Week in Lithuania: President calls for new EU migration policy, part of Vilnius Great Synagogue unearthed – Baltic News Network

The main news in Lithuania last week was the president calling for a review of EU migration policy, an update of the Great Synagogue of Vilnius and Lithuanian company Civinity signing a $ 6million cleaning services contract. euros in Latvia.

Foreign Minister calls on EU to react vigorously to migration crisis

On Monday 23 August Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis called for a firm response from the European Union to the ongoing migration crisis allegedly fueled by Belarus. In his letter to the Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, Landsbergis urged the bloc to take action to protect the EU border from the artificial influx of undocumented migrants and threats to the EU. More than 4,100 migrants have entered Lithuania from Belarus without any documents or permits so far this year, up from 81 in 2020.

President calls on Baltic states and Poland to call for review of EU migration policy

President Gitanas NausÄ—da on Monday 23 August called on Estonia, Latvia and Poland to jointly seek a review of EU migration policy and raise the issue of funding the construction of a physical barrier at the border with Belarus. The country’s leaders discussed the issues during their visit to Kiev on Monday, according to the Lithuanian president’s office.

Lithuania will not grant any subsidies to companies linked to Belarus

Lithuanian Economy and Innovation Minister Aušrinė Armonaitė said on Tuesday August 24 that the Lithuanian government will not give any subsidies to Lithuanian companies which have close ties to Belarus and are threatened due to the political situation in the neighboring country and strained relations of Minsk with Vilnius. Some companies with close ties to Belarus lack working capital, so the state is examining what financial instruments could be used to help them, according to Armonaitė. The Central Bank of Lithuania said last week that an interruption in trade with Belarus or mainland China would have a relatively minor impact on the Lithuanian economy.

The monument to the Soviet author must be removed from Vilnius

The Expert Council for the Protection of Immovable Cultural Heritage on Tuesday (August 24) removed a central Vilnius monument dedicated to Petras Cvirka, a prominent Soviet-era author and Soviet political activist, from the Lithuanian Cultural Property Register. Vidmantas Bezaras, director of the Department of Cultural Heritage, said experts were still discussing whether to add the place with Cvirka’s name to the register. The monument is due to be removed soon.

Civinity signs € 6 million cleaning services contract in Latvia

Civinity Solutions, a subsidiary of Civinity, one of the largest facilities management and engineering solutions groups in the Baltic countries, announced on Wednesday August 25 that it had signed a three-year contract worth $ 6 million. euros for internal cleaning services in buildings belonging to Riga. Eastern University Hospital. It is the largest public market for cleaning services in Latvia, the company said. It will start providing services in October, involving more than 200 workers.

Fourteen Afghan families arrive in Raseiniai, Lithuania

The families of 14 Afghan interpreters who worked with Lithuanian troops in Afghanistan arrived in the western Lithuanian town of Raseiniai on Wednesday August 25, its mayor Andrius Bautronis said. The families include 14 minors and a baby. They are all housed in the same premises, but the mayor declined to provide further details on what type of premises they are. The new arrivals were placed in isolation for 14 days. Lithuania will host up to 200 Afghans, the government decided on Wednesday, allocating around 600,000 euros to cover their needs.

Swedbank increases its estimate of GDP growth for 2021 and reduces it for 2022

Swedbank Lithuania on Wednesday (August 25th) raised its growth estimate for the Lithuanian economy for 2021 to 4.2%, as the economy grew faster than expected in the first half of this year, but the bank also reduced its estimated growth for 2022 at 3.5%. In April, Swedbank expected the Lithuanian economy to grow 3% this year and 4.9% next year. The pandemic effect is now weaker than it was in the first waves as many businesses and residents have adapted to the situation, the bank noted.

Archaeologists find central part of the Great Synagogue of Vilnius

Archaeologists carrying out excavation work on the site of the Great Synagogue of Vilnius announced on Wednesday August 25 that they had unearthed its central part. The Great Synagogue of Vilnius was one of the most important Jewish religious institutions in Eastern Europe and was known as an important Jewish spiritual and educational center, giving the name of North Jerusalem to the Lithuanian capital. The Great Synagogue of Vilnius was built in 1633 on the foundations of an old 16th century synagogue. The Nazis burned down the synagogue, and its remains were razed to the ground and a kindergarten was built on it in the 1950s.

National municipal budgets get 404 million euros in unforeseen revenue

The central government and Lithuanian municipalities received a total of 7.483 billion euros in budget revenue in January-July, which is 404.2 million euros (5.7%) more than expected and 1.636 billion euros ( 28%) more than in the same period last year, the finance ministry said. said on Thursday August 26.

Lithuanian troops left Kabul before the explosion

Lithuanian troops and the last group of Afghan evacuees left Kabul before an explosion outside the airport in the Afghan capital on Thursday, Defense Minister Arvydas Anušauskas said on Thursday (August 26th). Eleven Lithuanian Special Operations Forces soldiers and a number of Afghan evacuees are en route. from Kabul to Lithuania.

Lithuania reports 634 new coronavirus cases, six deaths

Lithuania recorded 634 new coronavirus infections and six deaths from COVID-19 on Friday August 27, the country’s statistics office said. A total of 296,738 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Lithuania since the start of the pandemic. The number of active cases has dropped slightly to 6,994. So far, 4.20 people have died from COVID-19 in Lithuania, including 24 people fully vaccinated. The total number of deaths directly or indirectly linked to the coronavirus has reached 9,201.