Vilnius, June 13 (ELTA) – The Kaunas Regional Court has issued a verdict in a case on the 2019 massive fire in Alytus, ordering Ekologistika, one of the largest tyre recycling firms in the Baltics, its CEO and a related firm Vivatrans to pay the state EUR 4.262 million in property damages.

Kaunas Regional Court upheld the ruling of the Alytus District Court. 

The verdict has entered into force but can still be appealed in cassation to the Supreme Court.

The fire erupted at Ekologistika on 16 October 2019 and was extinguished ten days later. Over 2,000 tonnes of tyres burnt out in total, alarmingly raising levels of air pollution.

The chamber of judges held that the actions of CEO Juozas Cicėnas and the companies had a direct causal link to the damage caused to the air, livestock and people. The damages were assessed on the basis of expert reports and documented losses of farmers who lost their livestock due to the fire.

The Court found Ekologistika CEO Cicėnas and the two companies guilty of negligently destroying property and causing significant property damage.

Ekologistika and Vivatrans were fined EUR 500,000 each. Cicėnas was sentenced to 3.3 years’ imprisonment, suspended for 2 years.

Vilnius, June 13 (ELTA) – The head of the Innovation Agency, Romualda Stragienė, is stepping down by mutual consent as of Friday, 13 June, the Ministry of the Economy and Innovation has said. 

“The director came to the public sector from the private sector with a very clear task – to transfer best business management practices to the public sector. We greatly value her input in the creation of an open and results-based innovation ecosystem,” Deputy Minsiter Marius Stasiukaitis is cited as saying in the ministry’s press release.

Stragienė won the competition for the Innovation Agency director post against 28 other candidates in June 2022. Previously, she had worked in the business for many years and managed the largest cosmetics manufacturing company in Lithuania, BIOK laboratorija.

The agency is responsible for the Lithuanian innovation ecosystem and the promotion of innovation at all stages of business development – from developing ideas to delivering products and services to end-users. It administers a range of innovation, digitalisation, and other business support measures with a total value of more than EUR 500 million over the next few years. 

With more than 300 employees, the Innovation Agency Lithuania is headquartered in Vilnius and has regional offices in 13 Lithuanian cities.

Vilnius, June 13 (ELTA) – Interior ministers of the Baltic States have signed a memorandum, pledging to boost cooperation in the area of civil protection, the Ministry of the Interior said Friday.

The document sets out cooperation in the event of a mass evacuation on a Baltic-wide scale, sharing data on evacuation capacities, possible evacuation corridors and border crossings. 

The ministers also agreed to further develop the necessary tools and resources to provide assistance to vulnerable groups.

“A united approach and coordination of actions are important for the Baltic States to ensure the security of our people in case of threats,” Lithuania’s Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovič said. 

In May, eight countries launched a European coalition for civil preparedness and resilience, calling for urgent additional steps to strengthen civil protection, readiness and resilience at both national and EU levels. Their statement was signed by ministers of interior affairs and those in charge of civil defence from Belgium, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Finland and Sweden.

Vilnius, June 13 (ELTA) – The ruling Social Democratic Party (LSDP) is set to propose taxing owners of “luxury” primary homes valued at EUR 400,000 or EUR 450,000 and above, the party’s MP said Friday.

The LSDP is drafting a new motion to amend real estate tax after the coalition scrapped its proposal to tax primary homes, according to Deputy Seimas Speaker Rasa Budbergytė.

“I am going to register a proposal for amendments to the Law on Real Estate with my colleagues. We will certainly propose that primary homes should be taxed at a value of EUR 400,000 or EUR 450,000, leaving the rate quite high. In our view, taxing that kind of luxury property would be the right thing to do,” the Social Democrat MP told ELTA.

She added that the Seimas LSDP group has not yet decided on the final threshold but tends to back the rate exceeding 0.3%.

Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas said Thursday it would be socially fair to tax “highly expensive” primary homes.

Currently, 0.5-2% rates apply to residential properties valued at over EUR 150,000.

The Coalition Council last week decided not to tax primary homes, backing away from the Government’s initial proposal to the Seimas. 

On 22 May, MPs held the first vote to support the Finance Ministry’s proposal to tax residential properties valued at over EUR 10,000 and leave it up to municipalities to set a specific threshold and a rate between 0.1% and 1%. 

The Government proposed to tax all non-primary homes until 2030, with the proceeds going to the Defence Fund and the proceeds from the tax on primary homes going to municipal budgets.

The current proposal says the values of all the non-primary homes would be summed up, with a zero-tax rate for the total amount under EUR 50,000 per person.

