LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN, December 5, 2023

LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

IN THIS ISSUE:

Upcoming events in Lithuania for Tuesday, December 5, 2023
Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus
Lithuania's top court to rule if Grazulis violated Constitution by voting for another MP
Lithuanian parliament to hold final vote on 2024 budget
Lithuania reports 2,173 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths
People's income growth outpaces inflation in Lithuania in Q3 – Sodra
Lithuanian parlt extends corporate tax break for investment projects, films
Tightening sanctions to send bad signal to Belarus opposition – Lithuanian parlt speaker
Lithuanian formin calls proposed new restrictions on Belarusians "nervous reaction"
Seabed surveys for Lithuania's offshore wind farm find shipwreck in Baltic Sea
Lithuanian parlt OKs 2024 budget (corrects)
Lithuanian MP Grazulis violated Constitution by voting for colleague, court rules
Lithuanian MP Grazulis violated Constitution by voting for colleague, court rules (expands)
EP election in Lithuania to be held on June 9
Lithuanian 15-year-olds' knowledge 'average' among OECD countries – minister
Lawyers' court of honor in Lithuania dismisses disciplinary case against Vegele
Lithuanian parlt postpones introduction of e-tolling system until January 2025
Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, December 6, 2023

Upcoming events in Lithuania for Tuesday, December 5, 2023

VILNIUS, Dec 05, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Tuesday, December 5, 2023:

PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to have a phone conversation with his Moldovan counterpart Maia Sandu at 2 p.m.

EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND SPORT MINISTER Gintautas Jakstas to meet with French Ambassador Alix Everard at 4 p.m.

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Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus

VILNIUS, Dec 05, BNS – Lithuanian border guards recorded no attempts to cross into the country from Belarus illegally for the second day in a row on Monday, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Tuesday morning.

Latvia reported 16 attempts at illegal border crossings on Monday, and 34 irregular migrants were not allowed into Poland on Sunday, 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 over 21,800 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.

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Lithuania's top court to rule if Grazulis violated Constitution by voting for another MP

VILNIUS, Dec 05, BNS – The Lithuanian Constitutional Court on Tuesday is expected to announce its opinion in MP Petras Grazulis' impeachment case.

In its petition, the parliament asked the Constitutional Court to look into whether Grazulis broke his oath and grossly violated the Constitution by voting for Social Democratic MP Linas Jonauskas when the latter turned away to speak to a colleague.

According to the Seimas' special inquiry commission, this incident occurred on September 15, 2022, when the parliament voted on the agenda of its autumn session.

In his testimony before the Constitutional Court in early November, Grazulis said that he could not remember whether he had voted for Jonauskas, who was sitting next to him in the plenary hall, but admitted that he could have made a mistake.

Grazulis described the impeachment process as a "political crackdown" on him.

Conservative MP Andrius Vysniauskas, who represented the initiators of the impeachment in the Constitutional Court, said that there was no doubt that Grazulis had deliberately pressed the button for his colleague, who did not see him do it.

According to Vysniauskas, this was not a minor procedural violation, as it may seem at first sight, but a deliberate act aimed at preventing the Seimas from debating the civil union bill, which was included in the draft program for the autumn session.

If the court finds that Grazulis broke his oath and violated the Constitution, the Seimas will vote on stripping the MP of his mandate. At least 85 votes in the 141-member parliament are needed to pass the motion.

If Grazulis loses his seat in the impeachment case, he would be barred for ten years from running for parliament or president and holding a public office that requires taking a constitutional oath.

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Lithuanian parliament to hold final vote on 2024 budget

VILNIUS, Dec 05, BNS – The Lithuanian parliament on Tuesday is to hold its final vote on the highly debated 2024 state budget bill.

Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste said on Monday that she expected that there would be unanimous support from the ruling coalition and that their votes would be enough to pass the budget.

However, Ausrine Armonaite, chairwoman of the Freedom Party, a member of the ruling bloc, said after the coalition council's meeting on Monday that her party would review its commitments to the coalition after its partners failed to secure more votes in the parliament to pass a civil union bill legally recognizing gender-neutral partnerships.

Armonaite said that the Freedom Party's political group in the Seimas would make their final decision on Tuesday morning whether to support the budget.

Meanwhile, Vytautas Mitalas, head of the political group, said that the group welcomed the government's recent decisions to allocate additional funding, which had taken into account proposals from the Freedom Party's MPs.

On Tuesday, Skaiste will inform the parliament about the government's latest decision to increase next year's budget expenditure by around 650,000 euros by raising the net borrowing limit.

The Cabinet thus approved some proposals from MPs from the ruling coalition's parliamentary groups to allocate more funds for the Public Procurement Office, the Communications Regulatory Authority, the State Consumer Rights Protection Authority, and the Migration Department.

The leadership of the conservative Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats, the biggest party in the parliament, has instructed the party's MPs to vote only for those budget proposals that that have been approved by the government.

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.

This is the penultimate budget drafted by this government and the last one to be adopted by the current parliament.

By Sniegė Balčiūnaitė

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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Lithuania reports 2,173 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths

VILNIUS, Dec 05, BNS – Lithuania has recorded 2,173 new coronavirus infections and no deaths from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, official statistics showed on Tuesday morning.

The 14-day primary infection rate has risen to 460.8 cases per 100,000 people, with the seven-day percentage of positive tests at 38.7 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.

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.

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People's income growth outpaces inflation in Lithuania in Q3 – Sodra

VILNIUS, Dec 05, BNS – People's income continued to rise in Lithuania the third quarter of this year, with the growth outpacing inflation, the latest figures from the social insurance fund Sodra showed on Tuesday.

Kristina Zitikyte, an advisor with Sodra's Statistics, Analysis and Forecast Unit, notes that labor income after tax rose by 10.7 percent in July-September year-on-year, compared to the annual inflation rate of 3.7 percent.

The earnings growth was mostly due to a 15.1 percent rise in the minimum monthly wage, from 730 euros in 2022 to 840 euros in 2023, and salary increases for civil servants, officers, and employees of budgetary institutions.

Full-time employees' average income before tax rose by 209 euros, or 11.7 percent, to 1,989 euros in the third quarter year-on-year, and their average income after tax was up by 119 euros, or 10.7 percent, to 1,235 euros.

By Goda Vileikytė

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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Lithuanian parlt extends corporate tax break for investment projects, films

VILNIUS, Dec 05, BNS – The Lithuanian parliament has extended the corporate tax break for investment projects and films for another five years until the end of 2028.

