On December 11 the NATO Baltic Air Policing Detachment was alerted to identify and escort one IL-20 flying in international airspace over the Baltic Sea from Kaliningrad. Its onboard transponder was switched off, the crew had not pre-filed the flight plan and were not maintaining radio communication with the regional air traffic control centre.

On December 11 NATO fighter aircraft were scrambled to identify what was assessed to be an IL-20 flying in international airspace over the Baltic Sea from Kaliningrad. Its onboard transponder was not switched on, the crew had no pre-filed flight plan and were not maintaining radio communication with the regional air traffic control centre.

On December 11 NATO fighter jets were scrambled to identify one IL-20 flying through international airspace from Kaliningrad without the flight plan, without maintaining radio communication, with its onboard transponder off.

On December 12 NATO fighter aircraft were alerted to identify and escort one IL-20 and TU-214PU. The IL-20 was flying in international airspace from Kaliningrad to the mainland of the Russian Federation. Its onboard transponder was switched off, no flight plan had been pre-filed, the crew was maintaining radio communication with the regional air traffic control centre. The TU-214PU was flying from the mainland of the Russian Federation to Kaliningrad through international airspace. It had no pre-filed flight plan, the onboard transponder was kept on, the crew was maintaining radio communication with the regional air traffic control centre.

On December 12 NATO air policing fighter jets were scrambled in response to one IL-18 heading through international airspace for Kaliningrad from mainland Russia. It had no pre-filed flight plan, the onboard transponder was switched on, the crew was maintaining radio communication with the regional air traffic control centre.

On December 13 NATO fighter aircraft were scrambled to intercept one IL-76 and two TU-214 that were heading for mainland Russia away from Kaliningrad through international airspace. Only the IL-76 had a flight plan, all kept the onboard transponders on and maintained radio communication with the regional air traffic control centre.

On December 15 NATO fighter jets were scrambled to intercept one AN-72. The aircraft was on the way from mainland Russia to Kaliningrad, it had no flight plan, the onboard transponder was switched off, though the crew maintained the radio communication.

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On December 6 fighter aircraft of the NATO Air Policing Detachment were scrambled to intercept one SU-24MR flying in international airspace from the mainland of the Russian Federation to Kaliningrad. Its onboard transponder was not switched on, the crew was not maintaining radio communication with the regional air traffic control centre and had no pre-filed flight plan.

NATO fighter jets also intercepted one AN-72 flying from mainland Russia to Kaliningrad through international airspace. It had no flight plan, the onboard transponder was switched off, the crew kept radio communication with the regional air traffic control centre.

On December 6 NATO fighter aircraft also intercepted one IL-20 flying from Kaliningrad and back via international airspace. It had no pre-filed flight plan, the onboard transponder was switched off, the crew was not maintaining radio communication with the regional air traffic control centre.

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“Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral is not only a breathtaking masterpiece of Gothic architecture but also a symbol of European civilization and the power of its culture. Its reconstruction has brought together the entire global humanitarian community. This cathedral also holds special significance for Lithuania, reflecting deep historical ties with France. An interesting historical connection dates back 451 years, when Henry of Valois, the future ruler of Lithuania and Poland, signed the Henrician Articles in this very cathedral. These documents aimed to establish progressive principles of state governance,” President Gitanas Nausėda underlined.

The Head of State described the Cathedral’s reconstruction as an unparalleled example of global solidarity among Catholics, with support coming from over 150 countries and hundreds of thousands of donors, including philanthropists and organizations.

The re-opening ceremony of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral was attended by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Polish President Andrzej Duda, Italian President Sergio Mattarella, U.S. First Lady Jill Biden, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and his wife Maria Teresa, among other dignitaries.

The restoration of the 850-year-old Notre-Dame Cathedral, damaged by fire in 2019, is celebrated as a symbol of collective historical memory. As the most important church in Paris, it stands as one of the most significant monuments of early Gothic architecture.

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“Lithuania is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 70% below 1990 levels by 2030, and to achieving climate neutrality and a circular economy by 2050,” said Minister Gentvilas.

He highlighted Lithuania’s ambitious renewable energy targets, emphasizing that by 2030, all electricity produced in the country will be green. Solar and wind energy, which quadrupled in capacity by 2020, is set to double again within the next two years. By 2050, renewables will account for 100% of the country’s final energy consumption, including heating, ventilation, and electricity generation.

