Lithuania has submitted an application to the European Investment Bank (EIB) for funding a permanent German military base in the country, LRT reports.
EIB President Nadia Calviño confirmed this information to the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
According to the publication, the Lithuanian government plans to spend over €1 billion on the construction of the military base and has turned to the EIB for support. Calviño noted that Lithuania's request comes at a time when Europe must recognize that the "geopolitical order has reached a turning point."
Earlier, BNS news agency reported that Lithuanian Finance Minister Rimantas Šadžius had begun negotiations with the EIB. According to him, the bank could partially finance Lithuania's defense and security infrastructure projects, including military camps and military mobility initiatives.
Berlin plans to deploy a 5,000-strong brigade to Lithuania by the end of 2027. The majority of the Bundeswehr troops will be stationed in Rūdninkai, in the eastern district of Šalčininkai, and the rest in Rukla, in the central district of Jonava.
The brigade’s initial command element, about 20 military personnel responsible for planning the brigade’s relocation to Lithuania, arrived in Vilnius last April. Their number will increase to 500 by the end of the year.
