Lithuania plans to complete the construction of a National Concert Hall in Vilnius in 2030, the capital city’s mayor, Valdas Benkunskas, announced, BNS reports. Benkunskas expects a contract on the project to be signed in spring 2024. The Ministry of Culture estimated that the total cost of the project will amount to around EUR 121mn….
Latvia’s State Border Guard (VRS) has asked the government to close the Silene checkpoint on the country’s border with Belarus due to a sudden surge in illegal border crossings in recent weeks, LSM reports. Latvia has two checkpoints on the Belarus border at Silene and Patarnieki. The Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS), the State Police,…
Lithuania had the highest suicide rate in the EU in 2020, according to Eurostat data, LSM reported. The number of suicides in Lithuania totalled 21.25 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2020, which was down from 33.38 in 2011. The suicide rate was 16.87 in Vilnius and the surrounding area. In central and western Lithuania, the suicide…
Lithuania has sent over 4.5mn rounds of ammunition to Ukraine, the Defence Ministry announced, BNS reports. Lithuania’s military assistance to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s large-scale invasion totals EUR 0.5bn. The government plans to send a further EUR 200mn of military aid to Ukraine in 2024-2026. Overall, Lithuania’s total aid to Ukraine amounts to…
If Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda decides to veto the government’s bill on gender-neutral civil unions, it would cause an “international scandal,” Economy Minister Ausrine Armonaite, chairwoman of the liberal Freedom Party, stated, BNS reports. Speaking in an interview on Ziniu Radijas, Armonaite urged Nauseda to take a stronger position on “defending European values.” Nauseda has not…
Lithuania risks losing millions of euros in EU funds if key reforms, including a tax reform, are not implemented, European Commission (EC) Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis warned, LRT reports. Dombrovskis will discuss the progress of the tax reform package with Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte and Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste in Vilnius on 7-8 September 2023. Dombrovskis…
Lithuania’s GDP will decline by 1.4% in 2023 and grow by 2.9% in 2024, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts, BNS reports. The country’s GDP will continue to rise by 2.7% in 2025, by 2.5% in 2026, by 2.2% in 2027, and by 2.1% in 2028, the IMF projects. Annual inflation will slow down to…
The Lithuanian men’s basketball team won against the US on 3 September 2023, advancing to the quarter-finals of the FIBA World Cup played in the Philippines, LRT reports. Following the win, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda tweeted to US President Joe Biden, saying that “it is just basketball; we are still allies.” Meanwhile, the municipality of the…
The Lithuanian government seeks to have more direct flights to Germany, BNS reports. Defence Minister Arvydas Anusauskas said that the more frequent flight connections would help German troops stationed in Lithuania. Also, Lithuania plans to open kindergartens and schools for the children of German soldiers, Anusauskas added. Lithuania’s defence chief, General Valdemaras Rupsys, said that…