Seimas worked hard this week and made several important decisions, and the businesses were busy as well.
B2B payments provider Hokodo picks Vilnius for new operations hub
Hokodo, an international B2B payment solutions provider, announced plans to establish a payment operations hub in Vilnius and hire 30 people, Investuok Lietuvoje (Invest Lithuania), Lithuania’s foreign investment promotion agency, said on Friday, the 9th of June. The company’s Lithuanian hub will initially serve Hokodo’s clients in the Central European, Nordic, and Baltic markets. The company is also considering extending this to cover all EEA markets in the future.
Seimas endorses the introduction of charges for the use of EV charging stations
The Lithuanian Parliament, the Seimas, has approved the introduction of charges for the use of state-owned or municipal charging stations for electric vehicles (EV) from 2024. Respective amendments to the Law on the Financing of the Road Maintenance and Development Program were on Thursday approved in a vote of 90 to two with 26 abstentions. According to the Ministry of Transport and Communications, there are currently around 850 EV charging stations in Lithuania, with around 100 million euros intended to be spent on the expansion of this network. The number of public charging stations is expected to reach 1,200 by 2025 and 6,000-7,000 by 2030.
Seimas rejects proposal to allow artificial insemination for unmarried couples
Lithuanian lawmakers on Thursday, the 8th of June, rejected a proposal by Morgana Daniele, a member of the Freedom Party group, which is part of the ruling coalition, to allow artificial insemination procedures for unmarried couples and single women. In all, 40 MPs gave their initial backing to the amendments, 42 voted against and 21 abstained. A separate vote then returned the bill to its initiators for further development. As some MPs criticised the initiative for opening the way for homosexual couples to have children, Daniele argued that two women living together currently have the opportunity to have children by using artificial insemination services abroad, and such families do exist. Currently, the artificial insemination law in Lithuania stipulates that artificial insemination can only be carried out using the gametes of the woman to be inseminated and her cohabitating spouse or partner, except for certain cases, and it also states that the couple must have a registered partnership agreement, which is not yet legalized in Lithuania.
Lithuanian court finds irregular migrants’ accommodation rules unconstitutional
The accommodation of irregular migrants who have illegally crossed the Lithuanian border at foreigners’ registration centers runs counter to the country’s Constitution, the Constitutional Court ruled on Wednesday, the 7th of June. The Lithuanian Parliament Seimas had the right to impose certain restrictions on irregular migrants, the court said, but “the application of the same measure to all asylum seekers, i.e. temporarily accommodation of all asylum seekers in specified places without the right to move around in the territory of Lithuania, did not allow for an individual assessment of each person’s situation and their threat to the interests of the state and society”. Migrants were accommodated for six months without the right to free movement without any decision of a competent institution, and it was done on the sole basis of the fact that they had crossed the border into Lithuania and had applied for asylum, and they were, therefore, denied the right to appeal against their detention, the ruling reads. The ruling comes in response to an Iraqi national’s complaint and request for the law’s review.
Energy Minister calls GIPL allegations unacceptable
Any shadow cast on the strategically important Gas Interconnection Poland–Lithuania (GIPL) is unacceptable, Lithuanian Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys said on Wednesday, the 7th of June, as prosecutors continue with their pre-trial investigation into alleged use of Russian-made fittings during the gas pipeline’s construction. Nevertheless, the minister assures that the ongoing probe will not affect the pipeline’s operation and safety. He refrained to comment on what actions he would take and who should take responsibility, if the allegations that Russian-made parts were installed were confirmed. According to the minister, the investigation carried out by the pipeline’s operator, Amber Grid, in February-March 2022, during which the pipeline fittings were checked, was “competent”. The ongoing investigation now centers around the main version that Alvora found several European companies to use their quality certificates to disguise the fact that fittings were in fact made by and bought from ChelPipe, a Russian company, which Alvora denies, the 15min.lt news website reported earlier.
LRT Council again fails to elect director general
The Council of Lithuania’s public broadcaster LRT on Tuesday, the 6th of June, again failed to elect its director general after both candidates – incumbent Director General Monika Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė and Aistis Zabarauskas – each received the same number of votes, Eugenijus Valatka, chair of the 12-member LRT Council said. On the 20th of June, the LRT Council will hold a meeting to decide on the announcement of a new competition for the position, Valatka said, adding that the new competition could be announced in September. Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė has led the LRT for the past five years. The two were also the strongest contenders in the first selection that took place in March.
Seimas votes down snap election proposal
The Lithuanian Parliament, the Seimas, on Tuesday, the 6th of June, voted down a proposal to hold a snap parliament election on the 10th of September after 66 lawmakers voted against, 61 was in favour and eight MPs abstained. The motion failed to receive backing from part of the ruling conservative Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats who initiated it as 34 members of the party’s group in the Seimas voted in favour, 14 were against and two MPs abstained. The other two coalition partners, the Liberal Movement and the Freedom Party were unanimously against it. In all, 16 members of the opposition Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union voted in favour as they had been mandated by the party’s leadership to do so. But one member voted against and one abstained. The majority of the opposition Social Democrats voted in favour as nine voted in favour and two against, while all one member of the opposition group of Democrats “For Lithuania” was in favour and all other 14 members voted against. Presenting the bill, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, who leads the ruling conservative Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats, said a snap election was needed to reset the political system.
Oro Navigacija to install new drone traffic management system
Oro Navigacija (Air Navigation), Lithuania’s state-owned air navigation service provider, will install a new traffic management system for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at a cost of 2.5 million euros by the summer of 2024, allowing drone users to use the airspace more easily. Oro Navigacija said on Monday, the 5th of June, it had signed a contract with Austria’s Frequentis to jointly deploy the U-Space system, which would provide general information, flight confirmation, traffic information and other services to UAV users via a mobile application. In addition, the new system will integrate emergency services, commercial enterprises and institutions that may also be concerned about drone traffic information.
President says NATO summit is to address problems, not to promote Lithuania
The essential purpose of the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius is to address the problems arising from the geopolitical situation, and not to increase Lithuania’s visibility, President Gitanas Nausėda said on Monday, the 5th of June. According to Nausėda, it is meaningful and symbolic that the NATO summit will take place 30 kilometers away from the border with Belarus, a country that is Russia’s satellite state actively involved in Moscow’s war against Ukraine. “We are not holding the NATO summit for publicity. If it leads to more visibility for Lithuania, spreads the word about Lithuania around the world, we will of course be happy about that,” he said. The NATO summit in Vilnius – the first ever to be hosted by Lithuania – will take place from the 11th to the 12th of July.
Week in Lithuania: Seimas votes down a snap election; doesn’t allow artificial insemination for unmarried couples