On Tuesday, lawmakers adopted the appropriate amendments to the Law on Corporate Income Tax with 99 votes in favor, three against and 20 abstentions.

Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte says the tax break is "necessary for businesses to have certainty".

For his part, Mindaugas Linge, chair of the parliamentary Committee on Budget and Finance, says the tax break "has the capacity to create value, and the investments of the companies that have benefited from it have doubled".

The amendments allow companies implementing an investment project to reduce their taxable profits by up to 100 percent on the basis of the costs incurred to acquire new fixed assets. This profit will continue to be reduced if the assets are needed for the investment project, are not in use and have been created within two years.

Some 2,200 companies benefited from this tax break in 2022 and such companies have so far invested 938 million euros in Lithuania.

By Sniegė Balčiūnaitė

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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Tightening sanctions to send bad signal to Belarus opposition – Lithuanian parlt speaker

VILNIUS, Dec 05, BNS – Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, speaker of the Lithuanian parliament, said on Tuesday that she is against tightening restrictions on Belarus' citizens, despite warnings from the State Security Department (SSD) about increased activity by the neighboring country's KGB.

Cmilyte-Nielsen warned that subjecting Russian and Belarusian citizens to the same sanctions would send a "very bad" signal to people persecuted by Alexander Lukashenko's regime.

"I am not in favor of applying the same sanctions. I am sticking to my opinion that this would send a very bad signal to the Belarusian opposition living here, to all those whom Lithuania has invited, saying that it is important for us to help the people who are being persecuted by the Lukashenko regime," she said.

On Monday, three MPs of the ruling conservative Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (HU-LCD) registered draft legislative amendments aimed at tightening restrictions on Belarusian citizens to make them the same as those currently applied to Russians, with an exception only for Belarusians with highly skilled jobs.

"Since our intelligence assessment has shown that there is an increased threat from the Belarusian special services, that migrants who come to Lithuania to work and receive residence permits are possibly being recruited, and they return and receive assignments, and that employees of the security structures also come to Lithuania to do their shady job, we need to protect ourselves and to control the inflow of these migrants as much as possible without completely cutting it off," MP Paulius Saudargas, one of the initiators of the amendments, told BNS.

Cmilyte-Nielsen said that she hears the intelligence agency's warnings, but believes that different measures are needed.

"(...) perhaps by strengthening institutions, providing more resources, funds, everything needed to manage these flows," the speaker said.

"However, the proposed bill, in my opinion, does not achieve any of those goals, because it envisages quite a few exceptions. In my opinion, this is more of a step to show that something is being done than something that could have a positive effect," she added.

The SSD also warns of attempts to recruit members of the Belarusian opposition and business people in Lithuania via social media.

It is estimated that there are currently over 60,000 Belarusian citizens in Lithuania. According to the agency, their number grows every year and it becomes difficult to check all of them.

Ausrine Armonaite, economy and innovation minister and chairwoman of the Freedom Party, said that their political group in the parliament will look at concrete proposals, because "the wording is different now than it was when the previous discussion took place".

"Migration must be controlled, it must be planned, but having said A, the services must also say B, that is, what they are doing. The services can also propose solutions and say whether they need more resources, what resources, and so on. We will, of course, discuss this here in the parliament," she said.

The parliament earlier this year passed a law on restrictive measures for Russian and Belarusian citizens, but the latter are subject to fewer restrictions.

The law imposed restrictions for Russians and Belarusians to obtain Lithuanian visas and e-resident status. However, Russian citizens face additional restrictions on entry to Lithuania and acquisition of real estate in the country. Lithuania also temporarily refuses to accept their residence permit applications

The parliament finally adopted the law in late April, overriding a veto from President Gitanas Nauseda, who proposed to impose the same restrictions on Russian and Belarusian citizens.

By Augustas Stankevičius

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Lithuanian formin calls proposed new restrictions on Belarusians "nervous reaction"

VILNIUS, Dec 05, BNS – Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis says his fellow party members' recent proposal to put restrictions for Belarusian nationals on a par with the existing ones for Russian citizens is a "nervous reaction".

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte insists that the issue needs "a deeper discussion".

Such remarks by the leaders of the ruling conservative Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats were made on Tuesday in the Seimas in response to the proposal by three HU-LCD members to tighten the existing restrictions on Belarusian citizens, putting them on a par with those for Russians, with an exception for Belarusians coming to do highly-skilled jobs.

The MPs says the move come in response to warnings from the State Security Department about the increased activity of the Belarusian KGB and the growing workload in vetting incoming people.

"As for what colleagues are registering, this is understandably more of what is called a nervous reaction… in response to the expressed threats. What we need to do is probably to have a discussion and a conversation, which is a bit more complex than a single response that can be done immediately," the foreign minister said.

The proposed amendments to the Law on Imposing Restrictive Measures Regarding the Military Aggression Against Ukraine foresee that the acceptance of applications for temporary residence permits by Belarusian citizens via an external service provider abroad would be stopped, as is currently the case for Russian nationals. An exception would only apply to Belarusian citizens who intend to do highly skilled jobs included in the list of high value-added professions with a shortage of workers in Lithuania.

The MPs point out that the restrictions would only apply to the first temporary residence permits, i.e. to new arrivals. Meanwhile, old workers who have already received temporary residence permits once in Lithuania would be able to extend them without any restrictions.

Without new residence permits, Landsbergis says, "the border throughput from Belarus to Lithuania remains the same" as Belarusians with Schengen visas from other countries "have the possibility to come and stay for 90 days".

"These registered amendments, unfortunately, do not solve this problem, although it is one of the potential security concerns," Landsbergis said, adding that the situation should be taken seriously and a discussion should be launched, but quick fixes should not be expected where "we put a band-aid on it".

Landsbergis say that the situation has been known for many years and one of the biggest problems is the people who regularly travel between Lithuania and Belarus.

For her part, the prime minister says the issue needs to be tackled in a comprehensive way.

"I think we need a deeper discussion about what problem we are trying to solve as it is not only a question of the workload for our institutions, that someone thinks there is a very heavy workload, maybe it is difficult to see everything, but there are also issues of a wider context," she said, adding that this includes Lithuania's attitude towards Belarusian society and immigrant workers.

"If these immigrant workers left the labor market, then we would probably have a very long and difficult discussion with our business associations that believe that migration needs to be facilitated," the prime minister pointed out.