Vilnius, June 13 (ELTA) – For two years now, the Government has been late with drawing up the National Progress Report, which is tabled in the Seimas alongside the sets of financial accounts. This prevents auditors, the public and MPs from confirming the accuracy of the information contained in the report in a timely manner, the public spending watchdog said in a press release on Friday.

“Citizens pay taxes and therefore have the right to see, every year, how much progress is being made in the country with the public money spent on it. Every euro spent must bring benefits, which is why we believe it is necessary to monitor the country's progress every year. We would not be in favour of any possible considerations to reduce accountability. Transparency and accountability is a fundamental principle of the public sector,” said Auditor General Irena Segalovičienė when presenting the findings of the audits of the 2024 State accounts to the Seimas Committee for the Future.

The National Progress Report prepared by the Government was due to be submitted to the National Audit Office for assessment by 20 April 2025, in accordance with the Law on Public Sector Accountability. However, on 25 April 2025, the institution only received the draft data.

Providing final data on progress in a timely manner would allow auditors to do their job. This means that Seimas and the public would receive more reliable data.

"It is particularly important that the National Progress Report is prepared at exactly the same time with the reports on state budget and the financial accounts. For the second year, the principle has been implemented in budget planning, following which, along with planned expenses, performance indicators are determined to be achieved with the allocated state funds. Therefore, the relationship between expenses and results should be maintained when accounting to the public,” the auditor general said.

The National Audit Office called for streamlining the processes of preparing and submitting reports to avoid recurrent delays in submission of the National Progress Report and to meet the statutory obligation to report to the public on the use of public funds and the results achieved in a timely manner.

Vilnius, June 13 (ELTA) – KN Energies, Klaipėda-based international LNG and energy infrastructure developer and operator, and South Korea’s SK Innovation E&S (“SKI E&S”), global energy company within the SK Group, signed an extension of their Strategic Framework Agreement in Hanoi. The agreement strengthens cooperation in LNG and green energy projects across the Asia-Pacific region, KN Energies said in a statement on Friday.

The agreement was signed by Darius Šilenskis, CEO of KN Energies, and Namho Kim, Vice President of SKI E&S Global Business Development Office.

This extension marks an important step forward in the partnership that began in May 2023 in Lithuania, according to KN Energies. Building on two years of cooperation in international LNG business development, the renewed Framework Agreement broadens the scope of joint activities to include project development across the Asia-Pacific region, with particular focus on Southeast Asia. The agreement also deepens collaboration in LNG infrastructure, hydrogen, carbon capture, and energy storage solutions.

“Over the past two years, together with SKI E&S, we have been actively exploring projects that leverage the strengths of both companies – KN Energies’ international experience in LNG terminal development and operations combined with SKI E&S’s global energy expertise, advanced technologies, and market access,” said Šilenskis.

“By extending our partnership during the meeting in Hanoi, we reaffirm our joint commitment to develop new LNG infrastructure and green energy solutions, particularly in Southeast Asia, where energy demand is growing significantly, along with the need to scale up renewables and reduce the carbon share in the energy mix,” he noted.

Vice President Namho Kim of SKI E&S commented: “Our partnership with KN Energies reflects SKI E&S's strategic approach to global growth in the LNG and clean energy sectors. Vietnam and Southeast Asia represent dynamic markets where our combined strengths create strong potential for new business opportunities, support energy stability, and contribute to global energy transition goals.”

The signing ceremony in Hanoi reflects the growing strategic alignment between Lithuania, the Republic of Korea, and the broader Indo-Pacific region, as Lithuania continues to expand its international partnerships and energy cooperation across Asia.

Vilnius, June 13 (ELTA) – Nasdaq (NDAQ) announces that Telia Lietuva is celebrating a significant milestone – 25 years since the company’s shares were first listed on the Nasdaq Vilnius Stock Exchange.

As of June 2025, the company’s market capitalization stands at EUR 1 billion, the exchange said in a press release on Friday.

 Over the past quarter-century, Telia Lietuva has transformed from a traditional telecommunications provider into a modern digital services company, offering a full range of connectivity, IT, and television services. As part of the Telia Company group, the company continuously invests in innovation, sustainability, and customer experience.

“Twenty-five years ago, we became one of the first companies to publicly offer shares to both Lithuanian and international investors. It was a significant step not only for us but also for the Lithuanian capital market – enhancing transparency, accountability, and trust. Over this period, we have paid out around EUR 1 billion in dividends to shareholders and consistently delivered cutting-edge technological solutions to our customers. We are a public company – and that comes with responsibility. And that responsibility drives our growth,” said Telia Lietuva CEO Giedrė Kaminskaitė-Salters.

