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Audronius Ažubalis
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A. Ažubalis on dual citizenship: you cannot sit on two chairs

December 21, 2018 Media Briefing 0

On Thursday, the Seimas passed amendments to the referendum law, which increases the voting deadline to 10PM and expands the number of voting locations abroad with the aim of increasing voter turnout. Furthermore, the new law establishes an institution, which would perform campaigning when the Seimas declares the referendum. The voting bar to make decisions remains unchanged. The new redaction of the law was prepared by a Seimas workgroup for the dual citizenship referendum, lrt.lt writes. […]

Ramūnas Karbauskis
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LRT Investigation. R. Karbauskis’ secretive business in Belarus. What did the politician seek to hide?

December 20, 2018 Media Briefing 0

The LRT Investigation Department has uncovered another Russian partner to Agrokoncernas. Fertiliser is also imported from the fertiliser factory Kuibyshev Azot, which is managed and whose shareholder is a member of Vladimir Putin’s United Russia, Viktor Gerasimenko. The head of the fertiliser factory supported V. Putin during the presidential elections and several years ago successfully ran in regional elections together with United Russia. The only shareholder of Agrokoncernas, “Farmer” leader Ramūnas Karbauskis sees no issue with such business partnerships, lrt.lt writes. […]

Vytautas Keršanskas
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Vytautas Keršanskas. Let‘s stop talking about a European military

December 19, 2018 Vytautas Kersanskas 0

In recent months, we hear ever more intensive discussions on the creation of a European military. The topic has been covered by figures ranging from the heads of the largest European Union country heads of state to the presidential candidates in Lithuania. However, one must note that it is an equally impossible to even begin implementing idea as, say, an EU Olympic team or football team. […]

Klaipėda
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Real estate experts see potential of Klaipėda city

December 19, 2018 EN.DELFI 0

Vilnius and Kaunas have the most active real estate market in Lithuania, while the third largest city of Lithuania – Klaipėda – up until now has been hiding in the shadows and has been forgotten by participants of the real estate market. Experts of international real estate advisory company Newsec say that the capital of Lithuanian seaside, if supported by decisive action of local authorities, may have the potential for rebirth, and a ‘blue wave’ effect may be created. This is best illustrated by the example of Kaunas that has been rapidly growing in recent years, the recovery of which has been driven by a clear and far-sighted vision of the city authorities and by the support of this vision’s business initiatives, a press release from Newsec states. […]

No Picture
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Luminor economists forecast Lithuania’s economy to slow down in 2019, however the year will be good for reforms

December 19, 2018 EN.DELFI 0

Luminor economists forecast economy to grow at 2.7% next year in Lithuania, as external economic environment is expected to deteriorate. The GDP growth will be detained by increasingly active seismic zones in global macroeconomic landscape. Economists suggest that in the eve of cyclical slowdown, three ideas could help to prepare for slowdown, a press release from Luminor states. […]

Ramūnas Bogdanas
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Ramūnas Bogdanas. Skvernelis’ godfather Paksas visits Putin

December 18, 2018 Ramunas Bogdanas 0

When the Order and Justice party negotiated with the then still whole Social Democrats to join the latter’s’ coalition, the usual division of posts proceeded. Order and Justice received the post of minister of the interior. It turned out that among them, they lacked a politician capable of handling this difficult office; after all, this minister handles both public order matters, the police and municipalities. […]

No Picture
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Government promises there will be three million of us once more, experts shrug

December 17, 2018 Media Briefing 0

The government is aiming to stabilise the demographic situation by 2021 and predicts that by 2030, we will once more become a country of three million. This is to be achieved through greater birth rates, larger return grants for returning citizens and longer life expectancy. However, migration expert Karolis Žibas notes that the emigrant attraction programmes will not work out until the country’s socioeconomic situation improves. Meanwhile, demographics expert Vlada Stankūnienė explains that the planned direct grants will not encourage larger birth rates, lrt.lt writes. […]

Saulius Skvernelis
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If Skvernelis is seeking to rally his electorate, he chose the wrong opponents

December 17, 2018 Media Briefing 0

The striking teachers are awaiting Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis’ apology, but he does not appear intent to do so. The team assembled by the PM, which is preparing a long-term public sector wage payment project features neither striking, nor non-striking teachers. The trade union confederation chairwoman stated that the goal is the lowest earning civil servants, but teachers were not mentioned among them, lrt.lt writes. […]

No Picture
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The future of Europe after Brexit: Lithuania and Germany?

