Last week, Lithuania launched its first hydrogen-powered ship; Vilnius asked Minsk to suspend Astravyets NPP operation
President to propose increasing central bank’s contribution to the state budget
President Gitanas Nausėda will propose legislative amendments to increase the share of profit that the Bank of Lithuania transfers to the state’s coffers, as part of efforts to boost defence funding, Vaidas Augustinavičius, Nausėda’s economic and social policy advisor, said on Friday, the 24th of January, January. The advisor emphasized that while the figures have yet to be finalized, the additional amount from the profit contribution is expected to be significant. The Bank of Lithuania made a profit of more than 20 million euros in 2024. 2023 was not a profitable year, but the central bank also contributed funds to the state in other ways.
Minister says Lithuanian troops could train in Germany
Cooperation with NATO allies is needed to find training grounds necessary for the army, Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė said in the Rokantiškės military campus on Thursday, the 23rd of January, adding that Lithuanian troops could use German infrastructure. On Wednesday, the 22nd of January, during the visit of the German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, they discussed the possibility for some of the Lithuanian units to train using German training areas. She added the State Defence Council (SDC) had decided some time ago that Lithuania needed a brigade-sized training area, but the decision had not been implemented. Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds stressed that a brigade-sized unit could train at the country’s new base Selija in the Aizkraukle Region once its construction was completed at the end of this year.
Vilnius asks Minsk to suspend Astravyets NPP operation
Lithuania has once again called on Minsk to suspend operation of Units 1 and 2 of Belarusian nuclear power plant (NPP) in Astravyets, some 50 km from Vilnius, until all safety issues are resolved. The Belarusian NPP is being operated with intermittent and unreported disturbances, and the safety problems at the plant continue to go unaddressed, the Lithuanian State Nuclear Power Safety Inspectorate (VATESI) said in a press release on Wednesday, the 22nd of January. According to VATESI, both units of Belarusian NPP are currently shut down. It was announced that Unit 1 is undergoing scheduled maintenance repairs, but there is very little information on the reasons for the shutdown of Unit 2.
PM says a common EU loan fund could be used to increase defence budget
With Lithuania planning to increase its defence funding significantly by 2030, Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas said on Wednesday, the 22nd of January, that a common loan fund of EU countries would be useful for this purpose. The prime minister said that it was too early to say how much of the additional defence funding could come from European funds. Lithuania’s State Defence Council (SDC), which includes the country’s top political and defence leadership, has agreed that defence funding should amount to 5-6% of the country’s GDP from next year to 2030 to speed up the planned establishment of a division within the army. This year’s state budget allocates just over 3% of GDP for national defence, but the new government’s initiative to increase the borrowing limit opens up the path to raise additional funding in 2025 to bring defence funding to 4% of GDP.
German minister says German troops are set to arrive in Lithuania
More German brigade troops will arrive in Lithuania in the second quarter of this year, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Wednesday, the 22nd of January. Berlin plans to deploy the brigade in Lithuania by the end of 2027. The German brigade will consist of around 5,000 troops and Lithuania estimates that a third of them will arrive with their families. According to Pistorius, for the time being, all the brigade troops planning to come to Lithuania will do so voluntarily. To make the service more attractive, the Bundestag is discussing a bill on fringe benefits.
Speaker suggests Coalition partner to visit Ukraine
Seimas Speaker Saulius Skvernelis on Wednesday, the 22nd of January, proposed to his coalition partner Remigijus Žemaitaitis, leader of the Nemunas Dawn party, and other sceptics of increasing defence funding, to go to Ukraine to see why it is necessary to do so. Skvernelis-led delegation visited Kyiv earlier this week. However, Žemaitaitis shot back that he did not intend to do that Ukraine, in his words, is “a corrupt country.” The remark infuriated many MPs.
VLG shipyard launches Lithuania’s first hydrogen-powered ship
Vakarų Baltijos Laivų Statykla (Western Baltija Shipbuilding, or VBLS), part of Vakarų Laivų Gamykla (Western Shipyard, or VLG), a Lithuanian shipbuilding and repairing group controlled by Estonia’s BLRT Grupp, on Tuesday, the 21st of January, launched the first ever green hydrogen and electricity-powered ship in Lithuania, worth 12 million euros (excluding VAT), which is being built jointly with Baltic Workboats, an Estonian shipbuilding company. The vessel under construction since June last year will still be fitted with equipment, interior works, electrical wiring and main electric motors, as well as a hydrogen system, the Klaipeda Seaport Authority, which commissioned the ship. The vessel’s main function is to collect stormwater, sewage, sludge and garbage, as well as to ensure efficient waste management. The tanker will be ready to work around the clock and collect up to 400 cubic meters of liquid waste.
President proposes tapping foreign currency reserves to fund defence
As Lithuania plans to significantly boost defence spending by 2030, President Gitanas Nausėda suggested on Monday, the 20th of January, tapping into the country’s foreign currency reserves to help finance this increase. Lithuania’s official reserve assets, which exceed seven billion euros, are held abroad, with nearly half of them consisting of debt securities.
Avia Solutions Group founder attended Trump’s inauguration
Gediminas Žiemelis, the majority owner and chairman of Avia Solutions Group (ASG), attended the inauguration ceremony of US President Donald Trump on Monday, the 20th of January, the global aviation business group said in a press release. According to the group, Žiemelis was invited to the ceremony because ASG cooperated with partners from the United States. Last year, Impact Investments, an American firm, became the group’s strategic development consultant. Moreover, ASG ordered 80 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft from the US manufacturer last November, with deliveries expected to start in 2030. Jovita Neliupšienė. the European Union’s ambassador to the United States, also attended Trump’s inauguration in person, yet the leaders of Lithuania and many other countries were not invited to the ceremony.
Vilnius plans to raise public transport fares
Vilnius plans to increase public transport fares, and single tickets would almost double in price. The price of a single 30-minute ticket would rise to 1.25 euros, from 65-euro cents, while a 60-minute ticket will go up from 90 cents to 1.75 euros. The price of a monthly ticket would rise by 16 euros to 45 euros. Meanwhile, an annual ticket would cost 480 euros, an increase of 170 euros. Vilnius plans to acquire 36 new trolleybuses this year.