In line with the amended Consular Statute, citizens of the Republic of Lithuania who suffer from an emergency or an accident, become victims of a criminal offence or other violation of the law in a foreign country and have no access to assistance from other sources, are entitled to state financial assistance granted to the citizens of the Republic of Lithuania to reimburse the costs of emergency medical treatment, return to Lithuania, and the necessary living expenses prior to their return. The financial assistance is reimbursable.
The costs of consular assistance provided by another EU Member State to a citizen of the Republic of Lithuania as an unrepresented citizen will also be considered to be state financial assistance.
The assisting Member State may request for the reimbursement of costs of consular assistance provided to a citizen of Lithuania as an unrepresented citizen of the European Union. The costs should be equal to those borne by the citizens of that EU Member State under the same conditions. Upon the receipt of the said request, the Republic of Lithuania shall reimburse those costs in line with the procedures established by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania from the appropriations of the state budget assigned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania within a reasonable period of time, not exceeding 12 months.
It is established that diplomatic and consular authorities of the Republic of Lithuania will provide consular protection to unrepresented citizens of the European Union on the same conditions as it is provided to the nationals of the Republic of Lithuania. Consular protection will also be provided to family members, who are not themselves citizens of the Union, accompanying unrepresented citizens in a third country, to the same extent and on the same conditions as it would be provided to the family members of the citizens of the Republic of Lithuania, who are not themselves citizens of the Union.
Unrepresented citizens of the European Union who wish to receive consular protection will have to prove that they are citizens of the Union by producing their passports or identity cards. If they are unable to produce these documents, their nationality may be proven by any other means, if necessary including verification with the diplomatic or consular authorities of the Member State of which the applicant claims to be a national.
Consular protection will not be provided to unrepresented citizens of the European Union where the Member State of which they are nationals calls on consular protection or requests for referral of the case and confirms that it will provide consular protection to the unrepresented citizen of the European Union on its own.
The document adopted by the Seimas stipulates that unrepresented citizens of the European Union will undertake to repay the costs borne by the Republic of Lithuania for consular protection reimbursable in the same amount as applicable to the nationals of the Republic of Lithuania under the same conditions. This will be done by filing in an undertaking to repay the costs of consular protection of the standard form established by the Minister of the Republic of Lithuania.
The amendments will enter into force as of 1 May 2018.
