The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has announced that Lithuania needs to publish statistics on whistleblowers, while the Lithuanian Finance Minister has called for expanding sanctions against Russia.
An Embassy employee detained inebriated
A Nigerian Embassy employee has been caught drink-driving and has also damaged the road surface and a pillar in Vilnius, the Police Department said on Friday, the 14th of April. The incident took place at around 23.34 on Thursday when a damaged Renault Vel Satis was spotted on Ozo Street in the area separating traffic flows. The road surface was also found to be damaged in the nearby intersection, as well as a metal road pillar. A 41-year-old employee of the Nigerian Embassy was later found to have driven the car under the influence of alcohol (2.19 permille). An administrative offense protocol was drawn up for him for a violation of the traffic rules and a pre-trial investigation has been opened for drink-driving.
Ministry calls for expanding sanctions against Russia
Lithuanian Finance Minister Gintarė Skaistė has called for expanding sanctions against both Russia and Belarus and cutting off ways to circumvent them when meeting with US Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, the 13th of April. The minister also underlined the need to mobilise sufficient support for the reconstruction of Ukraine and to find ways to use frozen Russian assets, according to the press release.
Defence minister discusses Black Sea shipping blockade solutions
Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas took part in the Conference on Black Sea Security of the International Crimea Platform in Bucharest on Thursday, the 13th of April, alongside representatives of other countries and discussed possible solutions to Russia’s shipping blockade in the Black Sea. In April, Russia threatened to terminate a key grain agreement with Ukraine, if Moscow’s fertiliser exports continue to be hampered. Under the July agreement between Turkey and the United Nations, Kyiv can export grain through a secure corridor in the Black Sea. Anušauskas also stressed the importance of military cooperation between the Baltic and Black Sea countries in the face of the Russian threat, the ministry’s statement reads.
President says no KGB contact over German internship
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda reiterated on Thursday, the 13th of April, he did not talk to KGB officers about his internship in Germany at the end of the Soviet era and he also presented documents on his studies abroad. They show that the inquiry about his trip to Germany was made by the then Ministry of Education. Nausėda’s comment came in response to questions from Andrius Tapinas, a public figure in Lithuania, about the president’s file in the Special Archives and his departure for an internship in Germany. Nausėda also said he had received questions about his service in the Soviet army. He said he was on the military records but did not serve in the army because he was declared unfit for military service due to a severe internal organ injury he suffered as a child.
Lithuania launches probe following trespassing its territory
Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service has launched a pre-trial investigation after a Belarusian border guard illegally entered Lithuania’s territory for a short period of time on Wednesday, the 12th of April.
Russian and Belarusian Olympic participation questioned
Lithuania plans to raise the issue of barring Russians and Belarusians from taking part in the Olympic Games at the EU Education, Youth, Culture and Sports Council, Minister of Education, Science and Sport Jurgita Šiugždinienė said on Wednesday, the 12th of April. In her words, the host country’s say on whether Russian and Belarusian athletes should be allowed to compete in the Olympics is also very important. She also called the International Olympic Committee’s decision to allow athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports to compete as individual neutral athletes an unforgivable mistake. According to the minister, there’s no decision yet on whether Lithuanian athletes will partake in the Olympic Games next year if Russians and Belarusians take part.
President calls transatlantic bond crucial for European security
The transatlantic bond is a crucial element of European security, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said on Wednesday, the 12th of April, in his Twitter tweet after French leader Emmanuel Macron once again sparked debate on the concept of Europe’s strategic autonomy. Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Beijing last week.
The central bank won’t pay anything into the state budget
The Central Bank of Lithuania failed to earn a profit in 2022 and will not pay into the state budget for the first time since 1993 when the bank’s records began. The Bank said on Tuesday, the 11th of April, this was caused by a sharp rise in central bank interest rates (a change from negative to positive), which was carried out in order to combat rising inflation. This financial result is the outcome of the board’s decision to use 163.99 million euros of risk provisions to cover losses related to financial instrument operations, the central bank said. Last year, the Bank of Lithuania generated a net interest income of 188.4 million euros, up from 173.1 million euros in 2021. In 2021, the central bank made a profit of 37.99 million euros and paid 20.38 million euros into the state’s coffers, which was the highest amount since 2012.
IMF cuts Lithuania’s 2023 GDP forecast
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised Lithuania’s 2023 economic forecast down to a 0.3 percent contraction, citing unfavourable trends in the first half of the year. The IMF forecast last October that Lithuania’s GDP would grow by 1.1 percent in 2023. However, the Fund has revised the projection for Lithuania’s GDP growth in 2024 up to 2.7 percent, the Central Bank of Lithuania said on Tuesday, the 11th of April. The IMF forecasts that inflation in Lithuania will decelerate at a slower pace than projected last fall, raising its estimate by 2.1 percentage points to 10.5 percent for 2023 and by 2.8 points to 5.8 percent for 2024. Unemployment in Lithuania is projected at 7 percent this year and at 6.5 percent next year.
Lithuanian deacon leaves Moscow Patriarchate
Three new priests have joined the ranks of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople, including Viktoras Miniotas, a former deacon of the Orthodox Archdiocese of Vilnius and Lithuania, which is subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate. Meanwhile, Orthodox Christians subordinate to Moscow say Metropolitan Innokentiy has banned the deacon from his duties in response to his departure, Gintaras Sungaila, a priest of the new Orthodox community, said on Tuesday, the 11th of April. Besides the Lithuanian deacon, priests Heorhi Roy and Alexander Kukhta, who escaped the crackdown in Belarus, have also joined the ranks of the Orthodox Church in Constantinople. The Archdiocese of Vilnius and Lithuania states it waited for some time for the deacon to repent, but when he chose another congregation, it finally decided to ban him from his duties.
OECD says Lithuania should publish statistics on whistleblowers
Lithuania has made progress in encouraging people to become whistleblowers, experts from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said. However, they call for a more systematic collection of statistics on whether specific measures have been successful. Their assessment followed a review of Lithuania’s 2015-2025 National Anti-Corruption Program and the inter-institutional action plans for its implementation, the OECD experts said on Tuesday, the 11th of April. The organization also points out that Lithuania currently does not collect information on how many people have become whistleblowers and how useful their information has been. The OECD also calls for additional measures to protect the identity of whistleblowers and to strengthen the effectiveness of whistleblower channels within institutions. Although institutions are currently required to have an anonymous whistleblower channel, the implementation of this requirement is left to heads of institutions, the report says.
Week in Lithuania: President denies contact with the KGB; Central Bank will not supplement the budget