December 14, 2018 Zygimantas Pavilionis 0

Next week, on 17 December 2018, the Presidential Palace will host an important international conference on the relations between Germany and Lithuania. The participants include the Lithuanian German Forum, functioning for thirteen years now and currently headed by Gabrielė Gylytė-Hein, representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Vytautas Magnus University, and the Vilnius Institute for Policy Analysis. Jointly, they will strive to define the strategic guidelines for the Lithuanian-German relations at a conference broadcast live via the Delfi TV. The event will also be attended by influential European foreign policy makers and a large number of entrepreneurs, academics and cultural representatives. […]

Presidential candidates' debate
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Presidential candidate discussion features pointed remarks: you want to open a gate to the East

December 14, 2018 Aleksandra Ketleriene 0

The Eastern Europe Studies Centre organised its fourth Stasys Lozoraitis Annual Lithuanian Foreign Policy Conference, which featured a debate between potential presidential candidates on Lithuania’s position with the European Union resolving fundamental political challenges. The discussion had no lack of laughter and pointed remarks exchanged. […]

No Picture
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Economist Vytenis Šimkus: how much might Brexit cost Lithuania?

December 13, 2018 Media Briefing 0

The mists over the future of UK – EU relations currently still lingers. It appears that Theresa May’s cabinet is starting to completely lose control of the situation. According to political experts, the agreement she has obtained has practically no chance of receiving support in the UK’s House of Commons. The European Court of Justice introduced even more uncertainty on Monday, by declaring that the UK can unilaterally cancel the Brexit process, economist Vytenis Šimkus writes on lrt.lt. Currently all the scenarios are plausible, but what could each of them means for the Lithuanian economy? […]

Rimvydas Valatka
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Rimvydas Valatka. Seimas Kirkutis stories: will Skvernelis end as Musolini did?

December 12, 2018 Rimvydas Valatka 0

The prime minister and his leaser Head of All of Lithuania’s hysteria is spreading to regular Seimas “Farmers”. Take Algimantas Kirkutis being so fascinated with Saulius Skvernelis’ rhetoric that after the latter’s speech in Seimas, he went ahead and compared the prime minister with Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini. […]

Saulius Skvernelis
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Analyst: the prime minister does not comprehend he is not a police general in Venezuela

December 10, 2018 Media Briefing 0

It is unlikely Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis expected that a protest of discontent teachers over their wage payment scheme would turn into a protest of thousands in front of the cabinet building. It is now the prime minister’s turn to ponder on how to come to terms with the public sector, otherwise who knows what could happen, the dismissed ministers may not suffice and his own future in the cabinet could come into question. Because assurances that the tax reform will improve public sector staff welfare over three years may very well not work, lrt.lt writes. […]

Romas Lazutka
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Romas Lazutka. Who is it that rules us and does Tapinas impact them?

December 10, 2018 Romas Lazutka 0

If you think that it is politicians that rule us, you are mistaken. They do not rule, instead they have been bickering for two years, if not over fur coats, then over the budget. And neither the fur coats, nor the budget is theirs. The fur coats belong to Greta, the budget – to Vilius [Šapoka]. As for ruling, that’s only by the hired prime minister and finance minister from uber. Neither of them is a politician by personal choice. The prime minister at least did his work for the party during the elections, while the minister of finance is akin to having been summoned from nowhere through the taxi app. […]

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Who sympathises with German radicals in Lithuania?

December 10, 2018 Zygimantas Pavilionis 0

Under the guise of their sense of national identity, anti-Ukrainian influence agencies in Lithuania have invited members of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), an opposition political party, to Lithuania. […]