- WIADOMOŚCI
Lithuania moves to lift nuclear deployment ban
Photo. Augustas Didžgalvis / Wikimedia Commons
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has announced that the country’s top political leaders have agreed on the need to remove a constitutional provision that prohibits the deployment of nuclear weapons on national territory.
The decision was reached following a meeting between the President, the Speaker of the Seimas, the Prime Minister, and leaders of parliamentary factions. Nearly all political groups reportedly agreed to repeal Article 137 of the Constitution, which mandates a ban on the deployment of such weapons. “Opinions were practically unanimous. The leaders of nearly all factions recognised that Article 137 has become outdated and should not be amended, but simply removed,” Nausėda told reporters.
Disagreements among politicians reportedly concern only the procedure for implementing the changes. A representative of the Dawn of the Nemunas party advocated for organising a referendum on the matter, while the President believes the decision could be made by the Parliament itself. Nausėda explained that Lithuania remains effectively the only NATO member state that independently maintains such a ban. For comparison, Finland recently lifted a similar restriction previously enshrined in law. “It would be very unfortunate if we were to become a weak link or a gray zone within NATO,” the Lithuanian President said.
The debate over amending the regulations was stimulated by a concept presented in March this year by French President Emmanuel Macron. It envisions the creation of a new European nuclear deterrence system that would allow partner nations to temporarily host French strategic air forces equipped with nuclear weapons. Furthermore, in early June, it was reported that the United States is considering the possibility of deploying nuclear weapons in several additional NATO member states in Europe. Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas stated that Vilnius is participating in discussions regarding this issue.
Speaker of the Seimas Juozas Olekas announced that relevant legislative amendments will be registered in the near future and expressed hope that “this issue can be resolved before the end of the autumn parliamentary session.” Amending the Lithuanian Constitution requires the approval of at least 94 out of 141 members of Parliament, who must vote in favor of such a change twice. A period of three months must elapse between the two votes.
