In Lithuania, the government is still shaky, but it continues to work and tries to solve both migration issues and take a step closer to equal rights for all.
Lithuania’s language authority against renaming Russia’s Kaliningrad “Karaliaučius”
The State Commission of the Lithuanian Language (SCLL) rejected on Friday, the 26th of May, a proposal by several lawmakers to completely give up the usage of the existing name of the Russian city and region of “Kaliningrad” and rename them “Karaliaučius” in the Lithuanian language, but it also says it encourages the use of the Lithuanian equivalent, “Karaliaučius”. Specifically, the commission says its members do not support the proposal by MPs Viliaus Semeška and Paulė Kuzmickienė, both representing the ruling conservative Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats, to declare that the existing name should not be used in the Lithuanian language. However, the SCLL said it backed the initiative to promote the use of the traditional Lithuanian place names “Karaliaučiaus kraštas” (Karaliaučius region) and “Karaliaučiaus miestas” (the city of Karaliaučius) not only in the historical context, but also in the existing context, including the official usage.
Vilnius hosts 9th Vilnius Russia Forum
The Lithuanian capital is hosting the 9th Vilnius Russia Forum on Friday, the 26h of May. This year’s event will focus on Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine and the future of Russia, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said. This year’s participants include Russian opposition figures Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Garry Kasparov, and Jan Raczynsky, head of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning international human rights organization Memorial. The Vilnius Russia Forum has been held since 2014 to discuss Russia’s domestic and foreign policy issues, the human rights situation, and Russia’s relations with the West.
Banks call on Government to step up efforts to combat sanctions avoidance
The Lithuanian Banking Association (LBA) warned on Thursday, the 25th of May, that the increasing scale of circumvention and evasion of international sanctions in Lithuania may earn the country a bad reputation in Europe. In a letter to the government and other institutions, the LBA called on the authorities to strengthen control over the movement of sanctioned goods through Lithuania, tighten regulation at the national and EU level, and allocate extra resources to step up the supervision of businesses in this area. Eivilė Cipkutė, the LBA president, says that growing re-exports to countries linked to Russia and Belarus is a sign of sanctions’ circumvention.
Seimas adopts civil service reform
The Lithuanian parliament Seimas on Thursday, the 25th of May, adopted a civil service reform that will change the way public sector salaries are calculated and give the heads of institutions greater leeway in managing their human resources. The new Law on Civil Service passed in a vote of 78 to two with 45 abstentions and will take effect on the 1st of January, 2024, except for some individual parts. Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė says that the reform will help the public sector to attract specialists, who cannot be hired now because of the pay gap between the public and private sectors.
Liberals’ leader says the coalition should stay after cabinet quits
Lithuania’s current center-right government coalition should remain in place after Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė’s Cabinet steps down, Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, speaker of the parliament and leader of the Liberal Movement, said on Thursday, the 25th of May. The Liberal Movement’s political group in the Seimas also said on Thursday that it will seek to preserve the current coalition and hopes to maintain business-like relations with its larger coalition partner, the Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (HU-LCD). If the current government resigns in July, the Liberal Movement is in favor of forming a new Cabinet together with the HU-LCD, according to the statement. Economy and Innovation Minister Aušrinė Armonaitė, who is chairwoman of the Freedom Party, the third member of the ruling bloc, has said that the coalition agreement will expire if Prime Minister Šimonytė resigns because she is named in the deal as the head of the government. The Freedom Party would consider participating in another coalition, according to Armonaitė.
President sees snap election as one of few remaining options
An early general election is one of the few remaining ways out of Lithuania’s current political crisis, President Gitanas Nausėda said on Wednesday, the 24th of May. The ruling conservative Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (HU-LCD) suggest calling an early parliamentary election, saying that they want to “reset” the political system following media reports questioning the transparency of the use of allowances for office expenses by some current and former members of municipal councils.
Government back plans to set up a special agency for migrants
The Lithuanian government on Wednesday, the 24th of May, approved amendments aimed at reforming the existing migrant reception and accommodation system, and they include plans to set up a special agency to deal with these issues. According to the Interior Ministry, the agency will ensure the provision of social, accommodation, and other essential services to migrants. The Ministry of Social Security and Labour will coordinate the activities of the new agency, as well as temporary accommodation places for foreigners. Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė says the irregular migrant crisis has highlighted the need for a clearer procedure for the accommodation of migrants and well-defined responsibilities for institutions. The new agency will take over some of the functions currently carried out by the State Border Guard Service, including the transportation of migrants to their accommodation services, their accommodation, the provision of essentials, health checks and supervision, and the organization of the provision of legal and translation services. Moreover, the Law on State-guaranteed Legal Aid will be amended for state-guaranteed legal aid for foreigners.
President accepts Education minister’s resignation
President Gitanas Nausėda on Tuesday, the 23rd of May, accepted Education Minister Jurgita Šiugždinienė’s resignation. Šiugždinienė resigned following public doubts about the transparency of the use of payouts she received while serving as a Kaunas councillor. According to the statement, Dobrowolska will act as education minister from the 24th of May until a new minister is appointed. The president also called for the resignation of two other ministers – Finance Minister Gintarė Skaistė and Culture Minister Simonas Kairys – who are also involved in the payout scandal. On Monday, the 22nd of May, Skaistė announced she had repaid part of the money, almost 14,000 euros, she received while working at the Kaunas Municipality. She says she used all the funds transparently during her time at the municipality but cannot justify her expenses with receipts for the mentioned amount. Meanwhile, Kairys says he could repay the money he received but he does not feel to have done something wrong, adding that the amounts involved were relatively small and logical.
Lithuania’s ex-First Lady Adamkienė buried in Kaunas
Lithuania’s former First Lady Alma Adamkienė was buried at the Petrašiūnai Cemetery in Kaunas, Lithuania’s second-largest city, on Tuesday, the 23rd of May. Adamkienė, an active promoter of the Lithuanian identity and tradition in the country, was sent off on her final journey by her husband ex-Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus, incumbent Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and First Lady Diana Nausėdienė and hundreds or people. A total of around 1,000 people attended the funeral.
Civil union bill passes second reading in Seimas
A civil union bill that legally regulates relations between same-sex partners in Lithuania passed its second reading in the parliament by a narrow margin on Monday, the 22nd of May. Sixty members of the Seimas voted in favour, 52 against, and three abstained. The bill will need a final vote in the parliament to be adopted. The civil union bill was supported by all Freedom Party MPs and all but two MPs from the Liberal Movement, as well as by most of the ruling conservative Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (HU-LCD), and a significant part of the opposition Social Democrats. The opposition Farmers and Greens Union, and the Labour Party, and non-affiliated parliamentarians voted unanimously against the bill, which was also opposed by most MPs from the Democratic Union “For Lithuania”. Some HU-LCD parliamentarians and several Social Democrats also voted against or abstained. Among other things, the Law on Civil Union would establish partners’ rights to shared property, inheritance and information on health status.
Week in Lithuania: Vilnius hosts Vilnius Russia Forum; civil union bill passes second reading
