In early 2021, residents of Trakai noticed that dozens of trees in the Old Town were marked for felling. Active citizens asked for a reassessment of the condition of the trees, but nothing came of it. The municipality claimed that the trees were dangerous, and that the European Union-supported project had been presented to the public and was being implemented according to the regulations. But a hastily issued permit to cut down trees in the protected area amid the pandemic ended up in court. On November 9th, 2021, the Vilnius Regional Administrative Court ruled that the permit, issued by the Trakai District Municipality for felling and pruning of protected trees in Trakai Old Town, which is also part of the Trakai Historical National Park, was issued unlawfully. The municipality has appealed against this decision and the case is still pending. EU funding for the project has also not been suspended as a result.

This documentary is a two-part journalistic investigation into how Trakai District Municipality has used EU funds intended for biodiversity protection and climate change adaptation.

In part one, we meet residents of Trakai district, who tell us of their attempts to obtain more information about the project and visit the expert who evaluated the trees and recommended cutting down every fifth of them. We also find out how the permit for felling and pruning of the protected trees ended up in court and the municipality’s reluctance to comment publicly on the project.

In part two, it turns out that the project was not approved by the Trakai Historical National Park and the Department of Cultural Heritage and was publicly presented to some 20 of the district’s 30,000 residents. Although the project has received EU funding under the ‘biodiversity protection and restoration’ priority, it does not include any related indicators and safeguards. According to the national authorities overseeing such EU projects, there are also no sanctions for poor public involvement. Although the funding is aimed at tree management and care, the municipality has dedicated most of the project funds for construction works - paving footpaths, installing lighting and benches. Despite the resulting opposition from residents and legal disputes that have stalled the work, the government has not stopped the project and says it intends to fund similar projects in the future.

This investigation is a part of ‘Media4Change - Future Investigative Story Lab’ project. The project has been co-funded by the European Commission. The support for the production of this documentary does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views of the authors only and are their sole responsibility.

Authors: Vaida Pilibaitytė, Daiva Repečkaitė, Elena Reimerytė

Editor: Sigita Vegytė

English translation: Vaida Pilibaitytė, Benas Gerdžiūnas

Subtitles by Tomas Valkauskas

Cover photo by Žygimantas Abromavičius

Nominated for PRIX EUROPA 2022