The Lithuanian Seimas has decided on Tuesday to extend until mid-January the intensified state of emergency imposed on municipalities along the Belarusian border last month due to the migration crisis.
According to the decision, which was supported by all 102 MEPs present, the intensified state of emergency in the ten-kilometer strip along the border and in migrant accommodation will remain in place until 14 January.
According to the Speaker of the Seimas Viktorija Čmilīte-Nilsen, the threats that have led to these steps to guarantee national security and public peace still exist.
The Lithuanian government had recommended that the decision be extended to the territory along the Polish border, but the bill was amended in the Sejm on Tuesday by deleting the proposal.
According to the speaker, this was decided after hearing the proposals of the political groups and considering that it is not necessary at the moment, but the decision could be amended in the future.
The Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonīte and the Minister of the Interior Agne Bilotaite have also confirmed that this issue may have to be returned to in the future.
Compared to the current procedure, the new regime, which will come into force on December 10, has been slightly changed – vehicles will be able to move in the border area without the permission of the State Border Guard Service (SBGS).
Meanwhile, the Seimas decision stipulates a stricter monitoring regime for illegal migrants, stipulating that foreigners who have not been officially admitted to Lithuania will be prohibited from leaving the territory of their designated accommodation. Exceptions are allowed only in certain cases specifically specified by the SBGS. At the same time, the emergency regime will no longer apply to the area within a 200-meter radius around migrants’ accommodation, as has been the case so far.
The new decision also stipulates that, in the event of danger, border guards will have the right to use deterrence and physical force not only in places where they are not allowed to cross the border, but also at official checkpoints. As explained by the Ministry of the Interior, this is intended to prevent possible provocations at official border crossings.
As the concentration of migrants and tensions on the Belarusian border with Poland reportedly increased, on 10 November the Lithuanian Seimas decided, on the recommendation of the government, to impose a heightened state of emergency along the Belarusian border by 9 December, as well as accommodation for illegal migrants.
The ministry estimates that there may be between 7,000 and 15,000 illegal migrants in Belarus, so as long as these people are not returned to their countries of origin on repatriation flights, there is still a high risk that they may be returned to Lithuania.
Since August 3, when, according to the order of the Minister of the Interior, border guards started to force migrants to return, a total of almost 7,900 foreigners have been banned from crossing the border in unauthorized places. Since the beginning of the year, more than 4,200 illegal migrants have been detained in Lithuania.
Lithuanian officials point out that the Belarussian regime is deliberately facilitating the flow of migrants across the border, as Lithuania supports the democratic opposition in Belarus.
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