Lithuania’s President Nausėda: Ukraine’s fight is also our fight

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nausėda urged the EU to continue supporting Ukraine in its fight for freedom and to keep its doors open to Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine. Addressing MEPs in Strasbourg as part of the “This is Europe” debate series, Mr Nausėda shared his […]

NextGenerationEU: European Commission disburses €289 million in pre-financing to Lithuania

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission has today disbursed €289 million to Lithuania in pre-financing, equivalent to 13% of the country’s financial allocation under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). The pre-financing payment will help to kick-start the implementation of the crucial investment and reform measures outlined […]

Migration: EU helps channel humanitarian support to migrants in Lithuania

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Following a request for assistance from Lithuania, the European Commission is helping European countries send support through the European Civil Protection Mechanism. Lithuania asked for help following increased arrivals of migrants and asylum seekers coming from the Middle East and Africa and entering Lithuania […]

Recovery and Resilience Facility: Croatia and Lithuania submit official recovery and resilience plans

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The Commission has received official recovery and resilience plans from Croatia and Lithuania. These plans set out the reforms and public investment projects that each Member State plans to implement with the support of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). The RRF is the […]

MEPs call on Russia to stop illegitimate prosecution of Lithuanian judges

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. Russia should stop illegitimately prosecuting Lithuanian judges and EU countries should refuse any legal assistance, says European Parliament. In the text adopted by 493 votes in favour, 43 against and 86 abstentions on Thursday, MEPs call on Russia to end the politically motivated prosecution […]

Draghi’s negative interest rates help Eurozone’s cohesion

Super Mario did it again. Only months before leaving the helm of the European Central Bank he made sure his accommodative monetary policy will hold well, even after he leaves Frankfurt am Main. Last Thursday, he pushed interest rates below the zero level for at least another year. Even if his successor will be a […]

Latvian economy is thriving, but boosting productivity, improving social protection and transitioning to a low-carbon productive model are vital for sustainable and inclusive growth

This article is brought to you in association with OECD. The Latvian economy is thriving, with strong job growth driving convergence with more advanced economies. Efforts should now focus on reducing inequality, responding to the challenges posed by population ageing and making growth stronger, inclusive and greener, according to two new OECD reports. The latest OECD Economic […]

Vaccines: from miracle to possible danger

This article was exclusively written for the Sting by Ms. Agnė Lozovskytė , a first-year Vilnius University medicine student from Lithuania. She is affiliated to the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect neither IFMSA’s nor […]

Parliament approves €34m in EU aid to Greece, Poland, Lithuania and Bulgaria

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. EUSF aid worth €34 million, to help reconstruction in Greece, Poland, Lithuania and Bulgaria after natural disasters in 2017, was approved by MEPs on Tuesday. The aid includes €16,918,941 for repairs and reconstruction in Lithuania after continuous rainfall throughout the summer and autumn of […]

Reforms in Lithuania are reinforcing economic growth but boosting productivity is still a challenge

This article is brought to you in association with OECD. Lithuania’s economy has grown faster than most other OECD economies over the past 10 years, unemployment continues to fall and public finances have stabilised after a long period of deficits and rising debt. In a new report, however, the OECD says productivity has remained subdued, slowing […]

Minority governments ‘à la mode’ in Europe but can they last long?

With the Italian elections set for 4 March and anticipated to produce a hang parliament, four out of the five bigger European countries will be in political limbo for a good part, if not for the entire new year 2018. France is the only exception in this Euro-plague of political uncertainty. In some cases the […]

Lithuania finds the ways to maintain its energy security

Guest article written by Adomas Abromaitis, adomas333@inbox.lt The last political events once again highlighted the political relevance of energy security issue for Lithuania. We must pay tribute to the government that struggle for reducing Lithuania’s dependence on Russian energy supplies and for receiving financial support from its EU and NATO partners by all possible means. It finds […]

Nuclear weapons in Lithuania: defence against Russia or target for terrorists?

Guest article written by Adomas Abromaitis, adomas333@inbox.lt A complex geopolitical situation in the region forces the Baltic States and their NATO allies to take unprecedented efforts to increase defence capabilities to counter potential aggressors. A new Lithuanian military strategy approved in March describes Russia actions along with terrorism as the main threats for the security of Lithuania, […]

Lithuania needs to get rid of the victim mentality

Guest article written by Adomas Abromaitis, adomas333@inbox.lt There is an urgent need to change the political image of Lithuania. A disastrously untrue stereotype of the country has been formed today due both to objective and subjective reasons. Let see what foreigners may think about the country reading news about Lithuania. First of all it may seem […]

Brexit Update: EU endorses unprecedented compromise to help Cameron out of the referendum mess he got himself into

Following the failure of the European Council’s summit on December 17-18 to answer positively to UK’s requests regarding EU migrant’s social benefits ban, it was time for the German Councellor and French President to take the lead and try to avoid a possible Brexit. Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande thus proposed to the British Prime Minister […]

What changes in the EU as from today

As from today, first working day of the New Year 2014 in the European Union, the Latvians start using the euro in their daily transactions, the Romanians and the Bulgarians can reside and work in every other EU member state without a special permit and the Greeks assume the Presidency of the EU, representing all […]

Who is culpable in the EU for Ukraine’s defection to Russia?

The 350,000 to 500,000 people who protested yesterday, even violently at times, in the centre of the Ukrainian capital Kiev, belonged, theoretically, to the three opposition parties, which had organised the rally. Unquestionably however, all Ukrainians believe that President Viktor Yanukovich – who decided at the last minute to turn down an Association Agreement with […]

The European Parliament double-checks the EU 2014-2020 budget

The European Parliament approved yesterday the EU proper budget for the next seven years, set at €960 billion in commitments and €908bn in payments (at 2011 prices). This is the Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020 providing the financial resources and setting the expenditure limits for all EU institutions and policies. As a general rule the Multiannual […]

Eurozone’s bank resolution mechanism takes a blow

It is very interesting to note how the various sides reported on the workings of the first meetings of ECOFIN and Eurogroup councils after the summer break. Seemingly the 28 ministers of Finance and the 17 of them making up respectively the two bodies discussed all the burning economic and financial issues, from the disbursement […]

The cuts on 2014 Budget will divide deeply the EU

Janusz Lewandowki, the EU Commissioner for Budget joined yesterday the European Parliament in repelling the severe cuts on EU funding for 2014 proposed by the Council. The usually low tone Polish Commissioner appeared rather shocked when he understood that the Council proposal was infested with deep reductions in crucial items of the 2014 budget. For […]

Council Presidency: Floundering with the EU 2014 budget

Yesterday the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council made another blunder and a very bad start in its relation with the European Parliament. After the Lithuanian Vice-Minister Algimantas Rimkūnas presented to the plenary of the Legislative the Council a proposal for the EU 2014 Budget, with which many MEPs strongly disagreed, the Lithuanian Presidency issued a […]

Lithuania vs Parliament over 2014 EU budget

It is usual for any EU country while holding the rotating Council Presidency to boast about its achievements. Boasting becomes sometimes unbearable if the Presidency is held by a small or very small member state like Lithuania, the current holder of the presidential seat in the Council. It was exactly like that earlier today when […]