Ms Tamašunienė at the Council of the EU: “Hybrid attacks against Lithuania pose a threat to the whole of Europe”
On December 9, Minister of Justice Rita Tamašunienė emphasised at the Justice and Home Affairs Council of the EU that Lithuania is facing purposeful provocations by the Belarusian regime – large-scale deliberate violations of the airspace and the launching of smuggler balloons, which disrupt civil aviation.
“These actions must be treated as a hybrid attack for which responsibility must be taken by the Belarusian regime. For our part, we urge the EU to respond decisively to the hybrid attacks by Belarus by actively applying all possible measures, including new sanctions,” said the Minister of Justice.
The Council meeting discussed the cooperation of the EU Member States with the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.
The Minister of Justice assured that Lithuania is joining the Enlarged Partial Agreement and will continue to fully support the Special Tribunal.
In the context of accountability for crimes of aggression against Ukraine, the ministers discussed the cooperation of EU Member States with the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Minister emphasised that Lithuania consistently supports this Court, including through additional financial contributions and support for human resources by delegating a national expert to work at the Court.
According to Ms Tamašunienė, the support of EU Member States for the International Criminal Court is in particular important now when the Court faces additional operational difficulties due to the sanctions imposed.
“Lithuania is ready to contribute, together with like-minded EU countries, to new programs to strengthen the operation of the International Criminal Court, which would ensure the Court's autonomy and resilience to any political pressure,” stressed Ms Tamašunienė.
The Council also discussed the improvement of EU criminal law provisions.
The Justice and Home Affairs Council of the European Union takes place in Brussels (Kingdom of Belgium).