This week, Lithuania expanded cooperation with Taiwan, and held joint military exercises with France, while the Lithuanian Orthodox Church is trying to reduce the influence of the Russian patriarchate, and the regulator ordered to block IP addresses to prevent the transmission of banned Russian channels.
Lithuanian troops and French fighter jets exercise over Curonian Spit
The Tactical Air Control Party of Lithuania’s Žemaitija Infantry Brigade and the French Air Force’s Rafale fighter jets held an exercise on and over the Curonian Spit on Friday, the 17th of March. France has sent its Rafale fighter aircraft to Lithuania for the first time to reinforce NATO’s Baltic Air Policing Mission, which has been led by Poland since December.
Lithuania adds 322 new COVID-19 cases, 3 deaths
Lithuania recorded 322 new coronavirus infections and three deaths from COVID-19 over Thursday, the 16th of March, the country’s national health authority, NVSC, announced on Friday, March 17. Of the new cases, 227 were primary, 78 were secondary, 16 were tertiary, and one person was diagnosed with the virus for the fourth time. The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 now stands at 130, including four ICU cases. About 1.18 million people in Lithuania have tested positive for COVID-19 at least once.
Orthodox Christians got closer to the status of a self-governing Church
Lithuanian Orthodox Christians got closer to the status of a self-governing Church after the Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate on Thursday, the 16th of March, referred their request to the Council of Bishops for consideration. Metropolitan Innokentiy, head of the Lithuanian Orthodox Church, said in a statement that the request to grant us the status of a self-governing Church has been supported by both clergy and laity. Only three Orthodox Churches under the canonical jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate have self-governing status – those of Estonia, Latvia, and Moldova.
Finance minister to roll out tax reform package next week
The government’s proposed tax reform package is likely to be unveiled next week, Finance Minister Gintarė Skaistė said on Thursday, the 16th of March. The minister said that not all the information published in the media is accurate, adding that the reform needs to be looked at as a whole, rather than as individual taxes. It is rumored that the reform package includes a new 25 percent tax rate for employment-related income. The rate would apply to a person’s annual income of between 60 and 120 average wages. Lower and higher income would continue to be taxed at the current rates of 20 percent and 32 percent, respectively. Also, the media said that an amendment to Law on Personal Income Tax also calls for scrapping the current provision that allows private individuals to deduct part of their contributions to third-pillar pension funds and life insurance premiums from their taxable income.
Taiwanese fintech company obtains Lithuanian license
FinCause, a Taiwanese financial technology company, has received an electronic money institution license from the Central Bank of Lithuania, the Bank said on Thursday, the 16th of March. The company plans to provide services to small and medium-sized enterprises in Lithuania and the European Economic Area, Asian e-commerce companies selling products in Europe, P2P lending and crowdfunding platform operators, Baltic retail businesses, and online shops, the central bank said. FinCause was founded by Taiwanese entrepreneur Waylon Yeh, and the company in Lithuania was registered in February 2022, according to Lithuania’s Centre of Registers. It now has 3 employees. He had invested 3 million euros in FinCause as well as into Fortress Factoring, a company that employs about 10 people in Lithuania and Taiwan.
NSDC proposes disclosure of companies still operating in Russia and Belarus
On Wednesday, the 15th of March, the parliamentary National Security and Defence Committee (NSDC) backed its chairman Laurynas Kasčiūnas‘ proposal to publish data on the economic relations of companies established in Lithuania with Russia and Belarus. Under the proposal, the right of Russian citizens or companies owned by them to acquire real estate in Lithuania would be suspended. The public disclosure of companies still operating in Russia and Belarus is proposed in order to encourage them to cease their activities in these countries, Kasčiūnas said. The document also states that the number of Russians coming to Lithuania has increased significantly since Russia launched its war in Ukraine and launched its mobilization campaign in October.
Lithuania to hold first offshore wind farm auction on the 30th of March
Lithuania prepares to launch a tender for the development of a 700 megawatt (MW) offshore wind farm without state support, therefore, the government on Wednesday, March 15, approved the location of the project, the date of the auction, and the requirements for bidders. The National Energy Regulatory Council (VERT) is expected to launch the tender on March 30. The wind farm will be located almost 36 kilometers off the resort town of Palanga, northwest of another park of the same capacity planned to be developed with state support. The wind farm to be developed without state support will be located within one kilometer of Lithuania’s as yet unratified maritime border with Latvia.
The Central Bank says has no worries about the banking system’s liquidity
The Bank of Lithuania has no concerns about the liquidity of the country’s banking system, Simonas Krėpšta, a member of the central bank’s board, said on Wednesday, the 15th of March. He noted that in Europe, unlike in the US, liquidity requirements for small and medium-sized banks have not been relaxed. Lithuania’s Deposit Insurance Fund has already reached the necessary level and there are plans to increase its size more than required, according to the official.
The parliamentary committee approves all three candidates for the top court
Lithuania’s parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs on Tuesday, the 14th of March, approved all three candidates for Constitutional Court justices. Stasys Šedbaras, who chairs the committee and is one of the candidates for CC justices, recused himself from the discussion on this issue. Šedbaras had been nominated by Gabriele Juodkaitė-Granskienė, acting president of the Supreme Court of Lithuania. Speaker of the Seimas Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen is proposing Supreme Court Judge Aurelijus Gutauskas for a CC justice, and lawyer Tomas Davulis is President Gitanas Nausėda’s nominated candidate.
Lithuania sees 60 percent growth in tourist numbers in 2022
Lithuania’s accommodation sector saw the total number of tourist stays rise by 60 percent last year from 2021 to 3.4 million, Lithuania’s statistical office said on Tuesday, the 14th of March. The largest number of tourists stayed at accommodation establishments in Vilnius County (1.2 million), Klaipeda County (0.9 million), Kaunas County (0.6 million), and Alytus Country (0.4 million). These counties accounted for 90.2 percent of all overnight stays in the country. The overall occupancy rate in hotels, guesthouses, and motels increased by 54.2 percent last year from 2020 to 34.2 percent.
Watchdog orders blocking of IP addresses to cut access to Russian TV channels
The Radio and Television Commission of Lithuania (RTCL) has ordered internet service providers to block IP addresses this week to prevent further viewing of Russian TV channels that are subject to EU sanctions, the government said on Monday, the 13th of March. The RTCL has established that EU-sanctioned TV channels are being distributed on the Internet and that data packets of the banned TV channels are being received using the IP addresses of the servers used to access NTV, Pervyi Kanal, Rossiya 1, Rossiya 24, and RTR Planeta TV channels, it said in a press release. Last year, the parliament imposed a ban, until January 2024, on the retransmission and online distribution in Lithuania of TV and radio channels of entities established, directly or indirectly owned, controlled, or financed by Russia and Belarus. However, some channels remain available online, according to the press release.
Week in Lithuania: Tax reform package to be unveiled; Taiwanese fintech obtains Lithuanian license
