Lithuania: Interior Minister asks for EU funds to secure Russia border

Lithuanian Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite has requested financial support from the EU to strengthen the protection of the country’s border with Russia, BNS reports. In a letter to EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson, Bilotaite emphasised the need to modernise and update border surveillance systems, with costs estimated at nearly EUR 16mn and required funding at EUR 13.7mn. The overall upgrade of the border systems by 2030 is expected to cost EUR 65mn. Bilotaite stressed the priority of upgrading infrastructure for effective border monitoring on the EU’s external border with Russia. Earlier, Lithuania received EUR 9.3mn from the EU to upgrade security on its border with Belarus.