NATO air command of the Baltic skies will be taken over on Aug. 31 by German pilots, operating out of the Lithuanian Air Force Aviation Base at Siauliai, reports news agency ELTA. For the two first months Baltic airspace will be guarded with four fourth generation Eurofighter jets, which marks the first time such planes will be deployed beyond Germany's borders in a multinational mission. The German team is replacing the Czech Air Force contingent, after their four month rotation, in which they patrolled with four JAS-39 Gripen fighter jets.
Lithuanian lawyer Stanislovas Tomas, member of the Order and Justice party, is suing the Constitutional Court over its decision in which it legitimized the establishment of electricity company Leo LT, reports news agency ELTA. Tomas's motivation is to punish the Constitutional Court for violating European law, he claims, the first time in Lithuania's history. Tomas is convinced that his victory in court will force NDX Energija to return all its profit received from Leo LT back to the state budget. According to Tomas, the Constitutional Court, which ruled that Leo LT was founded legitimately, violated prohibitions to establish monopolies, provided state assistance for private companies such as NDX Energija, without having had an open tender. Moreover, the court infringed on its obligation to redirect the issues related to the interpretation of European law to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), as it could not legalize Leo LT without the approval of the ECJ.