defense Ministry is planning to submit it to the Cabinet "in the coming weeks", according to the minister.

 

 

By Augustas Stankevičius, Saulius Jakučionis

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 205 85 10, Vilnius newsroom

Businesses transporting Russian food behave immorally but legally – Lithuanian PM

VILNIUS, Dec 7, BNS - Businesses transporting Russian grain and food products through Lithuania are behaving immorally but legally, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte says.

"As you know, food products - and this is a key provision of the EU and international sanction policy - are exempted from the existing sanctions as far as the availability of food is concerned. Neither when transported to Russia, nor from Russia," the prime minister said during the Government Hour in the Seimas on Thursday. 

"That doesn’t mean that I think that people who have a business, even related food products, and have some kind of commercial relationship with Russia are behaving morally. It seems far from it to me, but they are behaving legally," the prime minister added.

She also vowed to look into the volumes of Russian grain and food products transported via Lithuania.

"I will certainly check how much grain is handled by the port of Klaipeda, what are the import, export and transit data," she said. 

Agriculture Minister Kestutis Navickas said earlier that Russian grain was being transported through Latvian ports but it did not enter the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda. Nevertheless, he did not rule out that Russian grain could be imported by falsifying its documents of origin. 

Ausrys Macijauskas, the president of the Lithuanian Association of Grain Growers, said that about one million tons of grain have been imported from Russia into Latvia so far, calling on the the Lithuanian government to ensure that it does not enter Lithuania from Latvia.

By Sniegė Balčiūnaitė

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 205 85 17, Vilnius newsroom

New Russia sanction package to put more responsibility on EU firms – Lithuanian official  

VILNIUS, Dec 07, BNS – The European Union's 12th package of sanctions against Russia will likely make EU companies responsible for the movement of their goods and oblige some of them to control their financial flows outside the bloc, Lithuanian Deputy Foreign Minister Jovita Neliupsiene said on Thursday.  

"The 12th sanctions package will actually have a bigger impact on businesses, despite the sanctions being targeted at Russia. There will be an obligation to tighten responsibility throughout the whole trade chain," Neliupsiene said at the Sanctions Management Forum in Vilnius. 

"Contracts will have to contain requirements, where the buyer will commit not to sell or export sanctioned goods to Russia and to demand certain guarantees," she said. 

The 12th package will include restrictions on high-tech and information technology services, and the laser industry, according to Neliupsiene.  

The official said that the package will tighten the control of financial flows of EU-based companies controlled by Russian-linked persons outside the bloc. 

"Authorization for the transfer of funds outside the European Union will be required for EU companies owned by Russian entities or controlled by Russian persons," she said.  

The vice-minister underlined that Russia's growing GDP does not mean that international sanctions have no impact on the country's economy.

 

By Giedrius Gaidamavičius

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Vilnius newsroom

Government's promises to teachers will "hang in the air" – Lithuanian president

VILNIUS, Dec 07, BNS - The government's promises to teachers to increase their salaries will "hang in the air", Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said on Thursday, commenting on the state budget adopted by the Seimas earlier this week.

Teachers' salaries may not reach the promised 130 percent of the national average wage next year, he said, contrary to the promises made by the ruling block.

"Unfortunately, we have not delivered on what we promised teachers. Yes, we made new promises instead of the old ones, that maybe we will change something, borrow something, revise something in the course of the year, but the fact remains that we will not reach 130 percent at this pace, and the promises made to teachers will hang in the air," Nauseda told a press conference on Thursday.

He vows to closely monitor the country's economic forecasts next year and remind the government of the promises made to teachers.

"I think teachers' issues remain unresolved," Nauseda said.

The government plans to raise teachers' pay by 10 percent from January and September after this proposal was approved with the state budget.

Andrius Navickas, the leader of the Lithuanian Education Employees; Trade Union, asked the president on Wednesday to veto the budget after the Seimas failed to take the requests to raise teachers' salaries by 15 percent in two phases into account.

The president says he will have a thorough look at the budget before deciding whether to sign it.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 205 85 10, Vilnius newsroom

Lithuanian President Nauseda will seek re-election

Updated version: updates throughout

VILNIUS, Dec 07, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda announced on Thursday his decision to seek re-election next year.

"I am determined and committed to continue the started work. I will run for president in May 2024 and I hope that the people of Lithuania will give me a strong mandate of trust, as they did in 2019," Nauseda told a press conference at the Presidential Palace on Thursday.

Nausda says his attitudes have not changed since 2019 when he first ran for president.

"I want to say that whatever I am, I cannot be accused of changing my opinions or changing my attitudes," the president said, adding that he still has unfinished work.

Big choice

The president refrained to assess his chances in next year's presidential election.

"I think all the candidates should be respected, each of them comes with their own vision, their own ideas, and I think it's good that we will have a big choice, and my goal is to diversify that choice," Nauseda said.

Public opinion polls show Nauseda, 59, is the clear favorite to win the presidential election next year.

