The first group of refugees from Africa and the Middle East should be resettled to Lithuania in January 2016, the government's officials say.
The first group of refugees from Africa and the Middle East should be resettled to Lithuania in January 2016, the government's officials say.
"They initially spoke about October, however, the issues are still being discussed. Our most realistic expectation is (to receive them) after the New Year," Social Security and Labor Vice-Minister Algirdas Šešelgis told journalists at the government on Tuesday.
In an effort to ease the burden for Southern European nations, European Union (EU) countries intend to share 40,000 refugees currently in Italy and Greece, in addition to another 20,000 who are in third countries.
Under the programmes, Lithuania has committed to receiving 325 refugees, most of them from Syria, over two years.
In Šešelgis' words, some of the municipalities are already thinking about their hosting numbers, with no final decisions available yet.
