Lithuanian parliament’s security committee approves Kapčiamiestis military range bill
The Lithuanian parliament’s National Security and Defence Committee (NSGK) on Wednesday endorsed a draft law establishing the Kapčiamiestis military training range, clearing the way for a full vote in the Seimas next week.
The committee’s session began with an attempt by Dainius Gaižauskas of the opposition Rural Affairs party to postpone consideration of the bill, citing unresolved questions about the selection of the site and insufficient information. Only two committee members—Martynas Gedvilas and Aidas Gedvilas of the Freedom Party—supported the delay. All others voted to proceed.
“This is an existential matter for the state; as politicians, we cannot drag out procedures,” said Social Democrat Tomas Martinaitis, opposing the removal of the bill from the agenda.
While the committee approved the core proposal without debate, discussions arose over amendments, including whether property owners in the designated area could receive compensation in the form of equivalent land. Committee chairman Rimantas Sinkevičius warned this could lead to legal disputes and delays, calling it “unacceptable given the security situation.”
Local community representatives and their legal advisors argued during the session that no proper impact assessment had been conducted, relocation deadlines were unrealistically short, and compensation offers unfair. Their call to reject or return the bill for revisions was not supported.
Environmental concerns were also raised, though the Environment Ministry clarified that an impact assessment is not legally required for military training areas. The committee did agree to extend the decision period for property owners in the training zone from five to ten years, a change proposed by Ingrida Šimonytė, who noted that “five years is not enough time for people to understand how the range will affect their lives.”
The Defence Ministry reiterated plans to preserve the nearby Kapčiamiestis Stone Age settlement as a historical site. Under the current proposal, owners of expropriated homesteads would receive market-value compensation plus an additional €52,000, while those in the outer training zone would get €25,000 on top of their property’s value. The ministry aims for full operational capacity by 2030, with initial manoeuvres expected in 2028.
The bill previously passed its first Seimas reading in late March with broad support (102 in favour, 10 against, 5 abstentions), despite objections from some opposition factions that the process was being rushed.