Asked about his slogan and team, the president said the answers would be provided "when the time comes", adding that his election team will include people he trusts.

The president also assured that the resources of the presidential office would not be used for the election campaign, adding that the election campaign would not interfere with his direct duties.

Tectonic shifts

At the press conference, Nauseda highlighted the "tectonic shifts" that have taken place during his four years as president. He mentioned the agreements on the deployment of a German brigade in Lithuania, to allocate more than 2 percent of the country's GDP to defense, and others.

"All this allows me to say that Lithuania is safer than ever in terms of external threats," Nauseda said.

The president also highlighted the success in withstanding the consequences of rising energy prices, talked about people with disabilities and the country's progress in this area, and explained that the welfare state is "about reducing exclusion."

Nauseda also spoke about local government institutions that, he said, had demonstrated their activeness in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, illegal migrants and supporting Ukraine.

Nauseda was elected president in 2019, defeating incumbent Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte in the runoff.

His main rivals are Simonyte and lawyer Ignas Vegele. The latter has already announced his plans to run for president earlier this month.

In total, more than ten people have announced their plans to run for president in May.

By Saulius Jakučionis, Greta Zulonaitė

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Vilnius newsroom

Lithuanian president skeptical of draft amendments to revoke citizenship by descent

VILNIUS, Dec 07, BNS – President Gitanas Nauseda is skeptical about the Interior Ministry's draft amendments that would allow stripping people of Lithuanian citizenship acquired by descent if they are deemed a threat to national security. 

"It's not very good to start amending our laws, targeting them at a specific case or specific individuals," the president told reporters on Thursday. 

Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite's announcement that her ministry has drafted such amendments followed a report by Siena, a Lithuanian investigative journalism center that contributed to an international investigation, that two of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich's children, Anna and Arkady, hold Lithuanian passports and may have helped their father circumvent international sanctions.

According to Bilotaite, the amendments allowing the revocation, on the grounds of a threat to national security, of Lithuanian citizenship granted on the basis of descent have been drafted and are currently being coordinated with other authorities.

"We have done this before, yes, we have found justifiable reasons for it, but if it becomes a widespread practice, I don't think our state will follow the path of the rule of law," Nauseda said. 

He was referring to certain amendment to the Law on Citizenship adopted by the parliament earlier this year.

The amendments allow stripping a dual citizen of their Lithuanian citizenship granted by exception if the person publicly expresses support for a state that poses a threat to Lithuania or its allies' security interests.

The law was applied to deprive Margarita Drobiazko of her Lithuanian citizenship, with the authorities citing the Russian ice dancer's public support for the Kremlin regime as grounds for the action.

Commenting on the Lithuanian citizenship held by Abramovich's children, Nauseda said that the Lithuanian authorities must verify if it was granted in compliance with the law. 

Among other things, the authorities must look into whether the Russian billionaire's children have helped him to circumvent EU sanctions, according to the president.

"If this turns out to be the case, we have the possibility to take action under other Lithuanian laws," he said. 

The international investigation has revealed that the Lithuanian passports of Arkady and Anna Abramovich were used in transactions that experts see as an attempt to circumvent the sanctions imposed on the billionaire following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year.

Abramovich's children were allegedly involved in changing the management structure of his assets.

 

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 205 85 10, Vilnius newsroom

Elections in US, other countries will affect Ukraine aid discussion – Lithuanian president

VILNIUS, Dec 07, BNS – Discussions on international decisions on helping Ukraine will have to take the election factor in the United States and other Western countries into account, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda says.

On Wednesday, Republican senators blocked a White House request for a 106 billion US dollar (97.4 billion euro) joint emergency aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, after Democrats refused to fund measures to fight illegal migration

"The situation is not simple. I certainly don't want to wrap my words up in pretty cotton wool and say that everything is fine," the president told reporters on Thursday. "Certain things are changing internationally, and political cycles are changing in different countries, including the big ones. They are also changing in some EU countries, so we will have to take the election factor into account when it comes to decisions that are vital for Ukraine."

Nauseda vows do everything he can for Ukraine to continue receiving support and for partners not to turn away from Ukraine at a crucial stage of the war.

Nauseda hopes that the EU will be able to agree on billions of euros in support for Ukraine, although he acknowledged that some EU members are skeptical about this proposal.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 205 85 10, Vilnius newsroom

Upcoming events in Lithuania for Friday, December 8, 2023

VILNIUS, Dec 08, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Friday, December 8, 2023:

PRIME MINISTER Ingrida Simonyte attend a Chanukah candle-lighting ceremony at Vilnius' at 10 a.m.; to chair a meeting of the commission in charge of monitoring power synchronization with continental Europe at 11 a.m.

DEFENSE MINISTER Arydas Anusauskas to inspect army unit in Klaipeda.

CULTURE MINISTER Simonas Kairys to attend the 2023 European Film Awards in Berlin

JUSTICE MINISTER Ewelina Dobrowolska to attend a discussion on the ECHR and Lithuania.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Vilnius newsroom