”The United States presence in Lithuania and commitments to regional security have never been so steadfast. We welcome the U.S. commitment to ensure an uninterrupted heel-to-toe U.S. battalion presence in Lithuania and in our turn we will continue to firmly live up to our commitment to render Host Nation Support and keep improving the conditions for the U.S. force presence here in Lithuania,” said Minister of National Defence Arvydas Anušauskas as the next U.S. Army Battalion rotation in Lithuania kicked off its tour of duty.

The beginning of 2023 marks not only the 700th anniversary of Vilnius, but also the 4th edition of the “SU-MENĖK” initiative organised by the capital’s municipality on February weekends. This year, the project returns with an even bigger scope, welcoming participants with the slogan “Expand your horizons with contemporary art”.

Following the presentation to the public of the special plan for the Rail Baltica section Kaunas–Vilnius, which outlines the specific areas, parcels of land and their parts which the railway line will cross on this section, there has been a great deal of involvement of interested parties — as many as 470 enquiries and proposals regarding the revision of the special plan. In view of this, a decision has been taken to further assess all proposals for the update of the special plan.

Find out about the top cyber threats in 2022, the most affected sectors and the impact of the war in Ukraine.

On January 23 – 28 NATO fighter aircraft flying the Air Policing Missions in the Baltic states were scrambled three times to identify and escort aircraft of the Russian Federation in international airspace over the Baltic Sea flying in violation of flight rules.

Lithuanian Airports announces that since January, brand new, additional and automated defibrillators have been installed in the passenger terminals of Vilnius, Kaunas and Palanga airports. A total of 15 additional smart emergency devices have been installed and are available in the most crowded areas of the airport. Currently, there are 23 automated defibrillators at all Lithuanian Airports (passenger terminals).

The Commission is presenting 'A New Deal for Pollinators' to tackle the alarming decline in wild pollinating insects in Europe, revising the 2018 EU Pollinators Initiative. Citizens have been increasingly calling for decisive action against pollinator loss, also through the recent successful European Citizens' Initiative ‘Save Bees and Farmers'. The renewed initiative sets out actions to be taken by the EU and the Member States to reverse the decline of pollinators by 2030 as today, one in three bee, butterfly and hoverfly species are disappearing in the EU. It complements the Commission's proposal for a Nature Restoration Law of June 2022 and is a key part of the Biodiversity Strategy 2030, the Farm to Fork Strategy and the European Green Deal.

On January 16–22 fighter aircraft conducting the NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltic states were scrambled twice, on January 17 and 18, to patrol the airspace border between the Baltic states with the Russian Federation and Belarus over the Baltic Sea.

Lithuania assigned two LITPOLUKRBRIG (joint Lithuanian–Polish­–Ukrainian Brigade) officers to the operational headquarters of the European Union Battle Group on standby since mid-January. The officers will carry out standby duties in composition of the operational HQ staff and undergo certification training from 1 January to 30 June, 2023. The Lithuanian Armed Forces also plans to assign units and servicemembers the EU BG on standby regularly in the future thus ensuring cooperation with other EU member states.

Tourism representatives from the three Baltic States are meeting in Vilnius today to discuss how to step up cooperation to bring tourists back to the region.