Switzerland offers support worth 45.2 million Swiss francs to Lithuania

Martin Michelet, the Ambassador of Switzerland, and the Lithuanian Minister of Finance Gintaré Skaisté have signed an implementation agreement for the Swiss-Lithuanian cooperation program within the framework of the second Swiss contribution to selected EU member states. According to a press release issued by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), the support amounts to 45.2 million Swiss francs.

With the second Swiss contribution to selected EU member states, the aim is to strengthen cohesion throughout Europe. With this, the focus is on supporting countries facing exceptional migration challenges in particular.

Of the overall amount, a total of 30 million Swiss francs is earmarked for the quality and accessibility of maternal, newborn and child healthcare and social services in Lithuania. In total, 10 million francs will be put towards the program for civic participation. Here, the aim is to promote the involvement of young people, migrants and refugees in democratic decision-making processes, in addition to increasing the quality of volunteering. Moreover, a further sum of 4.5 million Swiss francs will be invested in a vocational training program that seeks to improve the availability of skilled workers.

The press release explains that, during the signing of the framework agreement, Gintaré Skaisté praised Switzerland for having never doubted Lithuania’s determination to become an equal part of the community of Western democracies. To this end, it is “encouraging to find common bilateral interests in various areas of public policy”, she added. ce/mm