“Telia Lietuva remains one of the most actively traded companies on the Nasdaq Baltic Exchange and is a benchmark for good corporate governance and investor relations. It is one of the companies not only shaping Lithuania’s technological future but also strengthening the maturity and credibility of the capital market,” said Nasdaq Vilnius President Gediminas Varnas.

Telia Lietuva is one of the largest integrated telecommunications, IT, and television service providers in Lithuania, and is part of the Northern European telecommunications group Telia Company. The company offers advanced connectivity, data transmission, cloud, IT, and smart TV solutions for both residential and business customers.

Vilnius, June 13 (ELTA) – Lithuanian authorities have started to organise evacuation of around 200 nationals currently in Israel following the latter’s wave of strikes on Iran overnight on Friday.

The head of the National Crisis Management Centre (NKVC) told LRT Radio that the exact number of Lithuanians to be evacuated from Israel is yet to be specified.

“Our embassy in Israel is working hard to have a more exact number before registering those who want to leave the country, the NKVC director said, adding that flight options will depend on access to the airspace.

Earlier on Friday, the Foreign Ministry issued a statement urging Lithuanian nationals to refrain from travelling to Israel. It also told those currently in Iran to leave the country immediately.

Later the NKVC told ELTA there are currently 255 Lithuanian citizens in Israel. Another 84 are in Iran. They have been sent recommendations issued by the MFA and NKVC to their phones, it said.

Luxembourg, June 13 (ELTA) – In April 2025, compared with March 2025, seasonally adjusted industrial production decreased by 2.4% in the euro area and by 1.8% in the European Union (EU), according to first estimates from Eurostat, the EU’s statistical office. In March 2025, industrial production grew by 2.4% in the euro area and by 1.9% in the EU.

In Lithuania, industrial production went down by 3% in April 2025. The country recorded a rise of 2% over the year. In March 2025, industrial production grew by 1.9% in Lithuania.

In April 2025, compared with April 2024, industrial production increased by 0.8% in the euro area and by 0.6% in the EU.

The largest monthly decreases were recorded in Ireland (-15.2%), Malta (-6.2%) and Lithuania (-3.0%). The highest increases were observed in Denmark (+3.5%), Luxembourg (+3.2%), Croatia and Sweden (+2.5% both).

The highest annual increases were recorded in Ireland (+18.4%), Finland (+10.2%) and Croatia (+6.5%). The largest decreases were observed in Denmark (-11.6%), Bulgaria (-10.5%) and Slovenia (-4.6%).

Vilnius, June 13 (ELTA) – The Seimas will host a commemoration of the Days of Mourning and Hope, Occupation and Genocide on Saturday, 14 June, the parliamentary press service said.

Seimas Speaker Saulius Skvernelis will open the commemorative event in the Hall of the Act of 11 March at 10 a.m. Speeches will be delivered by former deportee Rasutė Peslekienė, MP Julius Sabatauskas, who was born in exile, Greta Plaskovičiūtė, student at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science and Member of St Thomas More Club, and Birutė Mar, actress, director, and poet.

On 15 June 1940, the Soviet Union launched the occupation of the Republic of Lithuania. A year later, on 14 June 1941, it carried out the first mass deportation of Lithuanians to Siberia. Between 15 June 1940 and 22 June 1941, approximately 23,000 people in Lithuania were imprisoned, killed or deported.

The commemoration will be broadcast live on the Seimas YouTube channel Atviras Seimas (Open Seimas).

At 11:59 a.m., a minute of silence will be observed as a civic tribute to the victims of the occupation, entitled Let the everyday hustle and bustle calm down. Make a pause. Listen to your heart beating. At 12:00 noon, the State Flag Hoisting Ceremony will take place in Independence Square. 

The programme of the following events:

12:15–12:30 p.m. – March of Honour from Independence Square to Aukų Street, Vilnius, followed by a ceremony in tribute to the victims of the Soviet occupation, genocide, and repression at the monuments to political prisoners and deportees; 

12:30–12:55 p.m. – Flower-laying ceremony at the monuments to political prisoners and deportees on Aukų Street, Vilnius;

1:00 p.m. – Civic historical memory campaign: No Memory Can Be Deported, near the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights, Vilnius;

2:00 p.m. – Commemorative ceremony at the Railway Station Memorial, Naujoji Vilnia;

5.30 p.m. – Holy Mass in Vilnius Cathedral Basilica.