COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 2025 Environmental Implementation Review Country Report - LITHUANIA Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions 2025 Environmental Implementation Review for prosperity and security
Date: 2025-07-07
Institutions: Directorate-General for Environment, European Commission
Subjects: EU environmental policy, Lithuania, application of EU law, biodiversity, circular economy, climate change policy, environmental law, governance, pollution control measures, waste management

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 7.7.2025  SWD(2025) 316 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 2025 Environmental Implementation Review       Country Report - LITHUANIA               Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions 2025 Environmental Implementation Review for prosperity and security {COM(2025) 420 final} - {SWD(2025) 300 final} - {SWD(2025) 301 final} - {SWD(2025) 302 final} - {SWD(2025) 303 final} - {SWD(2025) 304 final} - {SWD(2025) 305 final} - {SWD(2025) 306 final} - {SWD(2025) 307 final} - {SWD(2025) 308 final} - {SWD(2025) 309 final} - {SWD(2025) 310 final} - {SWD(2025) 311 final} - {SWD(2025) 312 final} - {SWD(2025) 313 final} - {SWD(2025) 314 final} - {SWD(2025) 315 final} - {SWD(2025) 317 final} - {SWD(2025) 318 final} - {SWD(2025) 319 final} - {SWD(2025) 320 final} - {SWD(2025) 321 final} - {SWD(2025) 322 final} - {SWD(2025) 323 final} - {SWD(2025) 324 final} - {SWD(2025) 325 final} - {SWD(2025) 326 final}  
 
 
Contents 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................... 3 

PART I: THEMATIC AREAS ...................................................................................................................................... 4 

1. CIRCULAR ECONOMY AND WASTE MANAGEMENT ............................................................................................................. 4 
Transitioning to a circular economy ..................................................................................................................... 4 
Waste management ............................................................................................................................................. 6 
2. BIODIVERSITY AND NATURAL CAPITAL ........................................................................................................................... 13 
Global and EU biodiversity frameworks ............................................................................................................. 13 
Nature protection and restoration – Natura 2000 ............................................................................................. 14 
Recovery of species ............................................................................................................................................ 15 
Recovery of ecosystems ..................................................................................................................................... 16 
Prevention and management of invasive alien species ...................................................................................... 22 
Ecosystem assessment and accounting ............................................................................................................. 23 
3. ZERO POLLUTION ..................................................................................................................................................... 25 
Clean air ............................................................................................................................................................. 25 
Industrial emissions ............................................................................................................................................ 26 
Major industrial accidents prevention – Seveso ................................................................................................. 28 
Mercury Regulation ............................................................................................................................................ 29 
Noise .................................................................................................................................................................. 30 
Water quality and management ........................................................................................................................ 30 
Chemicals ........................................................................................................................................................... 35 
4. CLIMATE ACTION ..................................................................................................................................................... 38 
The EU emissions trading system ....................................................................................................................... 38 
Effort sharing ..................................................................................................................................................... 39 
Land use, land-use change and forestry ............................................................................................................. 40 
Adaptation to climate change ............................................................................................................................ 40 

PART II: ENABLING FRAMEWORK – IMPLEMENTATION TOOLS ............................................................................ 41 

5. FINANCING ............................................................................................................................................................. 41 
Climate finance landmarks ................................................................................................................................. 41 
Environmental financing and investments ......................................................................................................... 41 
Public financial management ............................................................................................................................. 46 
6. ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE ................................................................................................................................. 49 
Information, public participation and access to justice...................................................................................... 49 
Compliance assurance ........................................................................................................................................ 51 
EU-supported environmental capacity building ................................................................................................. 53 

EN 

  EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lithuania  3 

Executive summary 

Implementation  Review,  a 

In  May  2016,  the  European  Commission  launched  the 
regular 
Environmental 
reporting 
tool  based  on  analysis,  dialogue  and 
collaboration  with  EU  Member  States  to  improve  the 
implementation  of  existing  EU  environmental  policy  and 
legislation1.  Following  previous  cycles  in  2017,  2019  and 
2022,  this  report  assesses  the  progress  made  while 
the  main  outstanding  challenges  and 
describing 
opportunities 
legal 
implementation in Lithuania. The purpose of the report is 
to  provide 
implementation 
performance  and  highlight  the  most  effective  ways  to 
address  the  implementation  gaps  that  impact  human 
health  and  the  environment  and  hamper  the  economic 
development  and  competitiveness  of  the  country.  The 
report relies on detailed sectoral implementation reports 
collected  or  issued  by  the  Commission  under  specific 
environmental legislation. 

information  on 

environmental 

regarding 

the 

The  main  challenges  set  out  below  have  been  selected 
from  Part I  of  this  report,  ‘Thematic  areas’,  taking  into 
consideration 
factors  such  as  the  gravity  of  the 
environmental implementation issue in light of the impact 
on the quality of life of citizens, the distance to target and 
financial implications.  

successes 

Lithuania faces significant challenges in transitioning to a 
circular economy, with resource productivity and circular 
material  use  rates  far  below  the  EU  average.  The 
Guidelines for Lithuania's Transition to a Circular Economy 
by  2035,  adopted  in  2023,  aim  to  address  these  issues. 
like  mandatory  green  public 
Despite 
procurement  since  2023  and  progress  toward  reducing 
landfill  waste,  Lithuania  risks  missing  2025  recycling 
targets  for  municipal  and  packaging  waste.  Key  steps  to 
take  for  improvement  involve  increasing  recycling  rates, 
enhancing  collection  systems  for  electric  and  electronic 
waste  and  textiles,  promoting  waste  prevention,  and 
boosting  the  use  of  secondary  critical  raw  materials  to 
achieve a sustainable circular economy. 

Having  two  thirds  of  protected  habitats  in  unfavourable 
conservation status impacts Lithuania’s climate resilience, 
as  the  loss  of  biodiversity  impairs  ecosystems’  ability  to 
provide services that help mitigate the effects of climate 
change, such as regulating water cycles, maintaining soil 
health,  and  sequestering  carbon.  Finalising  Natura  2000 
site designations as special areas of conservation, setting 

site-specific conservation objectives and measures for all 
the  sites  and  securing  funding  for  management  and 
restoration  measures  are  another  area  of  improvement. 
At the same time, Lithuania also offers notable examples 
of good practices, such as the wetland restoration project 
Integrated  Project 
on  the  Salantas  River,  the  LIFE 
"Optimising the Management of the Natura 2000 Network 
in  Lithuania,"  and  coordinated  work  on  the  national 
nature restoration plan.  

Water pollution remains a challenge, marked by declining 
ecological status and a sharp drop in surface water bodies 
meeting  good  chemical  status.  Lakes,  rivers,  and  coastal 
waters  in  Lithuania  are  polluted,  with  less  than  half 
achieving good ecological status due to agricultural runoff, 
urban  pollution,  and  nutrient  flows  contributing  to  the 
Baltic  Sea's  eutrophication.  The  required  steps  include 
effectively monitoring pollutants in surface water bodies 
and better integrating environmental considerations into 
sectoral policies.  

In terms of air pollution, since 2019, downward emission 
trends  have  been  reported  for  all  main  pollutants. 
However, Lithuania needs to address the non-compliance 
with  the  emission  reduction  commitments  for  nitrogen 
oxide and ammonia.  

While Vilnius has been named the European Green Capital 
2025,  Lithuania  continues 
to  enhance 
environmental  sustainability  both  within  the  capital  and 
across the entire country. 

its  efforts 

The  overall  environmental  investment  needs  to  enable 
Lithuania to meet its objectives in the main environmental 
areas is EUR 2.9 billion per year, broken down as follows: 
circular economy (EUR 751 million); pollution prevention 
and  control  (EUR  274  million);  water  (EUR  439  million); 
and  biodiversity  and  ecosystems 
(EUR  1  billion). 
Lithuania’s overall environmental investment gap reaches 
an estimated EUR 1.6 billion per year, representing around 
2.36% of the national GDP, being considerably higher than 
the EU-average (0.77%). 

In  terms  of  environmental  governance,  Lithuania  has 
made good progress on accessibility of spatial data as well 
as  efforts  to  inform  environmental  stakeholders  about 
ways  to  enforce  their  environmental  rights,  in  particular 
on compliance, monitoring and participation.  

