The Lithuanian Cabinet of Ministers has decided to submit a draft law to the Seimas that will enable Lithuanian public authorities to organize the purchase of Category A weapons for Ukraine.
This was reported by Delfi.
Amendments to the Law on Control of Arms and Ammunition are aimed at creating an exemption for Lithuanian state institutions regarding the acquisition of Category A weapons, weapon accessories, and ammunition. The amendments are designed for the Central Project Management Agency (CPMA), which facilitates the implementation of joint EU support projects for Ukraine and carries out public procurement procedures.
The justification for this is that, under the current procedure, the intermediary activities of CPMA are prohibited for Category A weapons. In other words, the project implementation agency cannot act as an intermediary during the purchase agreements for Category A weapons, thus losing the opportunity to implement part of the joint EU projects and other projects intended for Ukraine.
The Lithuanian Ministry of Internal Affairs, which prepared the draft, also claims that the amendments will create conditions for Lithuanian institutions to become more competitive on the international market, competing with institutions from other EU countries for the implementation of similar support projects.