Lithuania’s Vilnius Regional Court has told the prosecutor to ask the European Parliament to strip MEP Petras Grazulis of his parliamentary immunity, BNS reports. Earlier, Grazulis was charged with expressing contempt for members of the LGBT community. The case was put on hold after he was elected MEP. In May 2022, after the Lithuanian parliament,…
Lithuania should spend at least 3.5% of its GDP on defence each year, President Gitanas Nauseda stated, BNS reports. He said that military spending should be increased “year after year” to implement plans to modernise the Lithuanian Armed Forces (LGP) and host a full German brigade in the country. Meanwhile, Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, speaker of the Lithuanian…
The Icelandic low-cost air carrier, Fly Play (PLAY), will increase the frequency of flights between Reykjavik and the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, to twice a week as of the middle of May 2025, Lithuania’s state-owned airport operator, Lietuvos Oro Uostai (LTOU), announced, BNS reports. Currently, the company flies the route once a week. CEO Einar Örn…
The National Public Prosecutor’s Office of Poland has named three Belarusian nationals suspects in the hijacking of a Ryanair flight in May 2021, BNS reports. The Belarusian Air Force forced the Ryanair plane flying from Athens to Vilnius in Lithuania to land in Minsk. Belarusian authorities then arrested two opposition activists onboard. The three suspects held…
Lithuania’s Central Electoral Commission (VRK) has completed registration for the parliamentary elections in October 2024, BNS reports. Altogether 1,740 candidates will run for 141 seats in the parliament, the Seimas. Half of the MPs will be elected through party lists that clear the 5% threshold. Altogether 15 party lists have been registered. In addition, 700…
The General Jonas Zemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (LKA) has opened an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) competence centre, Militarnyi reports. Defence Minister Laurynas Kasciunas said that the drone competence centre would teach how to fly drones and gain both theoretical and practical knowledge. LKA will organise both stationary courses in Vilnius and field courses in…
Lithuania will sign an agreement with Germany on the stationing of a German brigade in the country on 13 September 2024, Lithuanian Defence Minister Laurynas Kasciunas announced, dpa reports, citing BNS. The agreement will regulate the use of military bases and the arrival, movement, and departure of German troops in Lithuania. Also, the agreement will…
Lithuania seeks to attract more flights to the seaside resort of Palanga, BNS reports. The Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Economy, and the Klaipeda Region Association (AKR) have agreed to raise public funds for increasing traffic at Palanga International Airport (POU). AKR unites the seven municipalities in the Klaipeda county. The goal is to…
Lithuania’s Economy Minister, Ausrine Armonaite, rejected the idea of introducing new taxes to fund increased defence spending, BNS reports. Speaking in an interview with Ziniu Radijas, Armonaite insisted that additional money for defence should come from borrowed funds or through economic growth instead. Also, the government should use unused funds of state institutions, she said….