1 Communication "Delivering the benefits of EU environmental policies 
through a regular Environmental Implementation Review" (COM/2016/ 
316 final) 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
 
Lithuania  4 

Part I: Thematic areas 

1. Circular economy and waste management

Transitioning to a circular economy 

Figure 1: CMUR (%), 2013–2023 

Advancing the transition to a circular economy in the EU 
will reduce the environmental and climate impact of our 
industrial systems  by  reducing  input  materials,  keeping 
products  and  materials  in  the  loop  for  longer  and 
reducing  waste  generation,  thus  decoupling  economic 
growth from resource consumption. A circular economy 
has  considerable  potential  to  increase  competitiveness 
and  job  creation  and  will  also  promote  innovation  and 
provide  access  to  new  markets.  With  the  2020  circular 
economy action plan (CEAP) (2) measures either in place 
or  legislatively  advanced,  EU  Member  States  will  now 
have to focus on a swift and effective implementation. 

The 2020 CEAP launched the legislative process for a set 
of  initiatives  that  will  now  have  to  be  implemented  by 
national  governments  across  the  EU.  These  initiatives 
life-cycle 
introduced  following  a  holistic 
were  all 
approach, with measures addressing the different stages 
of a product’s life cycle, from design through use to end 
of life. 

In the CEAP, the EU sets as its overarching objective the 
doubling of its circular material use rate (CMUR) by 2030. 

The CMUR is a measure of one aspect of circularity: the 
share  of  the  total  amount  of  material  used  in  the 
economy  that  is  accounted  for  by  recycled  waste.  A 
higher  CMUR  value  means  that  more  secondary 
materials  were  used  as  a  substitute  for  raw  materials, 
thus  reducing  the  environmental  impacts  of  extracting 
primary material. 

Lithuania’s  circular  use  of  material  was  3.9 %  in  2023, 
which  is  much  lower  than  the  EU  average  of  11.8 % 
(Figure 1).  The  rate  has  been  relatively  stable  over  the 
past 10 years, with rather small changes. 

(2) 

Communication 
from  the  Commission  to  the  European 
Parliament,  the  Council,  the  European  Economic  and  Social 
Committee and the Committee of the Regions – A new circular 

14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0

2013

2015

2017

2019

2021

2023

Lithuania

EU-27

Source: Eurostat, ‘Circular material use rate’, env_ac_cur, last updated 
13 November 
2024, 
accessed 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/env_ac_cur/default
/table?lang=en. 

9 December 

2024, 

product 

Improving 

Resource  productivity  measures  the  total  amount  of 
materials directly used by an economy in relation to gross 
domestic 
resource 
(GDP). 
productivity  can  help  to  minimise  negative  impacts  on 
the environment and reduce dependency on volatile raw 
material  markets. 
In  2023,  Lithuania  generated 
EUR 0.79/kg of material, compared with an EU average 
of  EUR 2.23  (Figure 2).  This  puts  Lithuania  among  the 
Member States with the lowest resource productivity. 

Figure 2: Resource productivity (EUR/kg), 2013–2023 

2,5

2,0

1,5

1,0

0,5

0,0

2013

2015

2017

2019

2021

2023

Lithuania

EU-27

NB:  The  unit  of  measure  used  is EUR/kg  chain linked volume  (2015). 
Chain-linked  volumes  focus  on  changes  on  quantities  and  prices  of 
commodities  in  previous  years,  taking  account  of  inflation,  and  are 
indexed to the nearest appropriate year, in this case 2015. 

Source: Eurostat, ‘Resource productivity’, last updated 7 August 2024, 
accessed 9 December 2024, Statistics | Eurostat. 

economy action plan for a cleaner and more competitive Europe, 
COM(2020) 98 
https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-content/FR/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52020DC0098. 

11 March 

2020, 

final 

of 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
 
Policies and measures 

In  parallel  with  European  initiatives  under  the  CEAP, 
Member States are encouraged to adopt and implement 
circular strategies at the national, regional and city levels. 
These  should  be  tailored  to  each  national  and  local 
reality, to harness the proximity economy’s (3) potential, 
while following the principles of a holistic whole-value-
chain approach. 

Since  the 
launch  of  the  online  European  Circular 
Economy  Stakeholder  Platform  in  2017 ( 4 )  national, 
regional and local authorities have used the platform to 
share their strategies, roadmaps and good practices, for 
example  alternative  business  models  and  innovative 
technologies. 

In  June  2023,  Lithuania  adopted  the  guidelines  for 
Lithuania’s  transition  to  a  circular  economy  by  2035. 
Although the document provides guidelines, it serves as 
a  mandatory  action  plan  for  institutions  from  different 
sectors contributing to the circular economy. 

The  guidelines  include  both  measures  focused  on  the 
circular  economy  but  already  planned  by  existing 
strategic documents, and new actions. It identifies areas 
that  contribute  the  most  to  the  goals  of  the  circular 
economy – namely industry, construction, bioeconomy, 
transport, waste and consumption – for intervention. 

Lithuania has integrated into the guidelines the circular 
economy aspects of the national  waste prevention and 
waste  management  plan  for  2021–2027,  such  as  life-
cycle  modelling  methodologies  for  buildings,  financing, 
awareness-raising  campaigns  and  extended  producer 
responsibility (EPR) schemes. 

Green public procurement 

Public  procurement  accounts  for  a  large  proportion  of 
European 
consumption,  with  public  authorities’ 
purchasing power representing around 14 % of EU GDP. 
Public procurement using green or circular criteria (life-
cycle analysis, PaaS (platform as a service), second hand) 
can help drive the demand for sustainable products that 
meet reparability and recyclability standards. 

The  Lithuanian  national  progress  plan (5)  (amended  on 
9 October  2021)  stipulated  that  100%  of  all  public 
procurements  by  value  in  2025  should  be  green.  The 
government  programme ( 6 )  aligns  with  the  national 

Lithuania  5 

Mandatory 

procurement. 

progress plan and sets the even more ambitious goal of 
green public procurement (GPP) becoming the dominant 
type  of  public  procurement  in  the  public  sector  as  of 
2023.  Indeed,  since  2023,  GPP  has  been  mandatory  in 
Lithuania.  Updated  rules  have  been  approved  for  the 
application of environmental protection criteria in green 
public 
minimum 
environmental criteria have been set out for 32 product 
groups.  The  definition  of  GPP  now  not  only  includes 
mandatory  minimum  GPP  criteria,  but  also  refers  to 
ecolabels,  environmental  management  systems  or 
standards, and other environmental criteria. In cases  in 
which minimal environmental criteria do not apply, the 
contracting  authority  can  set  them  independently  in 
accordance with established principles of circularity and 
sustainability of a given product. GPP is monitored and 
statistical  data  collected  by  the  Public  Procurement 
Office (PPO). The data are published online on the public 
procurement  scoreboard (7).  All  contracting  authorities 
must report on their  green procurement procedures to 
the PPO. In addition, the PPO publishes annual progress 
reports  are  published  on  GPP.  To 
facilitate  the 
development  of  GPP,  the  PPO  has  established  a 
sustainable  procurement  unit that provides contracting 
authorities,  contracting  entities  and  suppliers  with 
consultations and training on green, socially responsible 
and  innovative  procurement.  Increasing  GPP’s  share  in 
total public procurement  is one of the measures  in the 
Lithuanian recovery and resilience plan (RRP). 

The EU Ecolabel and the eco-management and audit 
scheme 

The  number  of  EU  Ecolabel  product  groups  and  the 
number of eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS)-
licensed  organisations  in  each  country  provide  some 
indication of the extent to which the private sector and 
in  that  country  are  actively 
national  stakeholders 
engaged in the transition to a circular economy. The EU 
Ecolabel  is  awarded  to  products  with  best-in-class 
environmental  performance.  EMAS 
is  a  voluntary 
environment  management  scheme  aimed  at  reducing 
the environmental impacts of organisations. 

As of September 2024, Lithuania had 741 products out of 
98 977, and 9 licences out of 2 983, registered in the EU 
ecolabel  scheme,  showing  a  rather  low  take-up  of 
licences in particular (8). Moreover, as of October 2024, 

(3) 

(4) 
(5) 

‘Proximity  and 

European  Commission, 
social  economy 
ecosystem’,  European  Commission  website,  https://single-
market-economy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/proximity-and-social-
economy_en. 
https://circulareconomy.europa.eu/platform/en/strategies. 
https://e-
seimas.lrs.lt/portal/legalAct/lt/TAD/c1259440f7dd11eab72ddb
4a109da1b5/asr. 

