EU To Analyze Changes To Lithuania's Rules For Granting Asylum - Spokesman

BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd July, 2021) The European Union will analyze the changes in the rules for granting asylum to migrants in Lithuania, which were prompted by an unprecedented influx of illegal immigrants from the territory of Belarus, European Commission spokesman Tim McPhie said on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda signed the amendments to the law on the legal status of foreigners, adopted earlier by the parliament, which allow to fast-track asylum applications and introduce additional restrictions in case the state is unable to guarantee the rights of the asylum seekers. Such cases would include a martial law or a state of emergency.

McPhie noted that so far, the European Commission had not received a notification from the Lithuanian authorities about the change in the rules for granting asylum. The spokesman added that the European Commission was still waiting for the relevant information from Lithuania and would analyze it as soon as it is received.

On July 2, the Lithuanian government declared an emergency over the influx of illegal migrants from Belarus seeking to enter the EU. Lithuanian politicians and several leading EU officials have accused the Belarusian government of facilitating the movement of migrants across the border with Lithuania as retaliation for the European Union's decision to impose political and economic sanctions on Minsk.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has consistently said that his country was unable to deal with the migration issue due to Western sanctions.