For her part, Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite believes sanctions for Russian and Belarusian citizens should be the same, especially after the recent SSD warning about the increased activity of the Belarusian KGB.

Lithuania has now a law on restrictive measures for Russian and Belarusian citizens in place, but the latter are subject to fewer restrictions.

Russians and Belarusians are restricted in their ability to obtain Lithuanian visas and electronic resident status, but Russians have additional restrictions on their ability to enter Lithuania, to acquire real estate and their applications for residence permits are temporarily rejected.

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Seabed surveys for Lithuania's offshore wind farm find shipwreck in Baltic Sea

VILNIUS, Dec 05, BNS – A sunken ship has been found in the Baltic Sea during seabed surveys for Lithuania's first offshore wind farm, Ignitis Renewables, the farm's developer, said on Tuesday.

The shipwreck was discovered at a depth of around 38 meters by Fugro Frontier, a geophysical survey vessel of the Dutch geotechnical company Fugro, it said in a press release.

"After receiving the information about the discovery of the shipwreck, we have informed the responsible state authorities, as this finding was not previously included in the database," said Paulius Kalmantas, communication partner at Ignitis Renewables, a subsidiary of the state-controlled energy group Ignitis Grupe.

The sunken ship is about 70 meters long and about 6 meters high. More information about it is expected after additional historical and underwater archaeological research.

According to the Department of Cultural Heritage, 19 shipwreck locations in Lithuania's territorial waters in the Baltic Sea are currently listed in the Register of Cultural Heritage.

Ignitis Renewables says that the 120-square-kilometer seabed area designated for developing wind projects "has never been surveyed in such detail".

In seabed surveys, Ignitis Renewables is also cooperating with Gavin & Doherty Geosolutions, a specialist offshore engineering and design consultancy that is part of Britain's Venterra Group, and Lithuania's Geobaltic.

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Lithuanian parlt OKs 2024 budget (corrects)

Corrected version: corrects para 19

VILNIUS, Dec 05, BNS – The Lithuanian parliament on Tuesday adopted the 2024 state budget after more than three hours of deliberations as 73 MPs voted in favor, 52 voted against it and one lawmaker abstained.

The majority of the time lawmakers spent debating the motions tabled by MPs and rejected by the government the day before. All of them, including initiatives to provide additional funds for pay rises for teachers, prosecutors, environmentalists or various infrastructure, were rejected, leaving the 2024 state budget as it was approved by the Cabinet on Monday after months of deliberations.

At least half, or 71, of MPs had to vote in favor of the proposals for them to be adopted. However, around 50-60 MPs, most of them from opposition groups, debated the proposals on Tuesday.

Many members of the ruling block did not take part in the debate on MPs' proposals at all.

"We are consistently on the path of increasing people's incomes," Liberal Andrius Bagdonas said before the budget was adopted.

Vytautas Mitalas of the Freedom Party told the Seimas that "the budget is good" and would allow continuing the implementation of key infrastructure projects, in particular the reconstruction of the Vilnius-Utena road and the Via Baltica.

Meanwhile, MP Remigijus Zemaitaitis was annoyed that lawmakers failed to provide additional funding for gravel roads and education, but they did extend the corporate tax break for investment projects and films.

Representing the Democrats "For Lithuania", Algirdas Butkevicius said the budget "reflects the election cycle" and its revenue plan was not justified.

"If we talk about the revenue plan for next year's budget, we see that the growth in revenue is twice as high as the growth in nominal gross domestic product. Do you think that inflation will exceed 10 percent next year?" the MP asked.

Pensions, payouts, teachers' pay, roads

The largest share of the extra funds in next year's budget will be spent on pensions and various social benefits, teachers' salaries and road maintenance.

This is the penultimate budget drawn up by this government and the last one adopted by this parliament.

The average old-age pension will increase by around 66 euros to 605 euros. The average pension for those with the required length of employment will go up by 70 to 644 euros. The single person's allowance, paid to disabled and retired people living alone, will rise by around 3 to 38.23 euros.

Child benefits will go up to 96.25 euros a month next year, and it will rise to 152.9 euros for large families and families with a disabled or disadvantaged child. The one-off payout after the birth of a child will increase to 605 euros.

The non-taxable income rate will increase by 20 percent, or 126, to 751 euros, and the monthly compulsory health insurance contribution for self-employed persons will grow from 58.63 to 64.49 euros. The monthly minimum wage will rise to 924 euros pre-tax or 709 euros after-tax.

Next year, defense funding will for the first time exceed 2 billion euros and stand at 2.75 percent of GDP. Traditional budget allocations will amount to 2.52 percent of GDP, with the rest coming from the existing temporary bank solidarity levy and borrowings.

The increase in excise duties will raise the price of beer, wine and other alcoholic beverages, as well as tobacco products.

State revenue next year will amount to 16.98 billion euros and expenditure will stand at 20.6 billion euros, leading to a budget deficit of 3 percent of GDP.

Battle for teachers

In their bid to influence the vote, around 500 members of the teachers' union led by Andrius Navickas also watched the budget adoption from plenary chamber's balcony.

However, the Seimas rejected proposals by the Social Democrats, the Labor Party and Laima Nagiene, a member of the Democrats "For Lithuania", to increase teachers' salaries beyond the government's existing plans.

The adopted budget will include funds to increase teachers' pay twice next year – by 10 percent from January and 10 by another 10 percent from September. The Social Democrats had proposed increasing teachers' pay by 15 percent from January and September.

In response to the parliament's move, the labor Party once again threatened to withdraw from the existing national education pact.

"Agreements political parties do not stick to are unviable, declarative, are mere politicking and do not bring any added value, therefore we do not see any sense in further participation," Andrius Mazuronis, leader of the Labor Party, said.

Navickas' union had asked the Seimas to support the Social Democrats' proposal, saying that before the Seimas sitting that if the budget were adopted, it would no longer make sense for teachers, which have held strikes since late September, to continue their protests.

By Sniegė Balčiūnaitė

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Lithuanian MP Grazulis violated Constitution by voting for colleague, court rules

VILNIUS, Dec 05, BNS – Petras Grazulis, a non-attached MP, "grossly" violated the Constitution and broke his oath when he deliberately voted for another member of the Seimas, the Constitutional Court ruled on Tuesday.

"Through this action, MP Grazulis grossly violated the Constitution and broke the oath," Gintaras Goda, the court stated in its conclusion, which was read out by Gintaras Goda, its president.

