Lithuania looks set to declare a state of emergency amid a growing number of dangerous incursions into its airspace.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, 599 smugglers’ balloons and 197 drones have entered Lithuanian airspace this year, disrupting 320 flights, affecting 47,000 passengers, and causing nearly 60 hours of airport closures.
Weather balloons launched by cigarette smugglers in Belarus have disrupted operations at Vilnius Airport more than a dozen times in recent months.
Prime ministerial advisor Ignas Algirdas Dobrovolskas announced
The government is preparing to declare a state of emergency due to the threat to civil protection.
This was confirmed by Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovič, who said that the declaration of a state-level emergency would be submitted to the National Crisis Management Center.
Lithuania’s crisis management law states that the government may declare a state of emergency if an event meets the specified criteria in at least two municipalities, or if the emergency lasts for more than a year in one municipality or requires the resources of other municipalities.
However, according to Aurelijus Veryga MEP—chairman of the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union, which is part of the governing coalition—this carries the risk of allowing certain institutions to overreach.
Saulius Skvernelis, Democrats’ leader of the political party “For Lithuania,” the party, believes that this is a “reasonable” step, as it would facilitate the protection of civil aviation and allow for stricter penalties against those responsible.
