Mayors blame red tape for slow shelter upgrades

Lithuanian municipalities have spent only 4 million euros of the 30 million allocated for shelter upgrades over two years, with mayors blaming excessive bureaucracy for the slow progress, LRT reported.

Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius has criticised municipalities for moving too slowly to equip and renovate shelters. Mayors at the Regions Forum said paperwork and technical requirements were delaying the work and driving up costs.

Audrius Klišonis, president of the Association of Local Authorities in Lithuania, said at least half of the funding could go on administrative tasks, including inventories, technical assessments and registration. “Paperwork will not protect us. The things that are actually done will,” he said.

Raseiniai District Mayor Arvydas Nekrošius said some construction requirements, such as reinforcing walls, could make projects too expensive to be worthwhile. Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas said the government would seek to reduce paperwork but could not remove all requirements, which he said were needed to keep people safe inside shelters.

Katelynas also said some municipalities had requested features that went beyond basic needs. Birštonas Mayor Nijolė Dirginčienė rejected that criticism, saying local authorities had secured the addition of sanitation facilities, toilets and water.

Mayors also want to be more involved in emergency preparedness and have called for practical exercises and remote systems to unlock shelters automatically. The discussions come after siren tests on Monday and evacuation-readiness exercises over the previous weekend. President Gitanas Nausėda said resilience and preparedness were needed across the country, including in regions, municipalities, communities and among individuals.

About 57% of Lithuania’s population could currently take shelter in designated shelters.