(6) 

(7) 

(8) 

https://e-
seimas.lrs.lt/portal/legalAct/lt/TAD/973c87403bc311eb8c97e0
1ffe050e1c. 
https://vpt.lrv.lt/lt/statistika-ir-analize/pirkimu-vykdytoju-
zemelapis-svieslente-1. 
European Commission, ‘EU Ecolabel facts and figures’, European 
website, 
Commission 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
three organisations in Lithuania are currently registered 
in the EMAS, two less than in October 2021 (9). 

Previous  calls,  specifically  from  the  2019  report,  to 
integrate all stages of the life cycle in measures related 
to the  circular  economy in addition to  those related to 
waste have slowly been put into action. 

The  CMUR  of  Lithuania  slightly  decreased,  by  0.1 
percentage points, in 2023. This does not represent any 
progress  towards  the  2022  priority  action  to  take 
measures to increase the rate. 

2025 priority action 

•  Adopt measures to increase the CMUR. 

Waste management 

Turning waste into a resource is supported by: 

—  addressing  the  full  life  cycle  of  products,  from 
conception to end of life, by setting requirements on 
the design of products to ensure that they are more 
sustainable; 

—  fully 

implementing  EU  waste  legislation,  which 
includes  the  waste  hierarchy,  the  obligation  to 
ensure  separate  collection  of  waste, 
landfill 
diversion targets, etc.; 

—  reducing  waste  generation  per  capita  and 

in 

absolute terms; 

—  increasing  the  recycling  rates  of  waste  containing 
critical raw materials (CRMs), with a view to reducing 
dependencies  and  building  resilient  value  chains, 
and stimulating demand for recycled content  in all 
products; 

—  limiting energy recovery to non-recyclable materials; 

and 

—  phasing  out  landfilling  of  recyclable  or  recoverable 

waste. 

One  of  the  main  objectives  of  the  EU  Waste  Law  is  to 
its  environmental 
decouple  economic  growth  from 
impacts.  

The EU’s approach to waste management is based on the 
waste  treatment  hierarchy:  prevention,  preparing  for 
reuse,  recycling,  recovery  and,  as  the  least  preferred 
option,  disposal  (which  includes  incineration  without 
energy recovery and landfilling). 

All legislative proposals in the field of waste management 
put forward by the Commission since 2021 are intended 
to encourage Member States to promote better product 
design,  to  require  producers  to  cover  the  costs  of 

Lithuania  6 

managing the waste resulting from their products and to 
ensure that waste is managed at the higher levels of the 
waste hierarchy. 

In Lithuania, total waste generated increased until 2018 
but has decreased since (Figure 3). This trend is primarily 
driven  by  the  largest  waste  categories,  namely  mineral 
waste  from  construction  and  demolition,  and  other 
in  manufacturing 
mineral  waste  (mainly  generated 
activities).  When  looking  at  waste  excluding  major 
mineral  waste,  recyclable  ferrous  metal  waste,  sorting 
residues, and household and similar waste are the largest 
fractions. The amount of sorting residues has increased 
steadily  and  influences  the  overall  trend,  indicating 
major  changes 
in  the  waste  management  system. 
Lithuania’s  GDP  increased  throughout  the  time  frame 
considered, with the exception of a drop in 2020, most 
likely  due  to  the  COVID-19  pandemic.  While  additional 
data points are required for confirmation, data from the 
most  recent  years 
indicate  a  potential  decoupling 
between waste generation and economic growth. 

Figure 3:  Generation  of  waste  (total  and  excluding 
major mineral waste), population and GDP, 2010–2022 

2024, 

accessed 

accessed 

income)’, 

22 October 

15 October 

30 September 

nama_10_gdp, 

NB: Waste generation data for odd years are interpolated. 
Sources:  Eurostat,  ‘GDP  and  main  components  (output,  expenditure 
and 
2024, 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/nama_10_gdp__cu
stom_9301905/default/table; Eurostat, ‘Generation of waste by waste 
category,  hazardousness  and  NACE  Rev. 2  activity’,  env_wasgen,  last 
2024, 
updated 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/env_wasgen/defaul
t/table?lang=en; Eurostat, ‘Population change – Demographic balance 
and  crude  rates  at  national  level’,  demo_grind,  accessed  15 October 
2024, 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/demo_gind/default
/table?lang=en&category=demo.demo_ind. 
Critical raw materials  
In  Lithuanian  national  legislation,  products  containing 
CRMs are integrated by setting requirements to ensure 
the collection of individual waste streams. In Lithuania, 
the requirements for the products and waste streams are 
laid down in 11 pieces of national legislation as well as 
two  national  strategies.  Accordingly,  Lithuania  collects 
waste 
from  batteries,  electrical  and  electronic 
equipment  (including  photovoltaic  panels),  vehicles, 
slags  and  ashes;  construction  and  demolition  waste 

https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/circular-economy/eu-
ecolabel/businesses/ecolabel-facts-and-figures_en. 

(9) 

European Commission, ‘EMAS Register’, European Commission 
website, 
https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/emas2/public/registration/list. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
(including wind turbines and energy infrastructure); and 
other flows deemed relevant. However, these do not yet 
appear  to  be  immediately  identifiable  as  sufficiently 
specifically intending to increase recycling rates of CRMs 
in  these  CRM-containing  waste  streams  or  stimulating 
demand for secondary CRMs. 

Notably,  however,  treated  non-hazardous  ash  and  slag 
waste  from  incineration  and  co-incineration  plants  can 
be used in the construction of buildings provided that the 
total metal content of the waste: zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), 
lead  (Pb),  barium  (Ba),  chromium  (Cr),  mercury  (Hg), 
nickel (Ni), tin (Sn), strontium (Sr), arsenic (As), cadmium 
(Cd), vanadium (V), molybdenum (Mo), manganese (Mn) 
and cobalt (Co) in ash and slag wastes shall be no more 
than 5% by weight of the ash or slag waste. To comply 
with these requirements, waste managers shall carry out 
the separation of certain metals from ash and slag during 
waste  treatment,  suggesting  potential  for  future  policy 
changes as some of these are CRMs. 

Construction and demolition waste 

Construction and demolition waste accounts for almost 
40 % of all waste generated in the EU. A recent study (10) 
by  the  European  Commission’s  Joint  Research  Centre 
shows that preparing for reuse and recycling is preferred 
over incineration and landfilling from an environmental 
perspective  for  most  of  the  individual  fractions  of 
construction  and  demolition  waste.  However,  the 
economics are often not in favour of preparing for reuse 
and recycling over incineration and landfilling. If available 
technology  was  to  be  applied,  it  is  estimated  that  the 
increase in preparing for reuse and recycling would lead 
to an additional 33 Mt of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission 
savings annually (more than, for example, the combined 
annual  GHG  emissions  of  Estonia,  Latvia  and 
Luxembourg). 

The rate of preparing for reuse and recycling of mineral 
construction and demolition waste in  Lithuania in 2022 
was  81.3 %,  compared  with  the  EU  average  of  79.8 %. 
Measures  to  further  increase  the  rate  of  preparing  for 

(10) 

(11) 

European  Commission:  Joint  Research  Centre  (JRC),  Techno-
economic  and  environmental  assessment  of  construction  and 
demolition  waste  management 
in  the  European  Union, 
Publications  Office  of  the  European  Union,  Luxembourg,  2024, 
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC135
470. 
European Commission: Directorate-General for Internal Market, 
Industry,  Entrepreneurship  and  SMEs,  EU  construction  & 
demolition waste management protocol including guidelines for 
pre-demolition  and  pre-renovation  audits  of  construction 
works –  Updated  edition  2024,  Publications  Office  of  the 
2024, 
Union, 
European 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/d63d5a8f-64e8-11ef-a8ba-
01aa75ed71a1/language-en. 

Luxembourg, 

Lithuania  7 

reuse and recycling of construction and demolition waste 
include  separate  collection  at  the  source,  for  instance 
through  digitalised  pre-demolition  audits (11)  (so-called 
resource  assessments),  and  EPR  and  other  economic 
instruments,  as  well  as  upstream  measures  such  as 
increasing the recycled content of construction products 
and the circular design (12) of construction works. 

Boosting 
Warning Report 

implementation –  the  2023  Waste  Early 

This  section  focuses  on  the  management  of  municipal 
waste ( 13),  for  which  EU  law  sets  mandatory  recycling 
targets.  In  June  2023,  the  Commission  published  the 
Waste Early Warning Report (14) identifying the general 
trends in waste management and the Member States at 
risk  of  missing  2025  waste  targets  (see  Figure 4). 
Lithuania is among the countries at risk of missing both 
the municipal waste and the packaging waste targets. 

