Opposition Liberal Movement leader Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen on Friday dismissed Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas’ proposal to require foreigners living in Lithuania to learn Lithuanian as a “show performance” aimed at voters.
“I think migration and integration issues cannot be solved through demonstrative shows,” Čmilytė-Nielsen told the radio Žinių Radijas.
“This move by the mayor [...] it is impossible to shake the impression that this is simply the start of an election campaign after assessing which issue irritates city residents the most,” she said.
According to the opposition lawmaker, Vilnius needs “clear rules” rather than “political acting” so that foreigners arriving in the city understand what is expected of them and residents feel the situation is under control.
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Čmilytė-Nielsen said it was unrealistic to expect foreigners arriving in Lithuania for only a few seasons of work to learn Lithuanian.
At the same time, she argued that people planning to stay in Lithuania long term will naturally face practical disadvantages if they do not learn the state language.
“First of all, not knowing Lithuanian should be very inconvenient for the person and their family themselves,” she said.
“There must be both opportunities and support, a network for learning Lithuanian, and also the person’s own motivation to learn it,” the politician added.
“Returning to the mayor’s show performance, I think it will neither solve the problem nor produce any effect. One would expect more serious action and more solidity from the mayor of the capital,” she said.
Benkunskas, a conservative, this week launched a petition calling on national authorities to link residence permits for foreigners to Lithuanian-language proficiency.
The mayor is urging lawmakers to amend legislation so that non-EU citizens seeking to renew temporary residence permits after three years in Lithuania would be required to demonstrate Lithuanian-language skills at least at the A2 level.
According to the Migration Department, around 185,000 foreigners currently hold temporary residence permits in Lithuania.
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