In its petition, the parliament asked the Constitutional Court to look into whether Grazulis broke his oath and grossly violated the Constitution by voting for Social Democratic MP Linas Jonauskas, who was sitting next to him in the plenary hall, but did not see him press the button because he had turned away to speak to a colleague.

Following the court's ruling, the parliament will vote on stripping Grazulis of his mandate. At least 85 votes in the 141-member parliament are needed to pass the motion.

If Grazulis loses his seat in this case, he would be barred for ten years from running for parliament or president and holding a public office that requires taking a constitutional oath.

By Milena Andrukaitytė

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Lithuanian MP Grazulis violated Constitution by voting for colleague, court rules (expands)

The issue of Grazulis' impeachment will now return to the parliament, which will decide on whether to strip him of his mandate.

The Constitutional Court found that Grazulis' action—deliberately voting for another member of the Seimas—contradicts the Constitution.

"Through this action, MP Grazulis grossly violated the Constitution and broke the oath," Gintaras Goda, the court stated in its conclusion, which was read out by Gintaras Goda, its president.

In its petition, the parliament asked the Constitutional Court to look into whether Grazulis broke his oath and grossly violated the Constitution by voting for Social Democratic MP Linas Jonauskas, who was sitting next to him in the plenary hall, but did not see him press the button because he had turned away to speak to a colleague.

The court noted that even a one-time voting by a MP for another MP during the parliament's sitting "constitutes a precondition for distorting the will of the Seimas".

The court also pointed out that Grazulis' voting for another MP was a conscious, deliberate act that could not have been made by mistake.

Following the court's ruling, the parliament will vote on stripping Grazulis of his mandate. At least 85 votes in the 141-member parliament are needed to pass the motion.

If Grazulis loses his seat in this case, he would be barred for ten years from running for parliament or president and holding a public office that requires taking a constitutional oath.

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EP election in Lithuania to be held on June 9

VILNIUS, Dec 05, BNS – The European Parliament election in Lithuania will be held on June 9, the country's parliament decided on Tuesday after 109 lawmakers voted in favor, four were against and 11 abstained.

The Council of the European Union has confirmed that European Parliament elections in EU member states will be held on June 6-9, 2024.

These dates are set by the EU Electoral Law stating that elections to the European Parliament are held every five years from Thursday to Sunday, usually during the first week of June.

According to the Electoral Code, EP elections in Lithuania are held on the Sunday during the same EP election period in all EU member states.

EP elections are announced and their dates are set by the Seimas no later than six months before the Sunday in question.

By Jūratė Skėrytė

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Lithuanian 15-year-olds' knowledge 'average' among OECD countries – minister

VILNIUS, Dec 05, BNS - Lithuanian 15-year-olds rank 24th in terms of their knowledge of math, 32nd in terms of reading skills and 29th in terms of natural science knowledge among 81 countries participating in the OECD's Program for International Student Assessment (PISA).

Education, Science and Sport Minister Gintautas Jakstas on Tuesday called Lithuanian students' latest PISA results "average" in the overall context.

"In this PISA study, among OECD countries, we understand that there is a certain global elite, and we are average looking, which shows that we should probably continue our efforts to improve school content as we can see from the studies that is in the content is being taught well enough," he said at the presentation of the results of the 2022 study.

The Education, Science and Sport Ministry points out that Lithuania's results remain similar to those of the past several years and correspond to the average for OECD countries.

Lithuania's 15-year-olds scored 475 points in math, slightly above the OECD average of 472 points and higher than those in 56 countries, but lower than in 23 countries. Lithuania is ranked 24-25 out of 81 countries, with its performance similar to that of Germany, France, Spain, Hungary, Portugal, Italy and Norway.

In reading, Lithuania came in 32nd out of 81 countries with a score of 472 points, slightly below the OECD average of 476. Countries with similar results to Lithuania include France, Israel, Hungary and Slovenia.

In science, Lithuania's 15-year-olds share the 29th-30th position with their Portuguese peers, with a score of 484 points, close to the OECD average of 485 points. Lithuania's performance is better than that of 52 countries and worse than that of 28 countries.

Singapore's 15-year-olds were the top performers in all three subjects, and Cambodia had the worst scores.

In Lithuania, students in Vilnius achieved the highest scores in all three subjects (514 points in math, 521 points in science and 506 points in reading), followed by those in other major cities and towns (487, 496 and 485 points, respectively). The lowest scores were for students in rural areas and small towns (435, 445 and 431 points, respectively).

Students' performance also varies depending on their language of instruction. The best results, above the OECD average, were recorded in schools with Lithuanian as the language of instruction (477 in math, 487 in science and 475 in reading), while the poorest performance was in schools with Polish as the language of instruction (440, 433 and 415 respectively). The respective scores for schools with Russian as the language of instruction are 468, 476 and 457 points.

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Lawyers' court of honor in Lithuania dismisses disciplinary case against Vegele

VILNIUS, Dec 05, BNS - The Court of Honor of Advocates in Lithuania has dismissed a disciplinary case against lawyer Ignas Vegele for his public statements, finding no violation of professional ethics.

"The Court of Honor has dismissed the disciplinary case, having found no violation of the lawyer's professional ethics," Dalia Foigt-Norvaisiene, the president of the court, told BNS on Tuesday. "Motives. We can only say that we have not found any that he has violated anything to do with his professional ethics. (...) We have also not found any violations such as dishonesty, impolite behavior."

The case was initiated in September 2022 on the initiative of Justice Minister Ewelina Dobrowolska, who alleged that Vegele's statements about the activities of persons who organized COVID-19 support during the pandemic and the war in Ukraine may have misled the public, creating unjustified doubts about the integrity and transparency of such activities.

Last week, Vegele announced his decision to run for president next year.

In a public comment in mid-July last year, Vegele questioned the transparency of the collection of donations to support doctors during the coronavirus pandemic and also help Ukraine after it was attacked by Russia.

"I'll tell you a secret: none of the entities that provided support or charity during the pandemic performed this duty (to declare – BNS) in time (by May 1). Maybe there was no support? The same can be said about the aid to Ukraine? An open and public question: has the State Tax Inspectorate penalized any institution or company, or have we heard of any checks? No, come on, why? You get charity and you go abroad to play poker. Look and you win charity money...," Vegele then told the delfi.lt news website.

Responding to this comment, Andrius Tapinas, the founder of the Laisves TV and a public figure, complained to the justice minister. Although he was not mentioned by Vegele, it was Tapinas who organized a fundraising campaign to buy a Bayraktar combat drone for the Ukrainian army and later traveled to the US to play poker.