Figure 4:  Member  States’  prospects  of  meeting  the 
preparing for reuse and recycling targets for municipal 
waste and packaging waste 

Member  States  not  at  risk  of  missing  the  55 % 
preparing  for  reuse  and  recycling  target  for 

(12) 

European  Commission,  Circular  Economy –  Principles 
buildings 
https://ec.europa.eu/docsroom/documents/39984. 

Brussels, 

design, 

for 
2020, 

(13)  Municipal  waste  consists  of  (i)  mixed  waste  and  separately 
collected  waste 
including  paper  and 
from  households, 
cardboard,  glass,  metals,  plastics,  biowaste,  wood,  textiles, 
packaging,  waste  electrical  and  electronic  equipment,  waste 
batteries  and  accumulators,  and  bulky  waste, 
including 
mattresses  and  furniture;  and  (ii)  mixed  waste  and  separately 
collected waste from other sources, where such waste is similar 
in  nature  and  composition  to  waste 
from  households 
(Directive 2008/98/EC, Article 3.2b). 
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/publications/waste-early-
warning-report_en. 

(14) 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
 
 
municipal waste and the 65 % recycling target for 
packaging waste 

Packaging  Waste  Directive  ( 16 )  and  the  Directive  on 
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (17). 

Lithuania  8 

Member  States  at  risk  of  missing  the  preparing 
for reuse and recycling target for municipal waste 
but not at risk of missing the recycling target for 
all packaging waste 

Member states at risk of missing both targets 

Outside coverage 

Source: European Environment Agency (EEA), ‘Many EU Member States 
not  on  track  to  meet  recycling  targets  for  municipal  waste  and 
packaging waste’, briefing No 28/2022, Copenhagen, 2023. Reference 
data © ESRI. 

Under  certain  conditions,  the  EU  waste  legislation 
enables some Member States to postpone the deadlines 
for  reaching  certain  waste  management  targets  for 
municipal  and  packaging  waste.  Member  States  that 
want  to  take  this  opportunity  have  to  notify  the 
Commission 24 months in advance of the deadline and 
submit an implementation plan setting out the steps they 
envisage  to  reach  the  postponed  targets  within  a  new 
time  frame.  Regarding  the  2025  targets,  11  Member 
States, including Lithuania, have used this prerogative. 

Lithuania  notified 

On  27 December  2023, 
the 
Commission of its intention to postpone the attainment 
of the target for preparing municipal waste for reuse and 
recycling established by the Waste Framework Directive 
for  2025.  Attached  to  this  notification,  Lithuania 
submitted  an  implementation  plan  setting  out  the 
measures  necessary  to  attain  the  target  within  a 
postponed  time  frame  (i.e.  2030  instead  of  2025). 
According  to  the 
implementation  plan,  the  main 
measures  Lithuania  would  put  in  place  include  the 
promotion of home composting, the reduction of the use 
of  disposable  packaging  in  the  public  sector,  and  the 
setting up of an EPR scheme for textiles. The Commission 
found that the plan complies with the requirements set 
out in the relevant waste legislation. 

In  the  Waste  Early  Warning  Report,  the  Commission 
recommended  that  Member  States  accelerate  their 
efforts  to  improve  their  recycling  performance.  The 
Commission is, on the one hand, working together with 
national  authorities  and  stakeholders  to  speed  up  the 
implementation  of  measures  necessary  to  meet  the 
targets,  including  through  dedicated  financing.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  Commission  is  pursuing  enforcement 
actions against those Member States that, based on data 
submitted to the Commission, do not achieve the targets 
of  Waste  Framework  Directive  ( 15),  the  Packaging  and 

Municipal waste 

Lithuania’s  municipal  waste  generation  has  remained 
rather stable over the past decade (Figure 5). In 2022, the 
country generated 465 kg per capita of municipal waste, 
which  is  below  the  estimated  EU-27  average  of  513 kg 
per capita. 

Figure 5:  Municipal  waste  management  and  recycling 
(including preparation for reuse), 2010–2022 

Source: Eurostat, ‘Municipal waste by waste management operations’, 
2024, 
env_wasmun, 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ENV_WASMUN/def
ault/table. 

22 October 

accessed 

Figure 6: Recycling (including preparation for reuse) and 
landfill rates (%), 2010–2022 

Source: Eurostat, ‘Municipal waste by waste management operations’, 
2024, 
env_wasmun, 

22 October 

accessed 

(15)   Directive  2008/98/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council  of  19  November  2008  on  waste  and  repealing  certain 
Directives, Directive - 2008/98 - EN - Waste framework directive 
- EUR-Lex. 

(16)  Directive  2012/19/EU  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council  of  4 July  2012  on  waste  electrical  and  electronic 

equipment  (WEEE)  (OJ  L 197,  24.7.2012,  p. 38),  Directive  - 
2012/19 - EN - EUR-Lex. 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32012L0019. 

(17) 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ENV_WASMUN/def
ault/table. 

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ENV_WASPAC__cus
tom_842634/default/table?lang=en. 

Lithuania  9 

In July 2024, a letter of formal notice was addressed to 
Lithuania, as, having regard to the reports submitted by 
Lithuania,  the  Commission  considered  that  it  failed  to 
meet 50 % target for 2020 of preparing municipal waste 
(e.g.  paper,  metal,  plastic  and  glass)  for  reuse  and 
recycling.  This  target  was  set  by  the  Waste  Framework 
Directive. In addition, Lithuania did not meet the target 
of 65 % for the minimum collection of the average weight 
of  electrical  and  electronic  equipment  placed  on  the 
market  in  the  three  preceding  years  set  by  the  WEEE 
Directive. While for the 50 % target for 2020 of preparing 
municipal  waste  for  reuse  and  recycling  Lithuania 
clarified in its reply that the target was not achieved due 
to its use of the incorrect calculation method, efforts are 
still needed in order to achieve the minimum collection 
target for WEEE. In this regard, Lithuania is adopting and 
planning various incentives and legislative measures that 
should enable it to reach the minimum collection target 
for WEEE. 

Packaging waste 

Lithuania’s  packaging  waste  generation  has  been 
increasing since 2010. The country generated 151 kg per 
capita  in  2022,  which  is  still  significantly  below  the 
estimated EU-27 average of 186 kg per capita in the same 
year (18). 

Figure 7: Packaging waste generation, 2010–2022 

Source: Eurostat, ‘Packaging waste by waste management operations’, 
env_waspac, last updated 23 October 2024, accessed 28 October 2024, 

Figure 8:  Packaging  waste  recycling  rates  (%),  2010–
2022 

NB: Break in time series in 2020. As of reference year 2020 the rules for 
calculating  recycled  packaging  waste  have  changed,  pursuant  to 
Article 6a of Directive 94/62/EC. Lithuania is reporting data according 
to these new reporting rules for reference year 2020 onwards. 

Sources: Eurostat, ‘Packaging waste by waste management operations’, 
env_waspac, last updated 23 October 2024, accessed 28 October 2024, 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ENV_WASPAC__cus
tom_842634/default/table?lang=en;  Eurostat,  Country-specific  notes 
referring  to  data  on  packaging  and  packaging  waste,  Luxembourg, 
2024, 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cache/metadata/Annexes/env_waspac
_esms_an_3.pdf. 

In 2022, the recycling rate for packaging waste was 58 %, 
and  the  trend  has  stagnated  since  2010.  The  recycling 
rate  is  slightly  below  the  estimated  EU-27  average  of 
65 %. Recycling rates for all packaging fractions fluctuate 
significantly  over  time,  not  indicating  any  clear  trends. 
The  recycling  rate  is  mainly  driven  by  paper  and 
cardboard packaging, as it is the largest packaging waste 
fraction. The decrease in the recycling rate for paper and 
cardboard  packaging  from  2018  onwards  can  be 
explained  by  a  decrease  in  demand  for  paper  and 
cardboard  packaging ( 19 ).  Plastics  recycling  increased 
considerably  overall  from  2012  to  2016,  with  a  slight 
decrease to 2019, and since dropped markedly to 44% in 
2022.  The  drop  in  glass  packaging  recycling  in  2017  is 
related  to  a  change 
in  the  waste  management 
system (20).  From  the  reference  year  2020  onwards,  it 
was  mandatory  to  report  the  recycling  of  steel  and 
aluminium  packaging  separately.  In  2022,  the  recycling 
rates of both fractions exceeded the 2025 target. 

