The EU is preparing new sanctions against Belarus, following repeated incursions of smuggler balloons from Belarus into Lithuania, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced, BNS reports. Earlier, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys urged the EU not to allow the Belarusian regime to blackmail and escape its international isolation and have sanctions lifted, ELTA…
Lithuania has submitted an application for EUR 6.375bn of support from the European Commission’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) instrument to finance around 50 defence projects, BNS reports. Deputy Defence Minister Karolis Aleksa said that Lithuania would use the EU funds to acquire tanks or tracked infantry fighting vehicles for a national army division. Also,…
A group of MPs in Lithuania has established a parliamentary working group to push for the restoration of full diplomatic relations with communist China, ELTA reports. The working group’s chairman, MP Ignas Vegele of the opposition Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LVZS), called on Lithuania to bring its diplomatic ties with China in line with…
Staff at Lithuania’s public broadcaster, Lietuvos Nacionalinis Radijas ir Televizija (LRT), have announced a week-long protest against a proposal to make it easier to remove the company’s director general, LRT reports. During the action, the staff will hold brief moments of silence on air. Also, journalists plan a protest rally outside the Lithuanian parliament, the…
Lithuania has lifted flight restrictions after disruptions caused by smuggler balloons from neighbouring Belarus, BNS reports. Saulius Batavicius, CEO of air navigation provider Oro Navigacija, said that around 60 balloons were detected during the shutdown, practically blocking access to Vilnius International Airport. The airport was shut down for almost 11 hours. Batavicius noted that the…
Estonia ranks the highest in the Baltic States on the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) Global Innovation Index in 2025, Labs of Latvia reports. Estonia ranks 16th on the global index, followed by Lithuania on 33rd place and Latvia on 41st place. The Global Innovation Index ranks the world’s 139 most innovative economies based on…
Three members of the Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, have submitted a draft resolution to recognise Palestinian statehood, BNS reports. The resolution was submitted by two MPs from the far-right populist party, Dawn of Nemunas (PPNA), Petras Dargis and Karolis Neimantas, and MP Rimas Jonas Jankunas of the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LVZS). Both parties are part…
The Baltic Assembly has announced its annual awards in arts, literature, and science, LSM reports. The prize in the arts category went to Latvian conductor Kaspars Putnins for the Latvian Radio Choir’s concert programme, The Dream Stream. The literature prize was awarded to Lithuanian author and translator Tomas Venclova for his latest poetry collection, Už…
All foreign nationals interacting directly with customers in Lithuania will be required to be able to communicate in Lithuanian as of 1 January 2026, LRT reports. The rule applies to both foreign employees and their employers. The Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, approved the new regulation in October 2024. However, the exact language proficiency requirements and…