Minister Gentvilas stressed the importance of global unity in tackling climate challenges: “It is crucial for the international community to uphold the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C temperature goal and strengthen the planet’s resilience to climate impacts. We must also establish a realistic long-term global climate finance target beyond 2025, aligned with individual countries’ mitigation efforts.”

During his address, the Minister called for international action to address the environmental and climate harm caused by Russia's aggression in Ukraine.

“Lithuania supports the establishment of an international platform to hold Russia accountable for its actions, including the severe and lasting damage to Ukraine’s environment and its climate mitigation efforts,” he stated.

COP29, which began on November 11, continues to focus on implementing the Paris Agreement and preparing binding post-2030 climate actions. Discussions include the first joint assessment of progress, adopted last year at COP28 in Dubai, and advancing market-based mechanisms. However, significant challenges remain, particularly in achieving breakthroughs on mitigation and agreeing on a long-term climate finance target beyond 2025.

As the negotiations continue, Lithuania’s bold commitments and calls for accountability highlight the critical need for international cooperation to address the climate crisis and its far-reaching impacts.

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On November 29 the NATO Air Policing Detachment was alerted to intercept one SU-24MR flying from Kaliningrad to mainland Russia via international airspace. Its onboard transponder was switched off, the crew had no flight plan and were not maintaining radio communication with the regional air traffic control centre.

On November 30 NATO fighter aircraft were scrambled to intercept one AN-72 flying from mainland Russia to Kaliningrad through international airspace. The crew had no pre-filed flight plan and kept the onboard transponder switched off, radio communication with the regional air traffic control centre was maintained.

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On Tuesday evening, negotiators from the Parliament and Council reached a provisional political agreement to postpone the application of the new rules. Large operators and traders will now have to respect the obligations of this regulation as of 30 December 2025, and micro- and small enterprises from 30 June 2026. This additional time is intended to help companies around the world implement the rules more smoothly from the beginning, without undermining the objectives of the law.

The Commission proposed postponing the application date of the deforestation regulation by one year in response to concerns raised by EU member states, non-EU countries, traders and operators that they would not be able to fully comply with the rules if applied from the end of 2024.

Following requests from Parliament, the Commission committed to ensure that both the Information System and proposal for the risk classification are available as soon as possible but not later than six months before the Regulation enters into application. In the context of the general review of the Regulation expected no later than 30 June 2028, the Commission will analyse additional measures to simplify and reduce administrative burden.

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After the deal, Parliament’s rapporteur Christine Schneider (EPP, DE) said: “We promised and we have delivered. This postponement means businesses, foresters, farmers and authorities will have an additional year to prepare. We ensured the Commission will complete the online platform and the risk categorisation in six months, ensuring more predictability across the supply chain. An impact assessment and further simplification is to follow in the review stage for the low risk countries or regions providing countries with an incentive to improve their forest conservation practices.

We would have preferred to see several issues directly enshrined in the law, but the Council refused. It is now up to the Commission to deliver on its commitments. We MEPs will closely monitor this process, in particular efforts towards reducing bureaucracy.”

Next steps

The vote on the informal agreement between the colegislators will be added to the agenda of Parliament’s next plenary session (16-19 December). In order for the postponement to enter into force, the agreed text has to be endorsed by both Parliament and Council and published in the EU Official Journal before the end of the year.

Background

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that 420 million hectares of forest — an area larger than the EU — were lost to deforestation between 1990 and 2020. EU consumption represents around 10% of global deforestation. Palm oil and soya account for more than two-thirds of this.

The deforestation regulation, adopted by Parliament on 19 April 2023, aims to fight climate change and biodiversity loss by preventing the deforestation related to EU consumption of products from cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm-oil, soya, wood, rubber, charcoal and printed paper. Already in force since 29 June 2023, its provisions were to be applied by companies from 30 December 2024.

Ref.: 20241121IPR25541
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“The increasing momentum in the actual construction of the Rail Baltica railway line on the most mature section of the project from Kaunas to Panevėžys is excellent and much-anticipated news. The new European railway infrastructure is of paramount importance for the full integration of Lithuania into the European railway network, and in the current geopolitical context, it is receiving particular attention,” said Marius Skuodis, Minister of Transport and Communications of Lithuania.

