The mayor of the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, Valdas Benkunskas, has launched a signature campaign for legislation that would oblige foreigners living temporarily in the country to learn Lithuanian, BNS reports. Under the mayor’s proposal, non-EU nationals would have to show proof of at least A2-level proficiency in Lithuanian when renewing their temporary residence permits after three years. Current legislation sets no such requirement. Benkunskas said that he launched the campaign, having received no response to his proposal from Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovic. Earlier, the minister noted that responsibility for integrating foreigners resided with other ministries and municipalities. However, he added that foreign residents should be expected to have proficiency in Lithuanian within five years. Around 189,000 people have temporary residence permits in Lithuania.
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