Last week the U.S. Department of State finalized the notification to the U.S. Congress procedure concerning the Javelin mid-range anti-tank weaponry sale to Lithuania. The total worth of the transfer of arms – missiles, launchers and other components of the Javelin system – to Lithuania has been approved to be increased to USD 125 million. The Defence Material Agency under the MoND and the United States Government is set to sign the addition to the contract on the procurement of a part of that equipment in the nearest while.

State authorities and providers of electronic communications services have agreed on a model according to which embedded subscriber identification modules (eSIM) technology will be implemented in Lithuania. All the necessary steps were presented in a completed eSIM study. The Ministry of Transport and Communications considers eSIM technology and the new possibilities that will be introduced with its implementation to be very significant, promoting the development of new technologies.

“The year 2021 will undoubtedly go down in the history of Lithuanian energy as a turning point in the implementation of strategic projects to strengthen energy independence. This is also important in terms of national security, because energy is the last bastion we need to conquer on the road to achieving complete Lithuanian independence,” says Minister of Energy Dainius Kreivys, assessing his first year of work at the Ministry of Energy.

The Ministry of National Defence has sent a request to the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) to begin the procedure for acquirement of design services, as agreed by Lithuania and Germany to jointly develop new infrastructure for Lithuanian and allies troops.

In November 2021, more than 308 thousand passengers were served at Lithuanian Airports, while in the same period in 2020 the number of 43 thousand passengers served at the airports was recorded. According to aviation experts, Kaunas Airport is namely the airport at which an exclusively active period of recovery can be recently noticed.

In the new National Budget approved at the Seimas on December 14, national defence spending is set to increase by EUR 153 million in 2022, and correspondingly, appropriations from the Ministry of National Defence will amount to EUR 1201 million. The approved budget consolidates 2.05 percent of GDP defence spending.

MEPs want to strengthen current rules and market surveillance to ensure that all toys sold on the EU market, including from non-EU countries and online, are safe.

On the 4th of December, Litgrid and PSE, the operators of the Lithuanian and Polish electricity transmission systems, carried out the emergency support test on the Polish-Lithuanian interconnection. The test was aimed at verification of Lithuanian system restoration and black-start capabilities using the interconnection together with newly installed autotransformers in Alytus substation.

Health MEPs quizzed the EMA’s Executive Director on Tuesday on the current situation around COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics, as well as the Agency’s future role.

After 18 months of fact-finding, Parliament’s committee of inquiry into the protection of animals during transport adopted its conclusions and recommendations.