Lithuania: Leaders resist probe into sexual abuse within Catholic Church

Lithuania’s Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius and parliamentary speaker Juozas Olekas resisted calls for an independent inquiry into child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, BNS reported. Earlier, two local priests were charged with sexual offences against children. Sinkevicius insisted that any investigation was up to Church authorities. Olekas asserted that courts should do their work…

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Lithuania: Presidents most popular public figures: poll

Lithuania’s most popular public figure is former president Valdas Adamkus, according to Baltijos Tyrimai’s poll for ELTA in late July 2026, DELFI reports. Approval for Adamkus stood at 80% and disapproval at just 11%. Former president Dalia Grybauskaite was second with 59% approval and 32% disapproval, followed by incumbent President Gitanas Nauseda with 52% approval…

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Lithuania: Culture Minister urges to stop using Russian

Lithuania’s Culture Minister, Lukas Alsys, called for a systematic shift away from the use of Russian language in public administration, BNS reported. Speaking in an interview with Ziniu Radijas, Alsys stressed that government institutions and municipalities in Lithuania communicated in the state language, Lithuanian. However, the policy of phasing out Russian should take into account…

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Lithuania: Conservatives submit deal on demographics

Lithuania’s conservative opposition Homeland Union has submitted to parliament a draft national agreement on demographics for 2026-2040, ELTA reports. The proposal would expand state support for first-time homebuyers, strengthen family policy and access to services, improve work-life balance, and encourage the return of Lithuanian emigrants. Earlier, Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius proposed a cross-party agreement on…

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Lithuania: Former PM Kazimira Prunskiene buried

Lithuania’s first prime minister after the restoration of independence, Kazimira Prunskiene, was laid to rest at Antakalnis Cemetery in Vilnius on 6 August 2026, ELTA reports. Earlier, Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius stated that today’s government could draw inspiration from Prunskiene’s commitment to public service and sense of responsibility, LRT reported. Juozas Olekas, speaker of the…

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Lithuania: Foreign Ministry working on ties with China, Taiwan

Lithuania is making progress towards normalising relations with communist China, Juozas Olekas, speaker of the Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, said, BNS reports. Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said that Lithuania’s position on China remained unchanged, stressing the need for a unified European approach as part of the EU’s common foreign and security policy. He warned that…

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Lithuania: Appeals court finds far-right MP guilty of antisemitism

Lithuania’s Court of Appeal has found MP Remigijus Zemaitaitis, leader of the far-right populist party, Dawn of Nemunas (PPNA), guilty of antisemitism, BNS reports. The court found that Zemaitaitis had incited hatred against Jews and grossly trivialised the Holocaust, systematically distorting historical facts and making “dehumanising comparisons.” The court ordered the MP to pay a…

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Lithuania: New government to make no major foreign policy changes

Lithuania’s new government is not expected to make any major changes in foreign policy, LRT reports. Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius named regional security, Baltic cooperation, and strengthening ties with the US as his priorities, BNS and The Baltic Times reported. The government calls for a more united Europe, while maintaining strategic partnerships with Germany, Poland,…

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