Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovič says Lithuania is tightening its migration policy, but language proficiency requirements should primarily apply to foreign nationals who live in the country long term and are employed in customer service
https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/2927215/minister-criticises-calls-to-impose-lithuanian-language-rules-on-all-foreign-residents
Posted by bllshrfv
3 Comments
Ah yes, a minister who’s a foreigner himself :).
So if you are born here, feel free to not learn Lithuanian and continue speaking only russian, sounds about right
This is honestly being blown way out of proportion by the headline. What’s actually being discussed isn’t some blanket rule forcing every foreign resident to learn Lithuanian, but mostly language requirements tied to specific situations, like customer-facing jobs or public services. The minister is reacting to proposals that would expand that too aggressively, not suddenly introducing strict rules for everyone living in the country.
People also forget this is pretty normal across Europe right now. Countries are trying to balance labour shortages and immigration with integration expectations, and language is always part of that debate. Lithuania is just having the same argument most EU countries are having, not doing anything uniquely harsh or unusual.