Foigt-Norvaisiene says the Court of Honor of Advocates' ruling is not final and Vegele, Tapinas, as well as the justice minister, will be able to appeal to the Vilnius Regional Court within 30 days upon receipt of the court ruling.

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Lithuanian parlt postpones introduction of e-tolling system until January 2025

VILNIUS, Dec 05, BNS - The Seimas of Lithuania has postponed the launch of an e-tolling system for heavy transport in Lithuania until January 2025 due to legal disputes. The government had proposed postponing this date until July 2025.

On Tuesday, 69 MPs voted in favor of the amendments to the law on financing the road maintenance and development program, seven voted against and 35 abstained.

Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte says such amendments cannot be implemented.

"The tender is in court and the judgment is expected only in late December (2023 - BNS). If it is positive, the contract deadline is 14 months, meaning that it won't be ready until 2025. The government will have to come (to the Seimas - BNS) for a postponement of this deadline. If the court ruling is negative and the tender has to be re-launched, then 1 January is all the more unlikely," she told lawmakers today.

Transport Vice Minister Julius Skackauskas said earlier that the system could be up and running by July 2025 after the end of the court proceedings, adding that the courts are expected to decide later this month on who would install the system and then it would be in place within 14 months.

In September, the Vilnius Regional Court ruled that Proit, a Vilnius-based software development company, rightfully won the tender for the installation of the e-tolling system launched by the Lithuanian Road Administration. However, the tender remains suspended because the Czech company TollNet, which also took part in the tender, has appealed.

It was previously announced that the e-tolling system is expected to raise over 110 million euros.

By Sniegė Balčiūnaitė

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, December 6, 2023

VILNIUS, Dec 06, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Wednesday, December 6, 2023:

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

FOREIGN MINISTER Gabrielius Landsbergis to meet with the new Australian ambassador to Lithuania.

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Dec 06 2023

LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

IN THIS ISSUE:

Russia's grain exports through Latvia do not reach Lithuania – minister
Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus
Finance minister, CEB governor to discuss investments in Lithuania
Lithuanian parlt ratifies legal assistance, extradition treaties with UAE
Lithuania reports 77 new COVID-19 cases, 2 deaths
Institute to present study on migrants' experiences in Lithuania
US Switchblade 600 combat drones to be delivered next year – Lithuanian DefMin
Lithuanian minister attended defense forum in US, met with senators
Krivas proposed for Lithuania's ambassador to Council of Europe
SSD warns of attempts to recruit Belarusian opposition in Lithuania via social media (media)
Lithuania contributes EUR 1 mln to Ukraine via CEB fund (updates)
NATO jets in Baltic scrambled once to intercept Russian plane
Proposal to tighten restrictions on Belarusian citizens registered in Lithuanian parlt
Lithuania contributes EUR 1 mln to CEB's Ukraine Solidarity Fund (expands)
Lithuanian DefMin suggests banning troops from traveling to China, Moldova
Lithuanian finmin expects enough support for final draft budget to pass
Proposal to tighten restrictions on Belarusian citizens registered in Lithuanian parlt (further expands)
Lithuanian DefMin suggests banning troops from traveling to China, Transnistria (corrects)
Upcoming events in Lithuania for Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Russia's grain exports through Latvia do not reach Lithuania – minister

VILNIUS, Dec 04, BNS - Amid suspicions that Russian grain is entering the European Union via Latvia, Lithuanian Agriculture Minister Kestutis Navickas says Russian grain is moving in transit and does not enter Lithuania.

Nevertheless, the minister acknowledges that the Latvian government should take action.

Ausrys Macijauskas, the head of the Lithuanian Association of Grain Growers, has called for stronger controls at the Lithuanian-Latvia, border to prevent Russian grain from entering Lithuania.

"Grain from Russia travels by rail and it is very easy to control this as it is visible in the declarations. I have checked and there was certainly concern whether Latvian grain (Russian grain from Latvia - BNS) had not emerged in our port, but there is no such information, and the port has confirmed that there is no Latvian grain," Navickas told the pubic radio LRT on Friday.

Macijauskas says about one million tons of grain have been imported from Russia to Latvia so far.

"The shocking fact is that Latvia, and perhaps other neighboring countries as nobody knows this because there is no control, are importing grain from the aggressor country. (...) Almost one million tons of grain have been imported from Russia," Macijauskas told the radio.

He believes that controls at the Lithuanian-Latvian border should be tightened and that it should be monitored to make sure that Russian grain does not enter Lithuania.

"Clearly, neither we nor, the Latvian government like the fact that this process is taking place, but the question remains open as to why is the Latvian government not taking action," Navickas said.

By Valdas Pryšmantas

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus

VILNIUS, Dec 04, BNS – Lithuanian border guards have in the past 24 hours recorded no attempts to cross into the country from Belarus illegally, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Monday morning.

Latvia reported 14 attempts at illegal border crossings on Sunday. Poland registered no such attempts on Saturday, 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.

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.

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Finance minister, CEB governor to discuss investments in Lithuania

VILNIUS, Dec 04, BNS – Carlo Monticelli, the governor of the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), is coming to Vilnius on Monday to meet with Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste to discuss the CEB's investments in Lithuania and the bank's role in providing assistance to Ukraine.

The meeting will include an official signing ceremony for Lithuania's 1-million-euro contribution to the CEB's Ukraine Solidarity Fund and will be followed by a news conference.

The purpose of the CEB's Ukraine Solidarity Fund is to support internally displaced persons and contribute to the reconstruction of Ukraine.

The Fund will address various social needs arising from the war, such as ensuring the well-being and integration of internally displaced persons, and rebuilding the social infrastructure of the most important areas of the country.

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Lithuanian parlt ratifies legal assistance, extradition treaties with UAE

VILNIUS, Dec 04, BNS – The Lithuanian parliament last week ratified the country's treaties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on extradition, mutual legal assistance and transfer of sentenced persons.

The Seimas voted unanimously to ratify all three treaties, with 110 votes in favor of two of them and 111 votes in favor of the third.

The treaties, signed last year, will come into force once they have been ratified by both countries.

The Justice Ministry has said the Treaty on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters establishes a legal basis for the countries to provide each other with mutual assistance in the investigation, prosecution and trial of criminal cases.

The Extradition Treaty provides for the extradition of persons suspected, accused or convicted of criminal offences, and the Treaty on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons provides for the possibility for convicted persons to serve their custodial sentence in their own country and sets out the conditions and procedures for the transfer of convicted persons.

