Linas Jegelevičius
Last week was quite an intensive one in Lithuania and brought both good and not-so-good news, which made to think about the safety of different kinds.
Lithuania ups quota for third-country drivers
Lithuania’s Ministry of Social Security and Labour gave a 2023 quota for the employment of workers from third countries, which will allow the country’s companies to more easily recruit 35,950 people to fill in positions within professions experiencing shortages, the Employment Service said on Friday, 9th of December. The bulk of the 2023 quota – 60 percent – has been allocated to the service sector where haulers are facing a shortage of drivers. The total quota for the sector is 21,600 people, 5,600 more than this year. The increase is due to the fact that 17,400 out of the 18,000 foreigners employed in this sector this year under the shortage occupation scheme were freight carriers.
Lithuanian defence vice-minister steps down
Vilius Semeška is resigning as Lithuania’s deputy defence minister, the ministry said on Friday, 9th of December. Semeška confirmed his resignation on Facebook but did not comment on his future career plans. However, the Delfi news website reports that Semeška’s resignation is linked to the controversy surrounding the deployment of Germany’s brigade in Lithuania. The vice-minister was part of a German-Lithuanian bilateral task group set up to coordinate work on the Allied brigade in Lithuania. Vilnius wants a full rotational German brigade to be permanently deployed in the country. Berlin officials, however, have said on numerous occasions that part of the brigade will be deployed in Lithuania and the rest will stay at home but will be ready to redeploy quickly if necessary.
An asylum seeker hurts two centre staff members
A Nigerian asylum seeker, 19, injured two specialists at the foreigners’ registration centre in Lithuania’s western city of Kybartai, using a homemade knife. The specialists sustained minor injuries to their hands, the State Border Guard Service said on Friday, 9th of December. According to the Police Department, the man, born in 2003, resisted and injured uniformed specialists, born in 1978 and 1989, at the SBGS Kybartai FRC. The officers received hospital treatment and continued their service. A pre-trial investigation into the incident has been opened. Currently, 78 foreigners are living at the Kybartai FRC.
Vilnius resident catches dengue fever after a trip to Africa
A resident of Vilnius has been diagnosed with dengue fever after returning home from a trip to East Africa, the National Public Health Centre said on Friday, 9th of December. This is the seventh case of dengue fever recorded in Lithuania this year, compared to one case last year and five in 2020, the centre said, adding that all of the cases were imported. Dengue fever is an acute viral mosquito-borne infection that is classified as a particularly dangerous imported communicable disease.
Lithuania reports 18,1 percent annual inflation for November
Lithuania’s average annual inflation rate, as measured by the EU Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), rose to 18,1 percent in November, figures from the country’s statistics office showed on Thursday, 8th of December. The EU-harmonised average annual rate last month was 0,7 percentage points lower than the rate measured by the national CPI. The harmonised 12-month inflation rate stood at 21,4 percent, lower than the CPI rate of 22,9 percent. Statistics Lithuania said the annual HICP inflation was mainly driven by increased prices for milk and milk products, cheese and eggs, solid fuel, meat and meat products, heat energy, fuels and lubricants, electricity, bread and cereals, vegetables, products and materials for maintenance and repair of the dwelling, and restaurants, cafes and other food services.
Lithuania reports 434 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths
Lithuania recorded 434 new coronavirus infections and no deaths from COVID-19 over Thursday, 8th of December, official statistics showed on Friday, 9th of December. Of the new cases, 311 were primary, 116 were secondary and seven were tertiary. The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 now stands at 174, including ten ICU cases. The 14-day primary infection rate has risen further to 196,7 cases per 100,000 people, but the seven-day percentage of positive tests has edged down to 18,8 percent. The daily number of new coronavirus cases remains well below the peak of over 14,000 reached in early February. More than 1,2 million people in Lithuania have tested positive for COVID-19 at least once.
Lithuanian airports see a 22 percent increase in passenger numbers
Almost 392,000 passengers traveled through Lithuanian airports in November, 22 percent more than last year. Tomas Zitikis, route development manager at Lietuvos Oro Uostai (Lithuanian Airports, LOU), the airport operator in Lithuania, said on Wednesday, 7th of December, that November brought usual trends as the number of travelers drooped, but cargo volumes grew. In November, all three airports in Lithuania recorded 3,700 flights, up 2 percent from a year ago. The airport managed to restore 79 percent of passengers and 78 percent of pre-pandemic traffic. In November, 280,000 passengers traveled through Vilnius, up 24 percent from last year, but down 37 percent from 2019. Just as last year, Vilnius recorded 2,600 flights, down 42 percent from before the pandemic.
Lithuania could now accommodate around up to 8,000 Ukrainian refugees
Lithuania could now take in around 6,000-8,000 Ukrainians as Europe gears up for a new wave of war refugees from Ukraine, Lithuanian Social Security and Labour Minister Monika Navickienė said on Tuesday, 6th of December. If the number of incoming Ukrainians were higher, Lithuania could accept up to 30,000 people in a rather short period of time, she said. The latest figures from the Ministry of Social Security and Labour show that more than 71,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Lithuania so far. Some 100 refugees are currently arriving in Lithuania per week, the minister said.
Russian Embassy hits out at Vilnius for removal of Soviet sculptures
The removal of Soviet sculptures at Antakalnis Cemetery in Vilnius, which started on Tuesday, 6th of December, is a barbaric mockery, the Russian Embassy in Vilnius said, calling on international institutions to assess the move of the local authorities. The dismantling of the monument to Soviet WWII soldiers was started at Antakalnis Cemetery, despite interim measures imposed by the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC). Last month, Lithuania’s Justice Ministry said the UNHRC was misled by the person who asked for interim measures for the Soviet-era monument.
TV Rain won’t be accessible in Lithuania as well
TV Rain (Dozhd), an independent Russian-language TV channel will no longer be accessible in Lithuania as well after the Latvian watchdog stripped it of its license, the Radio and Television Commission of Lithuania (LRTK) said on Tuesday, 6th of December. Latvia’s National Electronic Mass Media Council’s decision to strip the TV channel operating in exile of its license came into force on December 8, LRTK said. The license gave the right to distribute the content produced in EU countries, Russia, the US, and elsewhere.
Read also: BNN ANALYSES: Vilnius bus and trolleybus drivers go on strike
Week in Lithuania: Defence vice-minister steps down. Russian Embassy hits out at Vilnius.
