Lithuania is planning to ban Russian citizens from purchasing real estate in the country.
The ban is part of a draft law on restrictive measures in response to Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine.
Exemptions would apply to Russian citizens who have been granted temporary residence permits in Lithuania due to persecution in their home country.
The bill passed the second reading in the Lithuanian parliament with 113 votes in favour, none against and nine abstentions, and has yet to be put to the final vote.
Proposed by Laurynas Kasčiūnas, the conservative chairman of the Committee on National Security and Defence, the law would suspend “the right of Russian citizens and legal entities established or controlled by them [...] to acquire ownership of real estate located on the territory of Lithuania”.
“The steadily increasing acquisition of ownership of real estate in Lithuania by citizens of the state committing aggression, or by legal entities established by them, may in the long run pose risks to national security,” the conservative MP said while arguing in favour of the bill.
The proposal will help reduce the potential risks, Kasčiūnas argued.
Another amendment calls for disclosing the names of companies that are owned by or linked to Lithuanian politicians and have business ties with Russia or Belarus.
The Lithuanian parliament, Seimas, is currently debating a package of legislative amendments aimed at harsher punishment for violating international and national sanctions and at restrictive measures against Russian and Belarusian citizens.
Most of the restrictions have been put in place by the parliament’s resolution on the state of emergency. They are to be transferred to the special Law on Restrictive Measures over Military Aggression against Ukraine and remain in place once the state of emergency is revoked.
Under the bill, Lithuania would continue not to accept or process visa applications from Russian and Belarusian citizens. Applications for electronic resident status would not be accepted either.
Citizens of the two countries would no longer be granted temporary residence permits in Lithuania.
The bill also calls for subjecting Russian citizens entering Lithuania via the EU external border to individual screening to assess their potential threat to Lithuania’s national security and public order.
This would not apply to diplomats, dissidents, employees of transportation companies, family members of EU citizens, and Russian citizens with residence permits or long-stay national visas from Schengen countries.
If passed, the law will remain in force for one year, until April 14, 2024.
A separate proposal calls for introducing fines on businesses for non-compliance with sanctions.
A fine would have to be at least 10,000 euros and could amount to 50-100 percent of the value of the goods. If a company repeatedly breaches sanctions within a year and the value of the goods exceeds 100,000 euros, it could be slapped with a fine of up to 5 percent of its annual revenue.
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