Lithuanian environment minister summoned to emergency parliamentary committee hearing

Lithuania’s Environment Minister Kastytis Žuromskas has been called to appear before an emergency meeting of the Seimas Environmental Protection Committee, initiated by four opposition members, LRT reports.

The committee session, scheduled for Friday, will examine allegations that the Nemuno aušra (Dawn of Nemunas) party—of which Žuromskas is a member—has influenced environmental and construction policy decisions under his leadership. Opposition lawmakers also plan to question potential violations by party members in construction and environmental protection sectors.

Committee chairman Linas Jonauskas (Social Democrats) confirmed the meeting would proceed in a hybrid format, with some members attending remotely. The session will address 10 questions raised by activist Karolis Žukauskas, including the circumstances of the Environmental Protection Department director’s appointment, Žuromskas’s purchase of a house from a development project linked to Seimas member Robertas Puchovičius, and the appointment of advisor Skirmantas Pocius.

Further scrutiny will focus on hunting club memberships held by ministry officials, as well as cases where forest plots have been rezoned for construction. Representatives from the Environmental Protection Department, State Forest Service, Public Governance Agency, and Territorial Planning and Construction Inspectorate have also been summoned.

The hearing was initiated by conservative MPs Aistė Gedvilienė and Dalia Asanavičiūtė-Gružauskienė, liberal Simonas Gentvilas, and Democrat Tomas Tomilinas. Žuromskas has confirmed his intention to attend.