Lithuania’s Interior Ministry has proposed declaring a nationwide state-level emergency in response to an increased incursion of smuggler balloons from neighbouring Belarus into Lithuanian airspace, BNS reports. The government is expected to decide on the proposal next week. According to the Interior Ministry, altogether 599 smuggler balloons and 197 drones have entered Lithuanian airspace so…
Recent Belarusian actions against Lithuania “could be recognised as terrorism,” Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene stated, BNS reports. She was referring to the launch of smuggler balloons from Belarus into Lithuanian airspace and the detention of Lithuanian trucks in Belarus. The actions endangered aviation security and violated international law, Ruginiene noted, saying that she was…
Lithuania’s Vilnius Regional Court has found MP Remigijus Zemaitaitis, leader of the far-right Dawn of Nemunas (PPNA) party, guilty of antisemitic hate speech, BNS reports. The court stated that Zemaitaitis had “publicly mocked, demeaned, and encouraged hatred” towards a group of people because of their Jewish ethnicity and “grossly minimised” the Holocaust in an “offensive…
Gender equality in Lithuania improved in 2025, according to the European Institute for Gender Equality’s (EIGE) Gender Equality Index, BNS reports. Lithuania ranked 14th out of 27 EU member states, which was up from 16th place in 2024. Lithuania’s national score on the equality index was 60.9 out of 100 points, which was below the…
The Lithuanian government may declare an emergency due to the growing security threat posed by smuggler balloons launched from neighbouring Belarus, Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovic announced, BNS reports. He said that the government was assessing the impact on public safety and border security and was considering several options. Earlier, MEP Aurelijus Veryga, chairman of the…
The Lithuanian government has decided to accept half of allocated migrants into the country and pay for the remainder under the EU’s migration and asylum pact, the Ministry of Interior announced, ELTA reports. The ministry said that the decision was based on an assessment of national capacity, the regional migration situation, and the ability of…
The average monthly gross wage in Lithuania amounted to EUR 2,427.6 in the third quarter of 2025, which was up 8.5% from the same period of 2024, the State Data Agency (VDA) reported. The average net wage stood at EUR 1,484.4, which was up 7.8% over a year. Compared to the second quarter of 2025,…
Lithuania does not oppose the European Commission’s (EC) decision to withdraw a case at the World Trade Organization (WTO) over China’s trade restrictions on Lithuanian goods, Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry announced, BNS reports. The EC argued that the main objectives of the dispute had been achieved and trade had resumed. However, the Foreign Ministry pointed out…
The EU is preparing new sanctions against Belarus, following repeated incursions of smuggler balloons from Belarus into Lithuania, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced, BNS reports. Earlier, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys urged the EU not to allow the Belarusian regime to blackmail and escape its international isolation and have sanctions lifted, ELTA…