Most law enforcement authorities should have their budgets raised next year. The VSD, which is responsible for national security, should receive 23,082,000 euro next year, which is around 500,000 more than its funding in 2015.
Members of the Lithuanian Parliament‘s Committee on National Security and Defence say that the proposed funding for the VSD is too small and will ask the Finance Ministry to look for additional funds.
According to VSD spokesman Vytautas Makauskas, aggressive hostile activities, Russia‘s geopolitical interests in the post-soviet area, Lithuania‘s active position in the EU and NATO, support to Ukraine have made the country a target for Russia‘s intelligence services.
Mr. Makauskas said that “the right budget is insufficient to neutralise new threats and to ensure prevention. Additional funds are needed to repel hybrid warfare and cyber espionage threats and to ensure adequate human resources.”
Artūras Paulauskas, the head of the National Security and Defence Committee, admitted that the national budget was tight, but did not believe that additional 2 million euro for the VSD would create a problem for the state budget.
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