(18) 

(19) 

The EU average might have been influenced by not all Member 
States fully applying the reporting rules for packaging waste set 
out in Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/665. 
EEA,  Early  warning  assessment  related  to  the  2025  targets  for 
municipal and packaging waste – Lithuania, Copenhagen, 2022, 

(20) 

https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/many-eu-member-
states/lithuania/view. 
EEA,  Early  warning  assessment  related  to  the  2025  targets  for 
municipal and packaging waste – Lithuania, Copenhagen, 2022, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/many-eu-member-
states/lithuania/view. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
 
Policies to encourage waste prevention 

Waste  management  plans  and  waste  prevention 
programmes are instrumental to the full implementation 
of EU waste legislation. They set out key provisions and 
investments to ensure compliance with existing and new 
legal  requirements  (e.g.  on  waste  prevention,  on 
separate  collection  for  certain  waste  streams,  on 
recycling and on landfill targets). 

Lithuania’s  national  waste  prevention  programme 
(NWPP) is integrated into the national waste prevention 
and management plan 2021–2027 in its own chapter (21). 
The long-term goals of the programme are to minimise 
waste  generation,  ensure  safe  waste  management, 
promote  the  rational  use  of  resources,  reduce  landfill 
waste,  mitigate  environmental  pollution  and  provide 
local raw materials to industry. Consequently, there is a 
considerable overlap in the aims of waste prevention and 
waste management (22). 

Streams  prioritised  include  food;  packaging;  electrical 
and  electronic  equipment;  end-of-life  vehicles;  oils; 
batteries; 
fishing  gear  containing  plastic;  textiles; 
furniture; hazardous waste; waste from  manufacturing, 
construction  and  demolition,  and  healthcare;  and 
sewage  sludge ( 23 ).  The  specific  waste  prevention 
goals (24) are to avoid the generation of waste and reduce 
the  number  of  hazardous  substances  in  raw  materials 
and  products;  encourage  users  to  choose  reusable 
products and repair rather than replace; reduce littering; 
and promote the ecological design of products. 

As part of the reforms in its Recovery and Resilience Plan 
(RRP), Lithuania approved the “Guidelines for transition 
to a circular economy by 2035” on 21 July 2023 (25). 

(21)  Ministry  of  Environment  of  the  Republic  of  Lithuania,  Dėl 
Valstybinio  atliekų  prevencijos  ir  tvarkymo  2021–2027  metų 
planas [National waste prevention and management plan 2021–
2027],  Document  No D1-301,  Vilnius,  2023,  https://e-
seimasx.lrs.lt/portal/legalAct/lt/TAD/73a8e860483511ee8185e
4f3ad07094a?jfwid=1hjca036y. 
EEA, Waste Prevention Country Profile – Lithuania, Copenhagen, 
2023, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/waste/waste-
prevention/countries/2023-waste-prevention-country-fact-
sheets/lithuania_waste_prevention_2023. 

(22) 

(23)  Dėl Valstybinio atliekų prevencijos ir tvarkymo 2021–2027 metų 
planas [National waste prevention and management plan 2021–
2027],  Document  No D1-301,  Vilnius,  2023,  https://e-
seimasx.lrs.lt/portal/legalAct/lt/TAD/73a8e860483511ee8185e
4f3ad07094a?jfwid=1hjca036y. 

(24)  Dėl Valstybinio atliekų prevencijos ir tvarkymo 2021–2027 metų 
planas [National waste prevention and management plan 2021–
2027],  Document  No D1-301,  Vilnius,  2023,  https://e-
seimasx.lrs.lt/portal/legalAct/lt/TAD/73a8e860483511ee8185e
4f3ad07094a?jfwid=1hjca036y. 

(25)  Ministry  of  Environment  of  the  Republic  of  Lithuania,  Lietuvos 
perėjimo prie žiedinės ekonomikos iki 2035 m. gairės (Guidelines 
for  the  Lithuanian  transition  to  a  circular  economy  by  2035), 
2023, 
Vilnius, 

Lithuania  10 

The NWPP will be evaluated after six years, with several 
quantitative targets related to waste prevention, such as 
reducing net waste volume per GDP, reducing municipal 
waste per capita and  increasing CMUR. To monitor the 
indicators  is 
progress  of  implementation,  a  set  of 
used (26). 

The  current  NWPP ( 27 )  does  not  include  any  clear 
evaluation of the previous waste prevention programme 
or  how  the  results  were  integrated  into  the  current 
NWPP.  A  budget  for  the  implementation  of  specific 
measures is included in the plan (28). 

Policies to encourage separate collection and recycling 

Separate collection of recyclable waste is mandatory for 
households  and  non-households.  Collection 
from 
households covers all fractions, and the same fractions 
are collected from non-households if they are similar to 
household  waste.  To  ensure  separate  collection,  a 
warning  or  a  fine  of  EUR 20  to  EUR 80  for  non-
compliance  can  be  applied  as  an  enforcement 
mechanism (29). 

is  the  dominant 
In  cities,  door-to-door  collection 
collection  system 
for  residual  waste,  paper  and 
cardboard,  ferrous  metals,  aluminium,  glass,  plastic, 
WEEE,  composite  packaging  and  biowaste.  For  multi-
apartment  buildings,  door-to-door  collection  is  done 
using collective containers that are usually located very 
close to the building. In towns and suburbs, ‘bring points’ 
are  the  dominant  collection  system  for  all  fractions 
except  biowaste  and  residual  waste,  which  is  collected 
door  to  door.  In  rural  areas,  door-to-door  collection  of 
either  separate  fractions  or  commingled  fractions  is 
dominant.  Garden  waste  is  mainly  collected  at  civic 
amenity  sites ( 30 ).  There  is  also  a  specific  collection 
service  for  certain  waste  streams  for  residents  who  do 

(26) 

https://am.lrv.lt/uploads/am/documents/files/VPA20230621_2
%2Bkl_%2Bpriedas(1)(1).pdf. 
EEA, Waste Prevention Country Profile – Lithuania, Copenhagen, 
2023, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/waste/waste-
prevention/countries/2023-waste-prevention-country-fact-
sheets/lithuania_waste_prevention_2023. 

(28) 

(27)  Ministry  of  Environment  of  the  Republic  of  Lithuania,  Dėl 
Valstybinio  atliekų  prevencijos  ir  tvarkymo  2021–2027  metų 
planas [National waste prevention and management plan 2021–
2027],  Document  No D1-301,  Vilnius,  2023,  https://e-
seimasx.lrs.lt/portal/legalAct/lt/TAD/73a8e860483511ee8185e
4f3ad07094a?jfwid=1hjca036y. 
EEA, Waste Prevention Country Profile – Lithuania, Copenhagen, 
2023, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/waste/waste-
prevention/countries/2023-waste-prevention-country-fact-
sheets/lithuania_waste_prevention_2023. 
EEA,  Early  warning  assessment  related  to  the  2025  targets  for 
municipal and packaging waste – Lithuania, Copenhagen, 2022, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/many-eu-member-
states/lithuania/view. 
EEA,  Early  warning  assessment  related  to  the  2025  targets  for 
municipal and packaging waste – Lithuania, Copenhagen, 2022, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/many-eu-member-
states/lithuania/view. 

(30) 

(29) 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
not go to civic amenity sites for green waste composting, 
with collection being carried out at a scheduled time and 
picked up from the resident. In order to support sorting 
at  source,  Lithuania  has  implemented  a  pay-as-you-
throw  scheme  for  mixed  waste  in  some  regions  and 
municipalities  for  households  served  by  door-to-door 
collection. 

to  provide  EU  grants 

Lithuania is planning to improve the collection system for 
textiles  and  food  waste  (or  combined  food  and  garden 
waste) ( 31 ).  New  requirements  for  collection  point 
density  and  potential  locations  for  textile  collection 
systems will come into force in 2025. Similar collection 
requirements  are  set  for  other  waste  streams ( 32 ). 
Lithuania  also  plans 
for 
municipalities to expand and/or improve their collection 
systems  for  biowaste,  hazardous  waste  and  textile 
waste ( 33 ).  Furthermore,  Lithuania  will  consider  an 
amendment to the Waste Management Law, to include 
a discount on the waste collection fee for residents who 
practise  home  composting.  This  promotes  municipal 
biowaste  separation  and  recycling  at  source  and  the 
availability  of  data  on  this  waste  stream.  Additionally, 
there are plans to incentivise municipalities through tax 
benefits to achieve set biological waste recycling targets 
(with a portion of the funds paid into the budget being 
returned to them upon reaching these targets) (34). 

