Lithuania has extended its participation in the EU's refugee resettlement programme for another six months until December 31, 2021, planning to admit up to 106 people this year.
In 2015, Lithuania committed to take in 1,077 refugees from EU member states and third countries. So far, only 499 people have been relocated to Lithuania amid a decline in migration flows in recent years.
"However, the need remains for solidarity with countries that are still under a heavy burden," the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
The government had last extended the deadline in December 2019. It then said that 490 refugees had been relocated to date, but many of them had left for other EU member states.
Read more: Lithuanian refugees in Britain’s midlands – story of post-war migration
Given the funding allocated from the EU's Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF), the government estimates that Lithuania could accept 88 people from the bloc's member states and another 18 from third countries by the end of this year.
The European Commission, which coordinates resettlement efforts, has extended the deadline for using the funds for half a year, noting that the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the AMIF funding absorption capacity.
Currently, Lithuania is carrying out the procedures for resettling six people from Italy, four unaccompanied minors from Greece, seven people from Syria, 17 Eritreans from an Ethiopian refugee camp, and five people from Malta.
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