Following the number of people crossing the Lithuania-Belarus border illegally, out of the €36.7 million aid that the EU Commission decided to make available to Lithuania for emergency assistance, the country has received €29.6 million.
As soon as the aid was received, the Lithuanian Minister of Interior Agne Bilotaitė said that through this financial support, the country intends to cover the costs of irregular migration management and provide essential services for migrants who have entered Lithuania, while stating that “the rest of the financial aid will reach us later,” SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
Back in August, the EU Commission decided to allocate €36.7 million to Lithuania under the Asylum, Migration, and Integration Fund. The decision followed the visit of Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, to Lithuania on August 1-2 and the visit of other officials on August 8-10, where a strategic assessment to provide financial support to Lithuania was made.
“The EU_Commission is today giving €36.7 million in emergency assistance to Lithuania to help with the situation at the Belarus border where people continue to be used as political instruments. The EU stands as one against such actions,” the Vice President of the EU Commission, Margaritis Schinas, wrote on his official Twitter account back in August when the aid was approved.
By providing such support, the Commission aims to help the reception facilities as well as provide other services such as first aid and medical care. Moreover, the Commission indicated that the aid also includes support for the COVID-19 isolation facilities and vaccines, food, shelter, clothing, and hygiene kits.
In addition, according to the Commission, the funding aims to strengthen the response teams for detecting potential victims of human trafficking and for assisting persons who need international protection.
Earlier in August, the Lithuanian Ministry of Interior announced that the country had decided to install a 508-kilometre-long protective barrier on the border with Belarus. The decision was taken after the latter’s armed forces forcefully pushed around five migrants into Lithuania and entered the country themselves as well.
The number of those who migrated to Lithuania illegally increased significantly after the Prime Minister of Belarus threatened to flood the neighbouring countries with migrants.
Only during the first eight months of 2021, Lithuania registered more than 4,124 irregular migration cases, which is a notably increased number compared to the 74 migrants who entered the country during 2020.
Previously, the EU Commission proposed an improved action plan to fight migrant smuggling. The initiative aims to prevent the ill-treatment of migrants, encourage the improvement of migrant management, and reduce illegal migration.
SOURCE: Schengen Visa Info