In  Lithuania,  EPR  systems  apply  to  all  packaging  waste. 
Lithuania has no advanced EPR fee modulation, such as 
higher  fees  for  difficult-to-recycle  plastic  types  or 
combinations of materials. However, a  packaging tax is 
levied  on  producers/importers  that  fail  to  meet  the 
Lithuanian  targets  for  packaging  reuse  or  packaging 
waste management. Since 2022, the tax has been set at 
a  higher  level  for  non-recyclable  packaging  than  for 
recyclable  packaging.  The  government  defines  which 
packaging is considered recyclable or non-recyclable. 

New  rules  are  currently  being  implemented,  based  on 
which producer responsibility organisations will have an 

Lithuania  11 

obligation  to  finance  the  development  of  collection 
infrastructure by municipalities (35). 

Lithuania implements mandatory deposit return systems 
for  beverage  cans  and  bottles,  and  voluntary  systems 
exist for reusable packaging such as cups, plastic crates 
and wooden packaging (36). 

Policies to discourage landfilling or incineration 

line  with  the  consumer  price 

Lithuania  had  a  landfill  tax  of  EUR 10/t  in  2021  and 
EUR 15/t  in  2022.  As  of  2023  the  tax  increased  to 
EUR 50/t as a basic tariff, but the tax is regularly adjusted 
index,  and  this 
in 
adjustment led to an actual rate for the landfill tax of EUR 
70.20/t  in  2023 ( 37 ).  The  tax  also  covers  outputs  of 
mechanical biological treatment plants that are landfilled 
and is among the highest landfill taxes applied in the EU. 
Lithuania  has  a  ban  in  place  for  the  landfilling  of 
untreated  waste  and  of  biodegradable  waste  from 
gardens, parks and green areas and some other selected 
waste. Lithuania has no tax on waste incineration (38). 

Lithuania is on a track to meet the 2035 target to reduce 
landfill  to  10 %  of  the  municipal  waste  generated. 
According  to  national  data,  in  2023,  only  7.7 %  of 
municipal waste was landfilled39. Lithuania has to speed 
up  its  progress  towards  reaching  the  2025  target  for 
preparing  municipal  waste  for  reuse  and  recycling  of 
55 %  and  the  2025  target  for  packaging  recycling  of 
65 % ( 40 ).  In  2022,  Lithuania  achieved  a  preparing  for 
reuse and recycling rate of 49 %, and a recycling rate of 
58 % for total packaging waste. Progress since 2019 may 
be masked by the change to the reporting rules that took 
place in 2020. 

In the 2022 Environmental Implementation Review (EIR), 
the  European  Commission  recommended  introducing 
new  policies  for  reuse  and  recycling,  and  supporting 
municipalities  to  organise  separate  collection  and 

(31) 

(32) 

(33) 

(34) 

(35) 

(36) 

Information  provided  by  the  Ministry  of  Environment  of  the 
Republic  of  Lithuania  in  2024  during  the  Eionet  review  of  the 
draft EEA country profile on waste management for Lithuania. 
Information  provided  by  the  Ministry  of  Environment  of  the 
Republic  of  Lithuania  in  2024  during  the  Eionet  review  of  the 
draft EEA country profile on waste management for Lithuania . 
Information  provided  by  the  Ministry  of  Environment  of  the 
Republic  of  Lithuania  in  2024  during  the  Eionet  review  of  the 
draft EEA country profile on waste management for Lithuania . 
Information  provided  by  the  Ministry  of  Environment  of  the 
Republic  of  Lithuania  in  2024  during  the  Eionet  review  of  the 
draft EEA country profile on waste management for Lithuania . 
Information  provided  by  the  Ministry  of  Environment  of  the 
Republic  of  Lithuania  in  2024  during  the  Eionet  review  of  the 
draft EEA country profile on waste management for Lithuania . 
EEA,  Early  warning  assessment  related  to  the  2025  targets  for 
municipal and packaging waste – Lithuania, Copenhagen, 2022, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/many-eu-member-
states/lithuania/view. 

(37) 

(38) 

39  

(40) 

Information  provided  by  the  Ministry  of  Environment  of  the 
Republic  of  Lithuania  in  2024  during  the  Eionet  review  of  the 
draft EEA country profile on waste management for Lithuania. 
EEA,  Early  warning  assessment  related  to  the  2025  targets  for 
municipal and packaging waste – Lithuania, Copenhagen, 2022, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/many-eu-member-
states/lithuania/view;  Information  provided  by  the  Ministry  of 
Environment  of  the  Republic  of  Lithuania  in  2024  during  the 
Eionet  review  of  the  draft  EEA  country  profile  on  waste 
management for Lithuania. 
Lithuanian Ministry of Environment. Municipal waste generation 
and 
aaa.lrv.lt/lt/veiklos-
sritys/atliekos/komunaliniu-atlieku-susidarymo-ir-tvarkymo-
svieslente/ 
EEA,  Early  warning  assessment  related  to  the  2025  targets  for 
municipal and packaging waste – Lithuania, Copenhagen, 2022, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/many-eu-member-
states/lithuania/view. 

management 

dashboard: 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
improve  the  functioning  of  EPR  systems ( 41 ).  The 
Commission issued a number of policy recommendations 
to improve Lithuania’s waste management performance 
in its early warning report for Lithuania (42): 

• 

• 

• 

• 

support the preparing for reuse of municipal waste 
and reuse systems for packaging; 
further  develop  waste  treatment 
infrastructure 
associated with later steps in the waste hierarchy, in 
particular  to 
in  separate 
improve  performance 
collection,  and  increase  the  treatment  capacity  for 
biowaste  and  food  waste  and  set  up  a  quality 
management  system  for  compost  and  digestate 
from biowaste; 
consider  making  municipalities  responsible  for 
meeting specific mandatory targets on the separate 
collection of waste – this could be complemented by 
a  system  of 
financial  awards  and  penalties 
dependent on the performance against such targets 
by the municipalities; 
develop and promote awareness-raising campaigns 
specifically  tailored  to  different  target  groups  to 
increase participation in separate collection. 

Lithuania  has  already  implemented  several  relevant 
measures  to  increase  the  recycling  of  municipal  and 
packaging  waste,  including  the  introduction  of  the 
separate  collection  of  food  waste  from  households, 
increase in the landfill tax, higher taxes on non-recyclable 
packaging and an obligation for producer responsibility 
organisations  to  finance  the  development  of  collection 
infrastructure.  Several  further  measures  are  planned, 
including  economic 
for 
improve  their  separate  collection 
municipalities  to 
systems. 

incentives  and 

support 

Lithuania  has  taken  identifiable  measures  to  pursue  its 
2022 priority actions outlined in the 2022 EIR, although 
more progress is needed. 

(41) 

staff  working 

Commission 
Environmental 
implementation  review  2022:  Country  report –  Lithuania, 
SWD(2022) 266 
final  of  8 September  2022,  https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-

document – 

Lithuania  12 

• 

• 

Lithuania  has  made  some  progress on  introducing 
new  policies,  including  economic  instruments,  to 
promote  prevention  and  make  reuse  and  recycling 
more  economically  attractive.  However,  these 
actions  appear  to  be  more  indirect,  and  as  such, 
more concrete steps are needed. 

Lithuania  has  also  made  some  progress 
in 
developing  and  running  implementation  support 
programmes for municipalities to help support their 
efforts  to  organise  separate  collection  and  further 
improve their recycling performance. 

•  Regarding  the  improvement  of  the  functioning  of 
EPR  systems,  in  line  with  the  general  minimum 
requirements  established  in  the  Waste  Framework 
Directive, Lithuania has made some progress on this 
priority action. 

• 

Finally,  Lithuania  has  made  some  progress  on  the 
priority action of ensuring that a waste management 
plan  in  line  with  the  revised  Waste  Framework 
Directive is in place; however, its progress is in line 
with 
its  postponement  notification,  and  more 
concrete  actions  will  be  necessary  with  realising 
Lithuania’s plans. 

2025 priority actions 

• 

• 

• 

Improve municipal waste preparation for reuse and 
recycling; 
Increase  the  collection  and  recycling  rate  of  waste 
electronic and electric equipment (WEEE); 
Invest in waste prevention measures to reduce  the 
total amount of waste generated. 

