Last week, 36 million euros for Giraitė ammo factory’s expansion allotted; nearly 8 % voted in early voting
Lithuania turns away four irregular migrants on border with Belarus
Lithuanian border guards turned away four migrants attempting to cross into the country from Belarus illegally on Thursday, the 10th of October, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Friday, the 11th of October. A total of 650 irregular migrants have been barred from entering Lithuania from Belarus at non-designated places so far this year, a much lower number than in previous years. 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, most of them fled Lithuania once they were allowed to move freely.
Some 7.4% of Lithuanians vote early in parliamentary election
Some 174 000 people, or almost 7.4% of the electorate, cast their ballots during the three days of early voting for Sunday’s parliamentary election in Lithuania, preliminary figures from the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) showed after advance voting closed on Thursday, the 10th of October. This is up from 74 500, or 3.09%, in the previous general election in 2020, when early voting was extended to four days instead of the usual two days due to the coronavirus pandemic. On Sunday, the 13th of October, the election day, voting will only be allowed at polling stations within each voter’s designated constituency.
Hearings for Lithuania’s EU Commissioner-Designate will take place in November
Confirmation hearings for Andrius Kubilius, the Lithuanian EU commissioner-designate for defence and space, will be held in Brussels on November 6, the European Parliament Liaison Office in Lithuania said on the 10th of October. The main EP committees involved in Kubilius’ confirmation hearings will be the Foreign Affairs and Industry, Research and Energy Committees. The two invited committees will be the Transport and Tourism Committee and the Subcommittee on Security and Defence. The invited committees can ask one question each. The whole European Parliament will vote on the European Commission during its plenary session. The new Commission is elected by a simple majority during a roll-call vote. This vote is currently scheduled to take place in Strasbourg on the 25th to 28th of November.
Lawyer shot dead, two police officers injured in central Vilnius
A 70-year-old lawyer while doing his job was shot dead in central Vilnius on Thursday, the 10th of October, and two police officers were also injured during the incident. The suspect has been detained and two officers are injured, Ramunas Matonis, spokesman for the Police Department, said. The suspect barricaded himself in the apartment that he did not want to leave after a court’s unfavourable ruling.
36 million euros for Giraitė ammo factory’s expansion allotted
The Lithuanian Finance Ministry said on Thursday, the 10th of October, that it plans to allocate 36 million euros for expanding the capacity of the state-owned small-caliber ammunition manufacturer Giraites Ginkluotės Gamykla (Giraitė Armament Factory, or GGG) by 2027, of which 11.2 million euros should be provided this year once approved by the government. According to the Finance Ministry, the funds will allow the factory to start installing a new production line earlier than originally planned. The new line, which will double its capacity, is expected to be operational by 2027.
Lithuania sees 14-fold surge in Central Asian immigrants
Lithuania has seen a 14-fold increase in the number of immigrants from Central Asia since 2021, which raises concerns about the risk of radicalization, Darius Jauniskis, director of the State Security Department (SSD), said on Thursday, the 10th of October, admitting that the intelligence agency is struggling to screen all incoming immigrants. According to him, the Muslim immigrants from Central Asia are causing some concern because they tend to be more prone to radicalization and they might pose “very serious” counterintelligence and terrorism risks.
Lithuania launches its first defence bond issue
Lithuania is launched on Thursday, the 10th of October, its first one-year defence bond issue, offering a 2% annual interest rate. The Finance Ministry says the bonds will be available for subscription by both individuals and businesses until the 28th of October and will mature on the 29th of October 2025. Finance Minister Gintarė Skaistė said that the goal is to borrow for defence spending at a lower rate than in international markets, where interest rates currently hover around 3%. The minimum investment in the defence bonds is 100 euros.
Lithuania in talks with Rheinmetall on ammunition quantity and other things
Lithuania is currently in talks with Rheinmetall on the quantity and parameters of 155mm ammunition that the country will buy from the German defence giant, which is set to build a factory in the northern district of Radviliškis, Defence Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas said on Wednesday, the 9th of October. According to Kasčiūnas, the talks are nearing completion, and agreements should be formalized in a contract. Kasčiūnas said the possibility of supplying some of the factory’s production to Ukraine is not being ruled out.
15min to issue EUR 15 mln worth of bonds to Baltic investors
The Lithuanian media company 15min will issue 15 million euros’ worth of bonds with an annual interest rate of 9.8% – the issue will be available to retail and institutional investors in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, it said through BNS, a Lithuanian newswire, part of 15min Group. The company will issue 15 000 bonds with a nominal value of 1 000 euros. 15min will use the money received from the issue to refinance the acquisition of M-1 Grupė radio stations and continue to invest in the development of high-quality digital media. Tomas Balžekas, CEO of 15min Group, said that Group’s strategic goal remains increasing further digital subscriptions – paid subscribers went up by 115% over the last year. 15min Group owns the news portal 15min, radio stations M-1, M-1 Plus, Lietus, M-1 Dance, Laluna, and the magazines Žmonės, Ji, Legendos, as well as the BNS news agency. The advertising agency Reklamos ekspertai will also be acquired soon. 15min is a Lithuanian-owned group of companies managed through the holding company 4 Bees, BNS said.
Eurovia wins 120-million-euro contract to build Rail Baltica section
Eurovia Lithuania, a French-owned road construction company, and its Czech partner Eurovia CZ have been awarded a contract worth 118.6 million euros (including VAT) by LTG Infra, the infrastructure arm of Lietuvos Geležinkeliai (Lithuanian Railways, LTG), to build a section of the European-gauge railway Rail Baltica, the state-owned railway group said on Tuesday, October 8. The contract for the first 17.1-kilometre stretch of the Seta-Ramygala section was signed on Tuesday. The work, which will extend the ongoing construction of a 29.2-kilometre embankment toward Panevėžys, is expected to be completed by the end of 2027. A total of 65.2 kilometres of the Rail Baltica section from Kaunas to the Latvian border will be under construction by early 2025. The total length of the railway in Lithuania will be 392 kilometres.
Lithuanian Archbishop among 21 new cardinals
Pope Francis has announced he would hold a Consistory for the creation of new cardinals on the 8th of December, and the list includes Lithuanian Archbishop Rolandas Makrickas, Vatican News reports. The Consistory will be held on the 8th of December, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, in the Vatican. The Holy Father pointed out that the Cardinal-elects hail from around the world. Born in Biržai in 1972, Makrickas was ordained a priest for the diocese of Panevėžys in 1996. He served as secretary of the Lithuanian Bishops’ Conference until 2001. He’s been coadjutor archpriest of the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major since mid-December 2001.
Ignitis Group provides four million euros for electricity equipment in Ukraine
Ignitis Group has provided four million euros in financial aid to Ukraine to purchase equipment for an additional 120 megawatts (MW) of power generation capacity in the war-torn country, the state-controlled energy group said on Monday, the 7th of October. The additional generation capacity will ensure electricity supply to around 420 000 Ukrainian households, the group said.