During the debate on the ratification of the treaties in the Seimas, Justice Minister Ewelina Dobrowolska said that the UAE had already ratified one bilateral treaty on extradition.

Lithuania signed the treaties in order to return Emilija Sedleckaite, a young Lithuanian woman convicted of possessing drugs and sentenced to life in prison in the UAE, to her home country.

Even before the treaties were signed, the Lithuanian citizen was released after her amnesty request was granted by the UAE, following several previous rejections of similar requests.

The Justice Ministry then said that the efforts of several Lithuanian ministries and the diplomatic corps, and Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte's visit to the UAE in October 2021 had contributed to the signing of the treaties.

The UAE is not a signatory to the European Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons, so in the absence of a bilateral treaty, there was no legal way for Lithuania to take over a convicted person for further serving of their prison sentence.

By Milena Andrukaitytė

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Lithuania reports 77 new COVID-19 cases, 2 deaths

VILNIUS, Dec 04, BNS – Lithuania has recorded 77 new coronavirus infections and two deaths from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, official statistics showed on Monday morning.

The 14-day primary infection rate has risen to 436.5 cases per 100,000 people, with the seven-day percentage of positive tests at 38.3 percent.

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.

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Institute to present study on migrants' experiences in Lithuania

VILNIUS, Dec 04, BNS – The Human Rights Monitoring Institute on Monday is holding a presentation of a study on migrants' experiences and Lithuania's migration policy, and an expert discussion.

"When the so-called migration crisis hit Lithuania in 2021, it became clear that Lithuania was unprepared for the challenge of the migration phenomenon in various senses, both in the short and the long term," the Institute has said in a press release.

"While attempts are still being made to paint the migrant crisis as a 'well-managed hybrid attack crisis', it is important to note that many human rights violations have been committed throughout this period," it said.

"People's rights were violated when they were turned away trying to cross the border, or when they found themselves in Lithuania, when – children, women, men – were deprived of their fundamental rights and freedoms."

The analytical study, carried out by the Human Rights Monitoring Institute together with its partner Mental Health Perspectives, focused on the experiences of migrants in Lithuania and the state's response to irregular migration, according to the press release.

The study highlights the legal, humanitarian and mental health aspects of migration and offers comprehensive recommendations for improving the state's migration policy and practical implementation processes, it said.

"It is important to note that the current policy tramples on the rights of people irregularly arriving across the Belarusian border," the institute said in the press release.

The conclusions of the study and Lithuania's migration policy will be discussed in detail at the National Martynas Mazvydas Library in Vilnius.

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US Switchblade 600 combat drones to be delivered next year – Lithuanian DefMin

VILNIUS, Dec 04, BNS – American Switchblade 600 combat drones will be delivered to Lithuania next year, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

Wahid Nawabi, CEO of AeroVironment, confirmed the news to Arvydas Anusauskas who is currently in the United States.

Lithuania signed a contract for these drones in December 2022.

"We are the first country in the world, after the US itself, to acquire the new Switchblade combat drones. This will be a significant reinforcement of our armed forces with a redeployable capability that will allow us to destroy armored enemy vehicles up to 40 km away. We are already seeing these effects in Ukraine," Anusauskas was quoted as saying in the statement.

On Friday, the Lithuanian defense minister visited the AeroVironment production facility in California where he inspected the equipment under development and discussed possibilities for further cooperation.

Switchblade 600 combat drones are the next generation of long-range combat drones, featuring ultra-precise optics, the ability to stay airborne for up to 40 minutes, and an effective anti-tank warhead capable of destroying heavy armored vehicles, including tanks. This kamikaze drone is capable of destroying targets in a "top-down" attack.

Together with these combat drones, Lithuania is buying drone launching and control equipment, a simulator for personnel training and a maintenance package from the US.

The US is one of the main security allies in the Baltic region and one of Lithuania's main partners in terms of defense acquisitions. Lithuania currently has more than 60 acquisition projects with the US. Each year, US assistance funds allocated to Lithuania and the other Baltic states contribute to the accelerated development of Lithuania's defense capabilities.

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Lithuanian minister attended defense forum in US, met with senators

VILNIUS, Dec 04, BNS – Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas took part in a defense forum and met with members of the Senate during his visit to the United States, his ministry said on Monday.

Anusauskas and top US security and defense officials discussed key existing challenges to the global security agenda at the Ronald Reagan National Defense Forum. The forum focused on the ongoing conflict in Gaza, the war in Ukraine and the challenges and possible responses posed by China.

"Participants agreed that the continued support of US citizens, the capabilities and technological superiority of the defense industry, and rallying allies are key to enabling the US to meet the emerging security challenges now and in the future," the statement said.

Forum participants repeatedly underlined the will of both political parties to continue providing American support to Ukraine and the ability to come to an agreement, even in the context of major political disagreements, Anusauskas said.

"The US needs allies as strong and as committed as Lithuania. From all the US officials I met, I heard an appreciation of Lithuania's defense strengthening and active defense policy, and a strong call to keep up the momentum and to continue the work that has been started," Anusauskas said.

On the sidelines of the forum, the minister had separate meetings with a number of representatives of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Anusauskas also met with former US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, former US Secretary of the US Army Ryan McCarthy, Lockheed Martin Vice President Kathryn Wheelbarger, Palantir founder and CEO Alex Karp and other influential US officials and journalists.

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Krivas proposed for Lithuania's ambassador to Council of Europe

VILNIUS, Dec 04, BNS – Andrius Krivas is proposed for the post of Lithuania's ambassador to the Council of Europe.

A respective draft resolution will be submitted to the Cabinet. The decision will then have to be approved by President Gitanas Nauseda.

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

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.

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SSD warns of attempts to recruit Belarusian opposition in Lithuania via social media (media)

VILNIUS, Dec 04, BNS - Attempts are being made to recruit Belarusian opposition and businesses representatives in Lithuania via social media, Darius Jauniskis, director of Lithuania's State Security Department has warned.

"We are now witnessing attempts to recruit people using modern means, i.e. via social media. Let's say that Belarusian opposition representatives or business representatives who are here are being recruited and influenced by the Belarusian KGB and the Belarusian so-called GUBOPIK, which I mentioned. They are offered through social media to cooperate with the special services, to provide information about the opposition in Lithuania, and in some cases, sometimes even to pay for certain activities that they did in the past. We clearly see such activities," Jauniskis told the Lithuanian public broadcaster's Dienos Tema (The Topic of the Day) program.

