Linas Jegelevichus
Last week, the court rejected a request by Ryanair and WizzAir to suspend the new charges from Vilnius Airport, the president asked for a sanctions agreement with Russia.
The Lithuanian rescue team left for earthquake-hit Turkey
A 42-member Lithuanian search and rescue team left for Turkey on Thursday, February 9, to help the earthquake-hit country, the Lithuanian government said on Thursday. The team includes 34 firefighters, five doctors and three cynologists from the State Border Guard Service. The Lithuanian Fire and Rescue Department said Turkish rescue services will direct them to the rescue site. The team will work for two weeks. Lithuania is also ready to send Turkey 90 tents, 50 electric heaters, 1,000 sets of bedding, 1,000 pillows, 7,700 blankets and medical supplies from the state reserve.
EU Commissioner, Lithuanian officials discuss use of frozen Russian assets
EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders met with Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė and Justice Minister Ewelina Dobrowolska in Vilnius on Thursday 9 February and discussed the possibilities of using frozen Russian assets under sanctions of the blog to compensate for the damage caused to Ukraine and help. rebuild the country Šimonytė and Reynders also discussed support for Kyiv and the international response to Russia’s military aggression and war crimes in Ukraine, the government said. The minister noted that, in this context, it is crucial to discuss concrete measures to ensure that the proceeds of the frozen assets of Russia and its entities are confiscated and used to compensate the Ukrainian people and rebuild their country.
Direct flights between Vilnius and Brussels will resume in March
Brussels Airlines will return to the direct service between Vilnius and Brussels, temporarily suspended since last fall, in March and will offer more flights than before, Transport Minister Marius Skuodis said on Thursday (February 9th). The minister said he did not know why the Belgian airline had suspended the service. Lietuvos Oro Uostai (Airports of Lithuania, LTOU) said last September that Brussels Airlines suspended direct flights to Vilnius from October 28, but added that the company planned to relaunch the service at the beginning of its next summer season at the end of March.
LTG Cargo sees a 39 percent drop in freight volumes by 2022
LTG Cargo, the freight arm of Lithuania’s state railway company Lietuvos Geležinkeliai (Lithuanian Railways, LTG), said on Wednesday, February 8, that it handled about 31 million tons of freight last year, 20 million of tons (39%). less than in 2021, but 4.5 million tons more than planned. The company attributed last year’s decline in freight volumes to international sanctions against Russia and Belarus, some of its customers’ decisions to stop carrying goods from the two countries and its own steps to reduce links with states LTG Cargo CEO Egle Sime says the company had to look for new solutions and attract new cargoes after Russia launched its full-scale military invasion of Ukraine. It started transporting goods to Duisburg in Germany (66,000 tons), between Lithuania and Ukraine (84,000 tons of grain and 120,000 tons of oil) and replanned flows within Lithuania.
LOU to look for contractors to expand Kaunas Airport
Lietuvos Oro Uostai (Airports of Lithuania, LOU), the airport operator in Lithuania, plans to launch a tender for contractors in the first quarter of this year for the development of the passenger terminal at Kaunas Airport for about 30 million euros, Aurimas Stikliunas, interim CEO of LOU, said on Wednesday, February 8. The works should start at the end of the year, ahead of schedule.
TSO says residents won’t participate in major test
The electricity transmission system operators (TSOs) of Estonia and Latvia informed Litgrid of Lithuania, the local TSO, that they will not join the first test of isolated operation of the Lithuanian electricity system planned for April, said Rokas Masiulis, general manager of Litgrid, on Tuesday, February 7. The three Baltic countries are still part of the post-Soviet IPS/UPS system, known as the BRELL ring, which also includes Russia and Belarus. Lithuania, which is seeking to decouple from the Russian and Belarusian power grids and synchronize with Western Europe as soon as possible, is dependent on the moves of Latvia and Estonia in the process. Masiulis said that if there was a strong political position in both countries, it would be possible to disconnect from the BRELL system together.
President calls for Russia sanctions deal
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda attended a preparatory virtual European Council session on Tuesday, February 7, and called on EU member states to agree on a tenth package of sanctions for Russia as soon as possible and to tighten existing sanctions for Belarus. During the session, Nausėda also expressed his expectation that the EU summit in Brussels will include a fruitful discussion on Ukraine’s European integration, Russia’s responsibility for crimes of aggression and the use of frozen Russian funds for the reconstruction of Ukraine. The preparatory session also dealt with economic and migration issues. The Lithuanian President stressed the importance of intensifying the economic growth and competitiveness of the EU, strengthening the single market and the technological and productive potential of the EU, and providing adequate financing.
Ryanair and Wizz Air compete for the new positions at Vilnius airport
Ireland’s Ryanair and Hungary’s Wizz Air have appealed to the court against the increase in Vilnius airport fees in place since the beginning of the year, but Lietuvos Oro Uostai (Lithuanian Airports, LTOU), the operator of the airport, said the two companies often dispute airport fees in other countries as well. On January 20, the Vilnius Regional Administrative Court accepted the appeal of the carriers against certain decisions of LTOU and the Lithuanian Transport Safety Administration (LTSA). Ryanair and Wizz Air maintain that the LTOU Director’s order of 20 July 2022 setting the new charges at Vilnius Airport and the LTSA Director’s order of 15 December 2022 rejecting their appeal against the new charges are not founded, said the court on Monday, February 6. The court has rejected the carriers’ request to stay the new charges until the court’s decision is final. The airport operator considers the airlines’ appeal to be unfounded and expects it to be examined and rejected as soon as possible.
Lithuanian police receive 12 cars bought for NATO summit
The Lithuanian Police Department has purchased 12 vehicles in preparation for the upcoming NATO summit to be held in Lithuania in July, the Ministry of the Interior said on Monday (6 February). The Lithuanian police will escort the official caravans and ensure smooth, unhindered and safe movement on the roads. The Lithuanian police purchased twelve BMW 530d xDrives for 666,600 euros, VAT included. Police will continue to use the vehicles after the summit. Currently, the Lithuanian police fleet consists of 1,700 vehicles.
