Recent reporting indicates that Lithuania’s plan to tighten its rules for citizens of Russia and Belarus may not align with European Union legal norms. The information supplied by LRT suggests that lawyers within the Ministry of Justice reached this conclusion, raising questions about compliance with EU directives.
According to the document, if residents from the specified countries are barred from applying for a residence permit without a case-by-case assessment, the proposed provisions would fail to meet the directive established by the EU. This friction highlights the tension between national security measures and EU freedoms of movement and residence.
LRT further explains that the proposed measures would restrict both Russian and Belarusian nationals from obtaining visas in Lithuania, unless such visas are processed through the mediation of Lithuania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Without these visas, foreign nationals would be unable to pursue temporary residence permits within the country, creating a potential bottleneck for lawful stays.
Earlier in the year, the Lithuanian Seimas approved legislation aimed at tightening both permanent and temporary residence permit regimes, and even restricting visa issuance for a period of one year. The measure also sought to curtail the ability of Russian citizens to purchase property in Lithuania, with only some exceptions. Those exceptions would apply to Russians who already hold permanent residence status or who acquired real estate by inheritance. Belarusians would not face the same restrictions under the current draft, though debate about applying similar limits to them continues within Lithuania.
There is a sense among observers that the debate is far from settled, with discussions about broader restrictions on Russians and Belarusians continuing to unfold in Lithuanian political circles.
Analysts note that Lithuania has been balancing security concerns with EU rule-of-law obligations, a dynamic that affects how such national measures are designed, debated, and ultimately implemented. The unfolding policy questions touch on how to uphold border controls and real estate rights while remaining within the framework of EU directives that govern entry, residence, and property ownership for non-EU nationals.