The Seimas of Lithuania took restrictive measures against citizens of Russia and Belarus: 76 deputies of the Seimas voted “for”, 13 deputies voted against, 34 deputies abstained.
At the same time, the Seimas decided to abandon the restrictions related to the admission of citizens of Russia and Belarus to the citizenship of Lithuania, reports Delfi.
“I am glad that the amendment registered by me and my colleagues was approved. I believe that it has somewhat balanced the proposed law,” said the speaker of the Seimas, Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen. – “We really received a lot of letters from people, a lot of anxiety, including, let’s say, from the descendants of the exiles, who also feel that they are in such an uncertain situation. So, I think it’s very good that today the sixth part was Therefore, there are no redundant restrictions left for those citizens of Russia and Belarus who have been living in Lithuania for a long time and have been checked in every possible way.”
“There are, of course, more controversial points in that adopted law, not all amendments were approved, but I believe that this is a good step forward – a national law on restrictive measures was necessary,” she also noted.
The draft law on restrictive measures in connection with military aggression against Ukraine, which consolidates national sanctions, was intended to tighten for a year the procedure for issuing permits for permanent or temporary residence, the procedure for issuing visas, and the imposition of a ban on the movement of Russian citizens across the external border of the European Union (EU) (with the exception of when they meet the requirements established by Lithuania).
However, after discussions in the Seimas Committee on National Security and Defense (KNBO), it was decided to leave the procedure for issuing residence permits to citizens of Belarus unchanged. It was also proposed to introduce restrictions related to the procedure for the admission of citizens of Russia and Belarus to the citizenship of Lithuania. However, the Sejm decided to abandon this provision.
The legal acts provide for the tightening of the right of Russian citizens to purchase real estate in Lithuania. Exceptions will apply only to Russians who have a permanent residence permit or who purchase real estate in the country by inheritance.
There are limitations associated with granting e-mail status. resident – after the adoption of amendments to the law, the effect of electronic identification and electronic signature of citizens of Russia and Belarus will be canceled. Exceptions will only apply to persons who have a permanent residence permit in Lithuania.
Restrictive measures are also being introduced on the import and export of Ukrainian hryvnia from the country. The period of validity of these restrictive measures is one year from the date of entry into force of the law, i.e. from May 3, 2023 to May 2, 2024. However, the Government will have the right to extend the deadlines if such a decision becomes necessary. Some of these national sanctions are still in force in Lithuania, but the goal is to move them into a separate law and not be associated exclusively with the state of emergency.