Underage marriages still occur in Lithuania primarily due to teenage pregnancies, despite a decline in recent years, LRT reports. Legislation allows courts to lower the legal marriage age of 18 in cases such as pregnancy. However, this practice has been criticised by the United Nations and children’s rights advocates, who argue that minors cannot give…
Lithuania’s State Data Protection Inspectorate (VDAI) has imposed a fine of EUR 2.39mn on the local online marketplace for second-hand goods, Vinted, for violating consumer data protection laws, BNS reports. The fine follows complaints from French and Polish supervisory authorities and pertains to breaches of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Vinted was found…
Lithuanian MEP Viktor Uspaskich has returned to the Labour Party as its interim chairman, BNS reports. Uspaskich was reinstated following the resignation of MP Valentinas Bukauskas and after the opposition party’s poor performance in recent presidential and European Parliament elections. The Labour Party’s council has formed a group to negotiate potential coalitions for the upcoming…
The planned synchronisation of the Baltic electricity grids with Western Europe in February 2025 will slightly increase electricity prices for consumers, according to Lithuanian Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys, BNS reports. The impact on prices will be minimal, around a few percent, he said. Lithuanian power grid operator Litgrid estimates that the synchronisation will cost consumers…
Authorities in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, have unveiled a comprehensive city defence plan, BNS reports. The city plans to procure defensive anti-mobility installations, create a public drone training track, increase bomb shelter capacity to cover the entire population, update evacuation plans, and deploy additional warning systems and emergency communication tools. Vilnius mayor Valdas Benkunskas emphasised…
Lithuania will buy tracked vehicles in the second phase of the government’s plan to acquire infantry fighting vehicles (IFV), Defence Minister Laurynas Kasciunas announced, BNS reports. He said that the Defence Ministry was now in negotiations over the purchase. The minister hopes to secure approval for the procurement in the State Defence Council (VGT) in…
Unemployment in the Baltic States was highest in Lithuania in May 2024, according to Eurostat data, LETA reports. The unemployment rate stood at 7.7% in Lithuania, 7.4% in Estonia, and 6.7% in Latvia. The EU average was 6%.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda supports Lithuania’s withdrawal from the Convention on Cluster Munitions so as to improve the country’s defence capabilities, BNS reports. The Defence Ministry has proposed the motion to the parliament, the Seimas. The ministry highlighted the need for cluster munitions in Lithuania’s defence strategy, noting that adversaries like Russia and Belarus would…
The Netherlands will deploy a Patriot long-range air defence system in Lithuania for the Baltic Connection 24 (BALTCON24) military exercise on 7-19 July 2024, BNS reports. Lithuania’s Defence Ministry said that the deployment was the first step in implementing NATO’s decision to establish a rotational air defence model to strengthen the alliance’s integrated air and…
