Lithuania is likely to receive another 70 million euros from the European Commission to deal with the migrant crisis, Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite has said.
The EU’s executive body said in late 2021 that 200 million euros would be earmarked for beefing up border protection in Lithuania, Latvia and Poland over the coming years, but it gave no details.
“Apparently, around 70 million euros, which has not been confirmed yet, should go to Lithuania,” Bilotaite told reporters during her visit to the Kapciamiestis section of the Varena frontier district.
Some 40 million euros will go toward a border surveillance system and 30 million euros toward unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and UAV interception systems, and other measures “necessary for officials to be able to carry out their duties in a modern way”, according to the minister.
Lithuania has so far received 47 million euros from the EU additionally because of the migrant crisis, she said.
Almost 4,200 irregular migrants crossed into Lithuania from Belarus last year. Vilnius has accused Minsk of orchestrating migrant smuggling, calling it a “hybrid attack”.
Lithuanian border guards have been pushing migrants away since last August. Lithuania also started building a border fence and installing surveillance systems. (LRT/Business World Magazine)
