Last week, Lithuania and Germany’s Rheinmetall decided to set up a 49-51% joint venture; Top Prosecutor asked Seimas to strip MP of immunity
Government adjusts 2025 budget, adding 35 million euro in revenue
Lithuania’s new Cabinet of Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas on Friday, the 13th of December, approved an updated version of next year’s budget, originally drafted by the previous government, increasing projected revenue by 35 million euros. The additional funds will go toward paving gravel roads, supporting informal education programs, and bolstering national security. The draft state budget for 2025 will now be submitted to the parliament, which is expected to pass it next Thursday. Finance Minister Rimantas Šadžius said that Lithuania maintains a budget deficit of 3% of GDP, staying “at the edge of fiscal discipline.” In addition, the defence borrowing limit is set to be increased by 800 million euros. The government also proposes allowing borrowing for transit roads of national significance, bypasses, bridges, and viaducts, as well as for social needs. The new government has decided at its first meeting to increase the funding of the State Security Department (SSD) by more than six million euros next year.
President says that visits to Georgia must be coordinated at EU level
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said on Thursday, the 12th of December, that a visit to Georgia, gripped by political crisis, must be coordinated at the European Union (EU) level. Earlier, Nausėda said he was discussing a trip to Georgia with the leaders of the Baltic countries and Poland. Last week, he said he had raised the issue at the annual meeting of the Baltic countries’ presidents. The Lithuanian president also plans to discuss a potential visit to Georgia next week in Estonia, which will host the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) Leaders’ Summit.
Border guards turn away 8 irregular migrants on the border with Belarus
Lithuanian border guards turned away eight migrants from Thursday, the 12th of December, to Friday, the 13th of December, attempting to cross into the country from Belarus illegally, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Friday. A total of 975 irregular migrants have been barred from entering Lithuania from Belarus at non-designated places so far this year. The influx of irregular migrants into 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.
Neo-pagans get state recognition in Lithuania
The Seimas of Lithuania on Thursday, the 12th of December, granted state recognition to Romuva, a religious association that says it practices an ancient Baltic pagan faith, after 64 lawmakers voted in favour, eight were against and ten abstained. With state recognition, Romuva will be entitled to a land tax exemption, its priests will be covered by social insurance, and its marriages will be treated the same as those conducted in civil registration offices. Earlier this year, the ancient Baltic religious association turned to the ECHR for the second time, expressing concern about the parliament’s failure to respond to the court’s previous interpretations, and the denial of recognition. In 2021, the ECHR ruled that the parliament’s refusal to grant Romuva state recognition violated certain provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Lithuania sends trailers, and ammunition to Ukraine
Lithuania has sent a shipment of trailers and ammunition to Ukraine, the Defence Ministry said on Thursday, the 12th of December. The trailers are intended for tracked vehicles used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, it said. In response to Kyiv’s requests, Lithuania has already delivered 155mm ammunition, M577 armoured personnel carriers, drone jamming systems, cold season gear and warm clothing sets, Carl Gustaf recoilless rifle rounds, RISE-1 long-range smart initiation systems, power generators, and other aid to Ukraine this year. Since the start of the war, Lithuania has provided over 721 million euros in military aid to Ukraine, with its overall support to the country exceeding 1.5 billion euros, according to the ministry. Lithuania has also committed to allocating 0.25% of its GDP annually to Ukraine’s security and defence, amounting to around 190 million euros.
Lithuania and Rheinmetall to set up 49-51% joint venture
Lithuania’s government has finalized the last agreement on the participation of state-owned companies in German defence giant Rheinmetall’s ammo plant project preliminary valued at 260-300 million euros. Lithuania will own a 49% stake in the joint venture set up for the project, and Rheinmetall will own 51%, the government confirmed on Thursday, the 12th of December.
Prosecutor asks Seimas to strip MP Bagdonas of immunity in ‘receipt’ case
Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė on Wednesday, the 11th of December, asked the parliament to strip liberal MP Andrius Bagdonas of his legal immunity to face charges as part of the so-called “receipt” case. Bagdonas would be charged with document forgery, possession of a forged document, fraud and abuse of his official position, the prosecution service said. Bagdonas is mentioned in the pre-trial investigation related to the activities of members of Neringa Municipality Council in 2019-2023. The politician served as a local councillor in 2019-2020 and was elected to the parliament in October 2020 and re-elected earlier this year.
For seven out of ten Lithuanians the country’s defence is not top priority
More than half of Lithuanians say they have either not considered or ruled out actively contributing to the country’s defence, according to a survey released by the Defence Ministry on Wednesday, the 11th of December. The results show that 10% of respondents have considered and rejected the possibility of joining the country’s defence, while 61% have neither thought about it nor planned to do so. About one in ten said they have not considered it yet but might in the future. Eleven percent of those polled said they have considered and are still considering contributing to the country’s defence but have not yet decided. Three percent plan to do so in the near future and 4% have already made that decision.
HU-LCD to turn to top court over president’s decision
The opposition conservative Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats plan to ask the country’s Constitutional Court to rule on whether President Gitanas Nausėda’s decree approving a non-full government was in line with the country’s Constitution. In a statement on Monday, the 9th of December, Mindaugas Lingė, the elder of the HU-LCD political group in the Seimas, said the top court would be asked to clarify how many ministers a government needs to have to be approved and be legitimate. In his words, the existing practice is not identical to the situation when a minister resigns or is dismissed due to a lack of confidence in them and another minister needs to temporarily take over their duties. Nausėda approved the new government last week without the environment and justice ministers.
Lithuanian Railways to buy 200 wagons from Ukrainian firm
LTG Cargo, the freight arm of Lietuvos Geležinkeliai (Lithuanian Railways, LTG), said on Monday, the 9th of December, it has signed a 12.7-million-euro contract with Ukraine’s TAS Dniprovagonmash to purchase 200 gondola wagons for bulk freight. LTG Cargo said the first gondola wagons are expected to be delivered in February-April 2025. According to the company, the wagons will mostly be used for transporting bulk and other weather-resistant freight, such as dolomite and granite gravel used in construction, and metals. The company’s fleet currently includes over 6 000 different wagons.
President wishes Trump to find ‘fair solution’ for Ukraine
President Gitanas Nausėda said he wished US President-elect Donald Trump, whom he met at a dinner in Paris last Saturday, the 7th of December, to find a fair solution for Ukraine. “For my part, I wished him God’s blessing to find a fair solution regarding Ukraine – one that is fair, first and foremost, from Ukraine’s perspective,” the Lithuanian president said. Nausėda and First Lady Diana Nausėdienė attended the official reopening ceremony of the restored Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.