The procurement procedures are expected to be completed, and the contract signed in the second quarter of next year. In 2025, contracts are planned to be awarded for work on the sections from Kaunas to Šveicarija (18.9 km), from Ramygala to Berčiūnai (24.5 km), and from Berčiūnai to Joniškėlis (12.4 km). In the coming year, it is expected that active construction work on Rail Baltica will start on all these sections, a total of 114 km.

“In view of the anticipated year-on-year growth in the volume of the embankment and engineering structure works, are actively consulting with contractors to align market capabilities with project needs. Additionally, we are already preparing for the procurement of another contract for 27.7 km of railway superstructure works. How much of the high-speed railway line we build now will be an important argument in the negotiations for the competitive EU financial period 2028-2034,” said Egidijus Lazauskas, CEO at LTG Group.

“The necessary materials — ballast, sleepers, rails — are being delivered to Lithuania. The advantage of the team working on the Rail Baltica project is that it consists of specialists with different competences who complement each other, look for new and, if necessary, non-standard solutions, and jointly strive to achieve the main result — the timely completion of the project,” said Vytis Žalimas, CEO at LTG Infra, the institution implementing Rail Baltica.

On the other important section from Poland to Kaunas (Jiesia), the spatial planning procedure has been completed, land acquisition procedures have been launched and the procurement of design services is underway.

Rail Baltica is a strategic project of LTG Group and the European Union, and the largest railway infrastructure project in the history of the Baltic States, which will include the construction of an electrified dual European-gauge railway connecting Warsaw, Kaunas, Vilnius, Panevėžys, Riga, Pärnu and Tallinn. The total length of Rail Baltica in the Baltic States is 870 km, Lithuania – 392 km, Latvia – 265 km, Estonia – 213 km.

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A French and a new Italian contingent have kicked off their missions: the Italians will continue their fellow nationals’ work of the past four months with three Eurofighter Typhoon fighter aircraft, airmen of the French Air Force will reinforce the Baltic airspace guard with the Rafale fighter jets. Our skies will be protected with eight fighter aircraft for the next four months.

“The NATO Air Policing Mission has never been so important. We are watching hostile countries intensify hybrid attacks on NATO territories, carry out provocations and sabotage. Credible protection of NATO airspace in the Baltic states is one of the most key elements of deterrence and defence. I thank our Allies from Italy and France for their security commitments to our region,” said MoD Defence Policy Director Vaidotas Urbelis.

The Handover Takeover ceremony was attended by Ambassadors of Italy and France, representatives of the Allied Air Command, Commander of the Lithuanian Air Force Col Antanas Matutis, representatives of Šiauliai municipality and other guests.

The Italian Air Force will be contributing its 7th rotation to the mission and the French –¬ the 8th one.

The detachment which had been in charge of the mission since July was comprised of approx. 150 troops, including the pilots, technical maintenance and medical personnel, support teams, communications and other specialists. Throughout the deployment in Šiauliai the Allies were engaging with the local community, conducted guided tours for pupils and students and took part in city celebrations.

When Russia launched the full-scale war against Ukraine, it became evident that the NATO Air Policing Mission fighter aircraft were as critical an element of deterrence as air defence in the event of aggression. As the war in Ukraine and the complex security situation in the region continues, NATO Allies are likely to keep the reinforced air policing capability in the Baltic region.

The NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltic states is flown from the Lithuanian Air Force Base in Šiauliai. Other detachments deployed to Latvia, Poland and Estonia augment the NATO Baltic Air Policing.

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On November 19 NATO fighter aircraft were alerted to intercept one IL-26 flying from the mainland of the Russian Federation to Kaliningrad via international airspace. It had no pre-filed flight plan, the crew kept the onboard transponder switched off (which was switched on during the interception) and maintained radio communication with the regional air traffic control centre.

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On November 11 NATO fighter aircraft were alerted to intercept one IL-20 flying from the mainland of the Russian Federation to Kaliningrad via international airspace. It had no pre-file flight plan, the crew kept the onboard transponder switched on and maintained radio communication with the regional air traffic control centre.

On November 12 NATO fighter jets were scrambled to identify and escort one IL-20 flying through international airspace between locations in Kaliningrad. It had no pre-filed flight plan, the onboard transponder was switched on, the crew was not maintaining radio communication with the regional air traffic control.

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