VILNIUS – Lithuania and Switzerland will jointly allocate 10.36 million euros to strengthen civic engagement, with Lithuania contributing 15 percent in co-financing.
Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste and Martin Michelet, the Swiss ambassador to Lithuania, are expected to sign the respective bilateral cooperation agreement in Vilnius on Wednesday.
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.
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 about 53 million euros for Lithuanian healthcare, vocational training and civic engagement, with Lithuania contributing 7 million euros and Switzerland 46 million euros.
At the time, Skaiste said the funding would help strengthen civil society by promoting its involvement, quality, and accountability, and would also aim to improve the quality and accessibility of maternity, infant health, and child development services in Lithuania.
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 health care, NGO and community initiatives, and scientific research.
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