Lithuanian lawmakers are pushing to introduce legislation that would ban companies with commercial ties to Russia or Belarus from operating at critical infrastructure sites, including airports, following concerns raised in a closed parliamentary session.
Laurynas Kasčiūnas, deputy chairman of the Seimas National Security and Defence Committee, said on Wednesday that the committee was moving forward with the proposal, though the precise legislative mechanism had yet to be determined.
"We need to strengthen the legal framework so that, five years into the war, trade relations with the Russian Federation and Belarus can be treated as a criterion for refusing permits or contracts at Lithuania's strategic sites," he said.
The committee's discussions were prompted in part by questions surrounding Travel Retail Vilnius, the company that operates duty-free shops at Vilnius and Kaunas airports. The firm is owned by Gebr. Heinemann, a major German travel retail group that previously operated in the Russian and Belarusian markets.
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