European Union
Schengen zone hanging by a thread, Grybauskaitė warns
Failure to protect the EU’s external borders poses an existential threat to its Schengen free travel area, according to Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė. […]
refugees
Foreign affairs
European Union
Migrants told “do not come to Europe” – EU Council president
European Council President Donald Tusk has said economic migrants will not be welcome in Europe, making an appeal not to come and warning they will they will be turned away. […]
Society
Society
Refugee support rally in Vilnius says racism fuels anti-migrant sentiment in Lithuania
A rally organized in Vilnius this Saturday called for solidarity with refugees from war-stricken zones in the Middle East, while a similarly-sized counter-rally voiced concerns about a “clash of cultures” and security. […]
European Union
Refugees must be helped closer to home, not allowed into Europe – Grybauskaitė
The European Union should support refugee camps closer to migrants’ home countries, rather than “passively take in as many as come” to Europe, says Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė. […]
Society
Society
Opinion
Opinion:Political Correctness – a road to hell paved with good intentions
A year ago, when Islamist radicals shot and killed eight members of Charlie Hebdo’s editorial office, Europe bravely stood up for freedom of speech and declared it would not be intimidated. A free press is exactly what separates us from undemocratic regimes, and we will fight for it. When those attacks happened, we couldn’t have dreamed in our worst nightmares that Europe itself would soon voluntarily give up freedom of speech, embracing a new era of political correctness where democratic states like Germany or Sweden would be reluctant to share the real truth. […]
European Union
EU’s refugee relocation from Greece ‘disappointing’, says ambassador
The European Union‘s response to Greece‘s requests for refugee relocation has been disappointing so far, Greek Ambassador to Lithuania Iraklis Asteriadis says. […]
Society
Illegal immigration now a top issue for Lithuanians
The number of Lithuanians concerned about illegal migration has rocketed in the last year, with 19% of Lithuanians choosing illegal migration as the most important public security issue, according to a new survey. […]
European Union
Germany’s change of heart on refugees will affect all Europe, Lithuanian analyst says
Germany is having second thoughts about welcoming refugees and this will have effects throughout Europe, says Lithuanian political scientist Kęstutis Girnius. […]
CORPORATE
Refugees yet to discover route into EU via Lithuania, says border guard service
Lithuanian border guards have already detained a range of illegal immigrants from Syria and Lebanon but the path into the EU through Lithuania is still relatively undiscovered according to Dainius Dautartas, a Major in the State Border Guard Service Major. […]
CORPORATE
European Union
Refugee resettlement in Lithuania and EU ‘is failing’
Lithuania and the European Union is likely to fail to implement the refugee resettlement plan, says Government Vice-Chancellor Rimantas Vaitkus. […]
Politics
Group to collect signatures against refugee resettlement in Lithuania
A group wants to collect 50,000 signatures under a petition which would force parliament to reconsider refugee resettlement in Lithuania. […]
CORPORATE
CORPORATE
Foreign affairs
Lithuania allocates €20k to refugees in Turkey
Lithuania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday it had allocated EUR 20,000 in humanitarian aid to refugees in Turkey. […]
European Union
Lithuanian president on refugees: no documents, no asylum
The European Union must prioritize the security of European citizens over that of refugees, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė believes. If that requires reintroducing border controls, so be it, she said in an interview with LRT radio. […]