CORPORATE
European Parliament
Politics
Most Lithuanian MEPs will not run in national elections
Most Lithuanian members of the European Parliament are not planning to run for seats in the national parliament, Seimas, this October. Many are likely to have been deterred by new electoral rules which would automatically deprive elected MPs of their seats in the EP. […]
European Union
Lithuanian MEP says Britain ‘dishonest’ in demanding EU exceptions
Britain wants all the privileges of being in the EU and none of the obligations, says Lithuanian MEP Zigmantas Balčytis commenting on the deal recently reached between the United Kingdom and the EU that is meant to stave off the possibility of Brexit. […]
Politics
European Parliament Liberal leader backs Uspaskich as Lithuanian Liberals disavow support
The Lithuanian Liberal Movement has dissociated itself from the support given by the leader of the European Parliament‘s Liberal Bloc (ALDE), Guy Verhofstadt, to Lithuanian Labour Party founder Viktor Uspaskich, saying it was his personal opinion and not the stance of the political group. […]
Politics
Order and Justice party members target Lithuanian prosecutor’s home with protest
Members of the Order and Justice party, part of the ruling coalition party in Lithuania and whose Rolandas Paksas leader has been accused of corruption, held a protest outside the house of Lithuanian state prosecutor, Irmantas Mikelionis, in Vilnius District yesterday. […]
Politics
‘Let them turn to the Devil himself for all I care’ – MEP Paksas denies allegations of bribe taking
MEP Rolandas Paksas has denied allegations of accepting a bribe, saying that prosecutors’ announcement on Tuesday that they would seek his legal immunity stripped was just a continuation of a campaign against him that started in 2004. […]
Politics
MEP Paksas suspected of taking €15k bribe
MEP Rolandas Paksas, leader of the Order and Justice party, is suspected of accepting a bribe of €15,000, Lithuanian prosecutors say. Since he is sheltered from prosecution as an elected official, prosecutors are planning to ask the European Parliament to strip the Lithuanian politician of legal immunity. […]
Politics
Polish party suggests changing election rules to favour ethnic minority representatives
The Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania party has proposed an amendment to electoral laws that would lower the threshold for ethnic minority parties to win parliament seats. […]
CORPORATE
Veolia claim against Lithuania offers case in point for EU trade liberalisation sceptics
Although the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) is less debated in Lithuania than in many larger member states of the European Union, recent charges by a large investor, Veolia, against Lithuania illustrate the fears that many, especially European green movements, have had about the agreement all along. […]
CORPORATE
Liberals need to think differently to make gains from second place
The Liberal Movement are securely the second-most popular party in Lithuania after the Social Democrats, according to opinion polls, but despite their good ratings there are reasons for unease for the party in the run up to this year’s elections. […]
CORPORATE
EU to demand veto on Gazprom deals with EU countries including Lithuania
The EU is seeking new powers to vet gas contracts between Russia and EU countries like Lithuania and the Baltic States before they are signed in an effort to curb the influence of Gazprom on European Union gas markets. […]
CORPORATE
Supporters and critics of Poland clash in European Parliament
Ping pong of historical references pepper European Parliament debate on Poland reforms and European Commission investigation […]
European Union
Refugee resettlement stalling: European Parliament debates binding obligations including Lithuania
Policymakers increasingly admit that Europe’s refugee relocation mechanism is stalling – countries like Lithuania feel it first-hand. Lithuania’s participation has not started on a high note – the only family (four persons) relocated under the mechanism is already suing the country for granting legal protection rather than refugee status. […]
European Union
EC’s investigation still long way from sanctioning Poland, Lithuanian expert says
Warsaw cannot ignore the fundamental rules of the European Union said a leading Lithuanian political scientist as the European Commission opened an unprecedented investigation into the rule of law in Poland. […]
Opinion
Will high approval ratings for social democrats translate into election gains?
As the general elections approach, Lithuania’s political parties have become acutely aware of fluctuations in their popularity ratings. The social democrats, the biggest party in the current ruling coalition, continue to top survey results, but will that translate into votes and, eventually, into parliamentary seats? […]
Politics
Conservative leader Landsbergis refutes suggestions he might not run for parliament
MEP Gabrielius Landsbergis, the leader of the conservative Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats, says he will definitely run in this year’s general elections, refuting earlier suggestions that there might be conditions for his giving up a seat in the European Parliament for one in the Lithuanian Seimas. […]
Politics
Is Minister of Finance Rimantas Šadžius guaranteed an EU auditor’s post in Luxembourg?
Though a wave of discontent spread though the ruling coalition when Minister of Finance Rimantas Šadžius was appointed to be Lithuania’s representative to the EU’s Court of Auditors, it seems like those waves are subsiding. […]
European Union
Social democrat and liberal Lithuanian MEPs ‘most active’ in European Parliament
Social democratic and liberal members of the European Parliament are the most productive Lithuanian delegates, according to mepranking.eu, a website analysing the record of MEPs. […]
Politics
Labour founder Uspaskich to leave party
Viktor Uspaskich, a Lithuanian member of the European Parliament and the founder of the Labour Party, has announced he is leaving the party. […]
European Union
Georgia and Ukraine get EC’s go-ahead for visa-free travel
Georgia and Ukraine meet all benchmarks to be granted visa-free travel to the European Union, according to a report of the European Commission. Georgians and Ukrainians might be able to travel to the Schengen zone without visas as soon as next year. […]