(42) 

content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52022SC0266&qid=171049728
5402. 
Commission staff working document – The early warning report 
for Lithuania, SWD(2023) 188 final of 8 June 2023, https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52023SC0188. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
2. Biodiversity and natural capital 

Lithuania  13 

obligations,  NBSAPs  should  also  include  a  biodiversity 
financing  plan  and  a  capacity-building  plan,  based  on 
needs  assessments,  as  well  as  an  overview  of  the 
national indicators used to measure progress. 

national 

environmental 

Lithuania’s 
protection 
strategy (46)  (updated  in  2023)  aims  to  identify  priority 
environmental  policy  areas,  long-term  objectives  up  to 
2030 and Lithuania’s vision for the environment by 2050. 
The  strategy  contains  a 
long-term  objective  of 
establishing  protected  areas  and  Natura  2000  sites  on 
17 %  of  the  country’s  land  area  and  10 %  of  its  marine 
area. 

Lithuania has not yet submitted to the CBD an updated 
NBSAP or aligned national targets in view of the adoption 
of the Kunming–Montreal global biodiversity framework. 

The EU aims to allocate to biodiversity objectives at least 
7.5 % of annual spending under the EU budget in 2024, 
rising to 10 % in 2026 and 2027. 

For details on biodiversity financing and investments for 
Lithuania, see the section ‘Environmental financing and 
investments’ in Chapter 5. 

Global and EU biodiversity frameworks

Biological  diversity  and  healthy  ecosystems  are  critical 
for our societies, underpin our economies and well-being 
and  are  essential  for  climate  change  adaptation  and 
mitigation.  The  Kunming–Montreal  global  biodiversity 
framework  (GBF),  adopted  in  December  2022,  sets 
comprehensive  and  measurable  targets  to  tackle 
biodiversity  loss  by  2030.  To  implement  this  global 
framework and integrate biodiversity considerations into 
national decision-making, the EU – as well as all Member 
States –  had  to  submit  national  biodiversity  strategies 
and  action  plans,  or  to  communicate  national  targets 
aligned with the global targets, by the end of 2024. 

The EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 (BDS) aims to put 
EU  biodiversity  on  a  path  to  recovery  by  2030.  It  sets 
quantified targets intended to protect and restore nature 
and manage ecosystems in a sustainable manner, as well 
as  measures 
and 
commitments  to  support  global  biodiversity.  A  BDS 
actions  tracker ( 43 )  and  a  dashboard  of  indicators ( 44 ) 
provide information on implementation progress. 

implementation 

enable 

to 

recently 

adopted 

EU  Nature  Restoration 
The 
Regulation 45 is the first EU-wide, comprehensive law of 
its kind and a key instrument for the EU to deliver on the 
global  biodiversity  targets  for  2030.  It  lays  down  an 
overarching  objective  at  the  EU  level  to  put  in  place 
effective  restoration  measures  on  20 %  of  EU  land  and 
sea by 2030 and for all ecosystems in need of restoration 
by  2050.  To  achieve  this,  it  sets  binding  targets  for 
Member States to restore and maintain ecosystems, as 
well as an effective implementation framework based on 
national restoration plans. 

The BDS is the main instrument used by the EU to deliver 
on  its  obligation  under  the  GBF.  The  Commission  has 
submitted  to  the  Convention  on  Biological  Diversity  its 
report on GBF-aligned EU targets that stem from the BDS 
and from other policy instruments under the European 
Green Deal. 

Member  States’  NBSAPs  need  to  provide  coherent 
frameworks  for  national  delivery  on  the  global  and  EU 
line  with  the  global 
2030  biodiversity  targets. 

In 

(43) 
(44) 

(45) 

https://dopa.jrc.ec.europa.eu/kcbd/actions-tracker/. 
https://dopa.jrc.ec.europa.eu/kcbd/EUBDS2030-
dashboard/?version=1. 
Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 of the European Parliament and of 
the Council of 24 June 2024 on nature restoration and amending 
Regulation  (EU)  2022/869  (OJ  L,  2024/1991,  29.7.2024,  ELI: 

http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1991/oj); 
European 
Commission,  ‘Nature  Restoration  Law’,  European  Commission 
website,  https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/nature-and-
biodiversity/nature-restoration-law_en. 
(46)  National Environmental Protection Strategy.pdf 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
 
 
Nature protection and restoration – Natura 
2000 

Natura  2000 ( 47 ),  the  largest  coordinated  network  of 
protected areas in the world, is key to the achievement 
of  the  objectives  set  out  in  the  Birds  and  Habitats 
Directives. These objectives are to ensure the long-term 
protection,  conservation  and  survival  of  Europe’s  most 
valuable  and  threatened  species  and  habitats  and  the 
ecosystems  they  underpin.  Key  milestones  towards 
meeting  the  objectives  of  the  Birds  and  Habitats 
Directives  are  (i)  the  setting  up  of  a  complete  and 
coherent  Natura  2000  network;  (ii)  the  designation  of 
sites of community importance (SCIs) as special areas of 
conservation (SACs) (48); and (iii) effective management 
of  all  Natura  2000  sites  through  the  setting  of  site-
specific conservation objectives and measures. 

Setting up a complete and coherent network of Natura 
2000 sites 

The  setting  up  of  a  complete  and  coherent  network  of 
Natura  2000  sites 
is  a  cornerstone  of  the  EU’s 
international commitments, under the BDS and GBF, to 
legally  protect  a  minimum  of  30 %  of  its  land  area  and 
30 % of its sea area. 

the 

these 

requires 

commitments 

Meeting 
full 
implementation of Article 3 of the Habitats Directive. The 
Natura 2000 network should represent a complete and 
coherent  ecological network composed of sites hosting 
natural habitat types and species of community interest. 
The  Natura  2000  network  enables  the  natural  habitat 
types  and  the  species’  habitats  concerned  to  be 
maintained  or,  where  appropriate,  restored  to  a 
favourable conservation status in their natural range. 

Lithuania  hosts  54  habitat  types (49)  and  98  species (50) 
covered by the Habitats Directive. The country also hosts 
populations of 83 bird taxa listed in Annex I of the Birds 
Directive (51). 

As  shown  in  the  Figure 9,  in  2023,  14 %  of  Lithuania’s 
terrestrial area was covered by Natura 2000 (EU average: 

(48) 

(47)  Natura  2000  comprises  sites  of  community  importance  (SCIs), 
designated pursuant to the Habitats Directive, as well as special 
protection  areas  (SPAs),  classified  pursuant  to  the  Birds 
Directive. Numbers of protected areas in Figure 9 do not add up 
to  the  total  of  SCIs  plus  SPAs,  because  some  SCIs  and  SPAs 
overlap. An SAC is an SCI designated by a Member State. 
SCIs are designated pursuant to the Habitats Directive, whereas 
SPAs are designated pursuant to the Birds Directive. Figures of 
coverage do not add up because some SCIs and SPAs overlap. 
EEA,  ‘Number  of  habitats  and  species  per  Member  State’, 
Article 17  dashboard,  Annex 1  total,  19 December  2019, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/biodiversity/state-of-
nature-in-the-eu/article-17-national-summary-
dashboards/general-information-on-habitats-and-species. 
EEA,  ‘Number  of  habitats  and  species  per  Member  State’, 
2019, 
Article 17 

19 December 

dashboard, 

(50) 

(49) 

Lithuania  14 

18.6 %),  with  special  protection  areas  classified  under 
the  Birds  Directive  covering  8.5 %  (EU  average:  12.8 %) 
and SCIs under the Habitats Directive covering 11.9 % (EU 
average: 14.3 %) of Lithuania. 

Figure 9:  Natura  2000  terrestrial  protected  area 
coverage per Member State (%), 2023 

Source:  EEA,  ‘Natura  2000  Barometer’,  2023  data,  accessed  March 
2025, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/maps-and-
charts/natura-2000-barometer-dashboards. 

insufficiencies 

The  latest  assessment  of  the  SCIs  of  the  Natura  2000 
network  reveals  that  there  are 
in 
designation. To address these gaps, the Commission took 
legal  action  in  May  2018.  Since  then,  Lithuania  has 
designated a number of new sites, and the coverage of 
the terrestrial Natura 2000 network has increased from 
12.6 %  in  2021  to  the  current  level  of  13.8 %.  The 
authorities  proposed  additional  sites 
in  2023.  The 
Commission closely monitors the progress made towards 
compliance and is currently assessing the sufficiency of 
the Lithuanian SCI network. 

Taking account of both Natura 2000 and other nationally 
designated  protected  areas,  Lithuania  legally  protects 
17.8 % of its terrestrial areas (compared with the EU-27 
average  of  26.1 %)  and  22.8 %  of  marine  areas  (EU-27 
average 12.3 %) (52). 

