Lithuania races to prepare for EU Council presidency amid rising costs

Lithuania is entering the final stretch of preparations to take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of next year, a six-month period expected to bring hundreds of meetings and thousands of visiting officials to Vilnius.

Parliament renovations

At the Seimas, Lithuania's parliament, workers rather than lawmakers have dominated the building this summer. Corridors are being refurbished, the historic Hall of March 11 — where the 1990 independence declaration was signed — is undergoing restoration, and previously unused spaces are being converted, at a cost of around €1.2 million. Delegations will enter through the courtyard, also being tidied, though only one bid was submitted for that tender. Chancellor Algirdas Stončaitis said the hall's heritage status makes work difficult since nearly everything inside is protected, from tables to plasterwork. Walls, benches, carpeting, lighting and ventilation have been redone, along with the main cloakroom, public toilets, some stairwells and the press centre. Speaker Juozas Olekas compared the effort to tidying a house before guests arrive, highlighted accessibility upgrades for people with disabilities, and said he expects the work finished by the autumn session.

City preparations and budget overruns

Having faced criticism for cosmetic fixes ahead of a NATO summit three years ago, Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas said this time street lamps will be replaced entirely rather than just repainted. Preparation costs, however, are already exceeding the more than €140 million originally set aside, with Finance Minister Taurimas Valys saying additional, previously overlooked expenses keep emerging. Around 300 events are planned during the presidency, with the largest to be held at the Litexpo exhibition centre.

Priorities

Valys named inflation as a focus, while acknowledging the limits of what a rotating presidency can achieve on that front. Social Security and Labour Minister Inga Ruginienė listed demographics and boosting birth rates as a priority, promising more substantive parental leave proposals this autumn. Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas flagged migration, pointing to shortcomings in the EU's new Migration and Asylum Pact. The opposition described the preparations as a product of civil service continuity rather than the current government's agenda.

Reaching Vilnius during the presidency may also become harder, as Latvia's financially strained airBaltic is cutting winter routes from Vilnius to Berlin and Dubai and reducing flights to Tallinn.