More than 60,000 Belarusians now live in Lithuania.

"If 17,000 a year enter, let's say, with work visas or temporary residence permits, so do the math: we will have about 100,000 in 2025. That is, I would say, is a significant force. Be that as it may, there will obviously come a time, there will come a red line when we will certainly not be able to cope because verification does take time, resources and effort. And there is no guarantee that we can look at everyone, check everyone, and, as you know, you can't put an intelligence agent or a policeman next to everyone," the SSD chief said.

The SSD has included some conclusions, analysis and additional data in its assessment of the growing Belarusian diaspora in Lithuania.

"Now it is up to the politicians and Lithuanian institutions to decide whether or not to level the playing field. It is our duty to warn about the threats. We see great potential for this," Jauniskis said when asked whether equal migration conditions should be set for Belarusians and Russians. He would support this.

In his words, Russian intelligence has been dealt a very severe blow as around 400 Russian intelligence officers working under diplomatic cover have been expelled from various EU and NATO countries.

"In short, it was a big blow, but we see that they are taking up other methods," the SSD director said.

Jauniskis said earlier that the operation of the Belarusian KGB "has reached historical highs and has never been so active", adding that some members of the large Belarusian diaspora in Lithuania are raising certain questions for the security services.

"Moreover, let's not forget that there is also a very large Belarusian diaspora in our country, people who comes here and, in fact, raise certain counter-intelligence issues," Jauniskis said.

By Ingrida Steniulienė

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Lithuania contributes EUR 1 mln to Ukraine via CEB fund (updates)

VILNIUS, Dec 04, BNS – Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste and Carlo Monticelli, the governor of the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), signed in Vilnius on Monday an agreement on Lithuania's 1-million-euro contribution to the CEB's Ukraine Solidarity Fund.

The Fund will support internally displaced persons and contribute to the reconstruction of Ukraine.

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NATO jets in Baltic scrambled once to intercept Russian plane

VILNIUS, Dec 04, BNS - NATO fighter jets stationed in the Baltic states as part of the NATO Air Policing Mission were scrambled once last week to identify and escort military aircraft of the Russian Federation in international airspace over the Baltic Sea, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry said on Monday.

On November 27, NATO fighter jets took off to intercept an AN-26 flying from mainland Russia to the Kaliningrad region without a flight plan, with its onboard transponder switched off but was in contact with the regional air traffic control center.

The NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltic states is conducted out from Lithuania and Estonia.

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Proposal to tighten restrictions on Belarusian citizens registered in Lithuanian parlt

VILNIUS, Dec 04, BNS – A proposal was registered in the Lithuanian Seimas on Monday to tighten restrictions on Belarusian citizens by putting them on a par with the existing restrictions for Russian nationals, with an exception only for Belarusians with highly skilled jobs.

"Since our intelligence assessment has shown that there is an increased threat from the Belarusian special services, that migrants, who come to Lithuania to work and receive residence permits are possibly being recruited, and they return and receive assignments, and that employees of the security structures also come to Lithuania to do their shady job. We need to protect ourselves and to control the inflow of these migrants as much as possible while stopping it completely," MP Paulius Saudargas, one of the lawmakers behind the new bill, told the BNS.

The amendments to the Law on Imposing Restrictive Measures Regarding the Military Aggression Against Ukraine foresee that the acceptance of applications for temporary residence permits by Belarusian citizens via an external service provider abroad would be stopped, as is currently the case for Russian nationals.

An exception would only apply to Belarusian citizens who intend to do highly skilled jobs included in the list of high value-added professions with a shortage of workers in Lithuania.

These amendments were registered by Laurynas Kasciunas, chair of the parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defense, representing the ruling conservative Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats, and his fellow party members Saudargas and Audronius Azubalis, a vice speaker of the Seimas.

"Applications for temporary residence permits from both Russian and Belarusian citizens would not be accepted, with exceptions for cases when a government-authorized body mediates or when people already have Lithuanian or Schengen visas, or if they already have residence permits, or if they are going to do highly skilled jobs included in the list of high value-added professions," Saudargas said.

The lawmakers also argue that, besides dissidents, an admission exception can only be put in place for Belarusians who want to do highly skilled jobs, as allowing everyone on the list of shortage occupations would practically make the restriction useless.

"Foreigners willing to obtain residence permits in Lithuania at any cost would be trying to pass themselves off as representatives of professions in short supply," the MPs say in their explanatory note.

The lawmakers also note that the restrictions do not apply to Russian and Belarusian citizens holding a visa from Lithuania or another Schengen state, as well as to people fleeing persecution and repression by regimes on humanitarian grounds, as well as to those who have obtained visas through the mediation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In addition to the proposed tighter restrictions, Russian and Belarusian democrats and representatives of civil society would be able to apply for a national visa on humanitarian grounds through an external service provider abroad, with the mediation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The MPs point out that such persons can now obtain Schengen visas but they are only issued for a three-month stay, while the national visa is issued for one year.

Lithuania has now a law on restrictive measures for Russian and Belarusian citizens in place, but the latter are subject to fewer restrictions.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda maintained that Belarusian citizens should be subject to the same sanctions as Russians, but the Seimas overrode his veto on the grounds that Belarusian citizens should be subject a more relaxed regime.

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Lithuania contributes EUR 1 mln to CEB's Ukraine Solidarity Fund (expands)

The Fund will support internally displaced persons and contribute to the reconstruction of Ukraine.

According to Skaiste, the Fund will focus on Ukraine's social and healthcare infrastructure and the reconstruction of residential buildings.

"We see this contribution as part of a broader strategy. Lithuania has allocated more than 1.9 percent of its GDP to support Ukraine through various financial and direct aid instruments. This is one of the highest figures among all countries that provide assistance to Ukraine," the minister said after the signing ceremony.

"In this period, we need to help Ukrainians not only on the military front, but also in the social sphere, where there are many challenges," she added.

Monticelli noted that Lithuania's contribution to the Ukraine Solidarity Fund is among the largest in the world, relative to its GDP.

"With this 1 million (euros) provided to the Ukrainian solidarity fund, we have a clear sign that Lithuania trust us as a solid partner, as effective users of (...) tax payers' money to support Ukraine," the governor told reporters.

"We are particularly honored about this contribution; we see it as a catalyst for further contributions," he added.

Skaiste and Monticelli also discussed the CEB's investments in Lithuania and the bank's role in providing assistance to Ukraine.

