Lithuania, Switzerland sign agreement on EUR 10 mln for civic engagement

VILNIUS - Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste and Martin Michelet, the Swiss ambassador to Vilnius, signed on Wednesday a bilateral cooperation agreement for 10.36 million euros in funding to bolster civic engagement in Lithuania.

"I'm pleased that we're signing this agreement today; it's a great start, and I thank Switzerland for its contribution to the development of our non-governmental organizations," said Skaiste at the signing.

Lithuania will contribute 15 percent in co-financing, or over 1.5 million euros, according to the Finance Ministry.

Skaiste noted that social engagement in Lithuania is still underdeveloped, with only 16 percent of people involved in community activities or volunteering.

"We see the great potential that our citizens have demonstrated in the context of Russia's war in Ukraine - over 150,000 volunteers have contributed to aid initiatives for Ukrainians," she said. "We believe that the measures of this program will help strengthen and broaden citizens' engagement."

Deputy Social Security and Labor Minister Domantas Katele expects the funds to help encourage youth engagement.

"Finally, we'll have a really significant amount that will help young people get involved in democratic processes. Very few young people turn out for elections, so I'm happy that we'll have 1.5 million euros for youth-focused NGOs," he said.

Michelet noted the importance of volunteering in Swiss society, with more than one third of the population volunteering.

"Being a member of at least one civic society organization is part of our DNA," he said during the event.

The agreement on the implementation of the Civic Engagement Program will be the third and final funding agreement under Switzerland's Second Financial Contribution to Lithuania, according to the Finance Ministry.

The Civic Engagement Program will be implemented along two main axes: the first will aim to strengthen the role of NGOs in decision-making and improve their transparency, while the second will focus on improving the quality of volunteering.

The Central Project Management Agency (CPMA) has been appointed as the program operator and will be responsible for the proper implementation of the program and reporting to donors.

In October, the two countries also agreed to allocate around 36 million euros to improve maternal and child health, with the bulk of the funds to go toward developing outpatient services. Lithuania then committed 5 million euros in budget funds, while Switzerland pledged around 31 million euros.

In May 2023, the two countries signed a cooperation framework agreement to provide a total of about 53 million euros for Lithuanian healthcare, vocational training and civic engagement, with Lithuania contributing 7 million euros and Switzerland 46 million euros.

The Finance Ministry has said that funding for the initiatives will start in 2025, after the individual programs for each sector are prepared, with project completion expected by the end of 2029.

Switzerland made a financial contribution of around 66 million euros to Lithuania between 2007 and 2012. The funds were used for hospital infrastructure, environmental protection, energy efficiency, maternal and neonatal healthcare, NGO and community initiatives, and scientific research.