EU payments to Lithuania suspended

  • 2012-03-01

VILNIUS - As the European Commission (EC) stated that Lithuania uses the European Fund payments with some unauthorized violations, the payments from the European Regional Development and Cohesion Funds to the country were suspended.

Elder of the Lithuanian Social Democrats' group Algirdas Butkevicius thinks that the Conservative Government turned a blind eye on what is going on in the use of the EU funds.

He says that after the EC's statement, Lithuania's people must have doubts about the efficiency of the management and control system in the country.

"The National Audit Office carries out annual checks how EU funds are used and reports to the EC. As far as I know, public procurements concern the EC most, some of them have been conducted not without violations. The suspension of payments, be it a temporary measure, might affect a successful implementation of many projects. That might lead to a failure to create more jobs, some will have to change their business plans, while others might even be pushed into a bankruptcy because of such pause. The Government must as soon as possible draft a plan who to amend the situation," he said.