According to Skaiste, the CEB invested 313 million euros in Lithuania in 2022.

The CEB's officials say the bank's investments in Lithuania amounted to around 150 million euros this year, with plans to approve a further 57 million euros for the renovation of buildings. In 2024, the bank plans to allocate more funds to Lithuania.

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Lithuanian DefMin suggests banning troops from traveling to China, Moldova

VILNIUS, Dec 04, BNS – As Lithuanian lawmakers consider amendments that would ban the country's professional troops from traveling to unfriendly countries, the Defense Ministry has proposed banning the country's troops from traveling not only to Russia and Belarus, but also from going to Moldova, China and other countries.

The ministry has drafted a resolution for the government to approve a list of foreign countries or territories professional troops would be banned from traveling to for off-duty purposes. The changes would come into force in January.

The list of banned countries would include Russia and its occupied Crimea, Belarus, as well as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, including the Transnistrian region, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and the Abkhazian and South Ossetian regions of Georgia.

Similarly, professional troops would not be allowed to travel to foreign countries or territories if the Foreign Ministry advised citizens against traveling to these countries or told them to leave immediately.

The draft resolution also proposes defining cases and establishing the procedure under which professional troops would only be allowed to travel to foreign countries or territories included in the above-mentioned list with a permit.

Under the proposed amendments, the government could determine cases, including exceptions due to personal circumstances, and the procedure when professional troops could travel to foreign countries or territories included in the list with a permit or declaration of information on departure.

The Defense Ministry says such a ban has to do with national security interests.

In late September, Lithuania's National Crisis Management Center reported that people working with classified information would not be able to travel to Russia, Belarus and other countries that pose a threat to Lithuania.

Some 56,000 people will be affected by these restrictions, the center said.

The move to restrict some Lithuanian citizens from traveling to unfriendly comes amid reports that Belarusian intelligence services have been stepping up their activities at the Lithuanian-Belarusian border for some time already. According to Lithuanian intelligence, Lithuanian citizens are being questioned at border checkpoints and forced to cooperate with Belarusian intelligence services through blackmail and psychological pressure.

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Lithuanian finmin expects enough support for final draft budget to pass

VILNIUS, Dec 04, BNS – As the Lithuanian parliament plans to vote on the draft state budget for 2024 on Tuesday, Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste expects that votes from the ruling coalition will be enough to pass it.

Skaiste believes that the draft budget has been sufficiently well discussed and takes into account the current challenges.

"I don't have a crystal ball, but I'd say that the sharpest corners have been smoothed out. In my opinion, the discussions were quite fruitful, the priorities expressed by members and committees of the Seimas were taken into account, and funding for both roads and non-formal education was increased," the minister told reporters on Monday.

"I'd hope that the final draft budget will receive support from members of the Seimas and that it does reflect the current challenges that we face today," she added.

Skaiste expects sufficient support from coalition partners to adopt the budget.

"Naturally, we count on support from the coalition members because the budget implements the government's program, and since we work together in the government, I believe that the budget should receive the backing of all coalition partners," she said.

Earlier on Monday, the government approved a proposal to increase next year's budget expenditure by around 650,000 euros by raising the net borrowing limit.

The spending increase takes into account only a small portion of MPs' latest proposals totaling 690 million euros.

As a result of the first budget adjustment, next year's projected budget revenue declined by 30 million euros to 16.98 billion euros and expenditure rose by 111 million to 20.6 billion euros, compared to the original draft.

This raised the budget deficit from 2.9 to 3 percent, the upper limit of the Maastricht criteria, meaning that spending can no longer be increased.

By Valdas Pryšmantas

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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Proposal to tighten restrictions on Belarusian citizens registered in Lithuanian parlt (further expands)

Updated version: adds Bilotaite's comment

VILNIUS, Dec 04, BNS – A proposal was registered on Monday to tighten restrictions on Belarusian citizens by putting them on a par with the existing restrictions for Russian nationals, with an exception only for Belarusians with highly skilled jobs.

Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite says her ministry has consistently maintained its position that sanctions against Russian and Belarusian citizens should be the same and has no plans to change it, especially after the recent warnings of from the State Security Department about the increased activity of the Belarusian KGB.

"We see what our SSD says, those threats, and we have consistently maintained that position on the threats that may arise from Belarusian citizens entering Lithuania, and we will not change our position, it will remain consistent as it has been so far," Bilotaite told reporters on Monday.

She hopes that the Seimas will take the changed situation into account and put restrictions for Russian and Belarusian nationals on a par, adding that the existing sanctions for Russian citizens are effective.

"Yes, they are effective as the number of people trying to enter the territory of Lithuania has gone down significantly, and we see certain effect, not only here, but also across the region, and given the security situation, we really think it is worthwhile to come back to the issue of the same regulation for Belarusian citizens as well," Bilotaite said.

An exception would only apply to Belarusian citizens who intend to do highly skilled jobs included in the list of high value-added professions with a shortage of workers in Lithuania.

The MPs point out that such persons can now obtain Schengen visas but they are only issued for a three-month stay, while the national visa is issued for one year.

Lithuania has now a law on restrictive measures for Russian and Belarusian citizens in place, but the latter are subject to fewer restrictions.

By Milena Andrukaitytė

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Lithuanian DefMin suggests banning troops from traveling to China, Transnistria (corrects)

Corrected version: corrects headlines, corrects paras 1, 3, new paras 5, 6

VILNIUS, Dec 04, BNS – As Lithuanian lawmakers are considering amendments that would ban the country's professional troops from traveling to unfriendly countries, the Defense Ministry has proposed banning the country's troops from traveling not only to Russia and Belarus, but also from going to the Transnistrian region in Moldova, China and other countries.

The registered draft resolution includes Moldova, but the Defense Ministry explained that there was a technical error in the list of unfriendly countries Lithuanian troops would be banned from traveling to.

According to the ministry, the bill state "the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova", instead of "the Republic of Moldova, including the Transnistrian region".

The Defense Ministry says such a ban has to do with national security interests.

Some 56,000 people will be affected by these restrictions, the center said.

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Upcoming events in Lithuania for Tuesday, December 5, 2023

VILNIUS, Dec 05, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Tuesday, December 5, 2023:

PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to have a phone conversation with his Moldovan counterpart Maia Sandu at 2 p.m.

EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND SPORT MINISTER Gintautas Jakstas to meet with French Ambassador Alix Everard at 4 p.m.

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Dec 06 2023

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