The European Commission has allocated almost 10 million euros for Lithuania to strengthen its refugee reception system, the Social Security and Labour Ministry said on Monday.
The ministry won the call for projects together with the Refugee Reception Centre, the State Border Guard Service (VSAT), and the municipal administrations of Tauragė district and Panevėžys.
The project aims to bolster the capacity of the EU’s external border and ensure reception and accommodation conditions for arriving refugees, the ministry said in a press release.
“This additional investment from the European Commission is of paramount importance to enable the responsible authorities to create decent conditions for persons arriving in Lithuania and seeking asylum,” said Deputy Social Security and Labour Minister Justina Jakštienė.
“Lithuania must remain open and safe for asylum seekers,” she added.
The project will involve upgrading the Refugee Reception Centre and the VSAT infrastructure for the accommodation of asylum seekers.
Additional investments will be made in renovating the Foreigners’ Registration Centre in Kybartai to ensure that it can cope with a potential increase in migration flows, according to the ministry.
Plans also call for expanding storage and transportation infrastructure at the Foreigners’ Registration Centre in Rukla.
The project also foresees additional investments in creating accommodation for refugees in the city of Panevežys and the district of Tauragė.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