(51) 

(52) 

https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/biodiversity/state-of-
nature-in-the-eu/article-17-national-summary-
dashboards/general-information-on-habitats-and-species. 
EEA,  ‘Number  of  bird  species/populations  per  Member  State’, 
Article 12 dashboard, Annex I total, last updated 11 May 2023, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/biodiversity/state-of-
nature-in-the-eu/article-12-national-summary-
dashboards/general-information-on-bird-species-populations. 
This  counting  only  takes  into  account  bird  taxa  for  which 
information was requested. 
Eurostat dataset env_bio4, protected area percentage for 2022, 
accessed 
2025, 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/env_bio4/def
ault/table?lang=en. 

March 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
Designating  special  areas  of  conservation  and  setting 
site-specific conservation objectives and measures 

Habitats Directive, a quarter of species in the EU were of 
good conservation status as of 2018 (53). 

Lithuania  15 

In order to ensure that SCIs contribute to the objectives 
of the Habitats Directive, Member States must designate 
them  as  SACs,  setting  site-specific  conservation 
objectives based on the ecological needs of the species 
and  habitats  present  on  the  sites.  The  site-specific 
conservation  objectives  must  be  defined  in  terms  of 
attributes  and  targets  that  cover  the  properties  of  the 
feature  of  interest  that  are  necessary  to  describe  its 
condition  as  either  favourable  or  unfavourable.  These 
objectives  must  address  the  key  pressures  and  threats 
present  on  the  site.  Article 6  of  the  Habitats  Directive 
requires  Member  States  to  establish  and  implement 
conservation  measures  for  the  realisation  of  the 
objectives of the site. 

In  2019,  the  six-year  deadline  set  by  the  Habitats 
Directive  for  designating  SCIs  as  SACs,  and  establishing 
appropriate  conservation  objectives  and  measures, 
expired for 406 sites in Lithuania. 

The  Commission  concluded  that  243  SCIs  were  not  yet 
designated as SACs. In addition, Lithuania  had failed to 
set  sufficiently  detailed  and  quantified  site-specific 
conservation  objectives  and  introduce  the  necessary 
conservation measures for all 406 sites. Furthermore, the 
quality  of  the  objectives  and  measures  in  place  was 
considered  to  be  insufficient.  For  this  reason,  the 
Commission  initiated  an  infringement  procedure  in 
February  2021.  Lithuania  committed  to  addressing  the 
gaps identified by September 2026. In September 2024, 
Lithuania 
it  had 
designated  150  SACs,  set  site-specific  conservation 
objectives  and  introduced  the  necessary  conservation 
measures for those sites, while the remaining sites are to 
be  designated  by  September  2026.  The  Commission  is 
closely monitoring progress towards compliance. 

the  Commission 

informed 

that 

Recovery of species 

One  objective  set  by  the  BDS  is  that,  by  2030,  there 
should be no further deterioration in conservation trends 
or  the  status  of  any  protected  species.  The  BDS  also 
states  that  Member  States  should  ensure  that  at  least 
30 % of species not currently in favourable conservation 
status  achieve  that  status  or  show  progress  towards 
doing so (e.g. by exhibiting positive population dynamics 
or stable or increasing range and habitat size), by 2030. 
According  to  the  European  Environment  Agency  (EEA), 
based  on  reporting  required  under  Article 17  of  the 

(53) 

EEA, State of Nature in the EU: Results from reporting under the 
Nature  Directives  (2013–2018),  Publications  Office  of  the 
European Union, Luxembourg, 2020. 

One of the primary objectives of the Habitats Directive is 
the  maintenance  of  or  restoration  to  favourable 
conservation status of all species of community interest. 
Moreover, the Birds Directive also aims to ensure that all 
wild  birds  in  the  EU  enjoy  a  secure  status.  In  order  to 
achieve these objectives, it will be necessary to address 
key  pressures  and  threats.  The  Birds  Directive  and  the 
habitats  directive  lay  down  a  framework  of  species 
protection rules and rules on the conservation of habitats 
and species in order to combat these threats. 

Under  Article 17  of  the  Habitats  Directive,  Member 
States are required to report on the conservation status 
of  habitats  and  species  every  six  years.  The  current 
for 
reporting  cycle,  covering  2019–2024, 
submission  in  July  2025.  Figures 10  and  11  show  the 
latest conservation status data reported by Lithuania. 

is  due 

According  to  the  report  submitted  by  Lithuania  on  the 
conservation  status  of  habitats  and  species  covered  by 
Article 17 of the Habitats Directive for 2013–2018, 22 % 
of habitats had a good conservation status in 2018 and 
the conservation status of 37 % of protected species was 
rated  as  good.  As  far  as  birds  are  concerned,  19 %  of 
breeding species showed short-term increasing or stable 
population trends. 

The  main  pressures  are  invasive  alien  species,  forestry 
and agriculture. 

Figure 10:  Assessments  of  conservation  status  of 
habitats  for  the  2007–2012  and  2013–2018  reporting 
periods 

NB:  The  values  shown  for  2007–2012  and  2013–2018  are  not 
necessarily directly comparable because changes in area conservation 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
status in a Member State may result from changes to methods or use 
of better data, rather than reflecting genuine changes. 

Source: EEA, ‘Conservation status and trends of habitats and species’, 
19 December 
2025, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/maps-and-
charts/conservation-status-and-trends-article-17-national-summary-
dashboards-archived. 

February 

accessed 

2019, 

Figure 11: Assessments of conservation status of 
species for the 2007–2012 and 2013–2018 reporting 
periods 

NB:  The  values  shown  for  2007–2012  and  2013–2018  are  not 
necessarily directly comparable because changes in area conservation 
status in a Member State may result from changes to methods or use 
of better data, rather than reflecting genuine changes. 

Source: EEA, ‘Conservation status and trends of habitats and species’, 
EEA  website,  19 December  2019,  accessed  December  2021, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/maps-and-
charts/conservation-status-and-trends-article-17-national-summary-
dashboards-archived. 

54

the 

is  currently 

implementing 

).  The  project,  which  will 

Lithuania 
financial 
instrument for the environment (LIFE)-integrated project 
‘Optimising the management of Natura 2000 network in 
Lithuania’ (
invest 
EUR 17.2 million until 2027, was launched in 2018. It will 
encourage the development of the Natura 2000 network 
in  the  country,  promote  environmentally  friendly 
farming and the sustainable use of forests in Natura 2000 
sites,  and  raise  public  awareness  of  ecological  issues. 
Among  other  initiatives,  the  LIFE-integrated  project 
includes a results-based agri-environmental measure to 
save and protect species-rich natural meadows (55). 

In  view  of  implementing  national  Law  on  Special  Land 
Use Conditions, in 2023 maps of natural grasslands and 
wetlands  were  approved  providing  legal  protection  for 
75 700 ha of grasslands and grazing land and 110 600 ha 
of wetlands. 

Lithuania  16 

According  to  the  Lithuanian  authorities  protected 
grassland areas account for 2.2 % of all agricultural land 
in the country. 

setting 

The 2022 EIR identified a number of priority actions for 
the  Natura  2000 
Lithuania,  such  as  completing 
conservation 
designation  process, 
clear 
objectives, 
for 
providing 
incentives  for 
implementation,  and 
foresters  and  farmers  to  better  protect  forest  and 
grassland  habitats.  Lithuania  made  some  progress  in 
designating  missing  Natura  2000  sites  and  setting  out 
site-specific conservation objectives and measures. 

adequate 
improving  the 

resources 

2025 priority actions 

the 

•  Complete the Natura 2000 site designation process; 
• 
site-specific 
establishment 
Finalise 
conservation objectives and measures for all Natura 
2000 sites (including by adopting their management 
plans) and ensure their effective implementation; 

of 

•  Reinforce  action 

for  habitats  and  species 

in 
unfavourable  conservation  status,  for  example 
through 
increased 
restoration  measures, 
connectivity,  better  policy 
coordination  and 
integration, and increased funding. 

Recovery of ecosystems 

Agricultural ecosystems 

The BDS works alongside the common agricultural policy 
(CAP) to support the transition to sustainable agriculture. 

The  strategy  has  set  five  common  agriculture-related 
targets for 2030, namely to: 

—  reduce by 50 % the overall use of – and risk from – 

chemical pesticides; 

—  reduce  by  50 %  the  use  of  more  hazardous 

pesticides; 

—  reduce  by  50 %  losses  of  nutrients  from  fertilisers 
(which  will result in a  20 % reduction in the use of 
fertilisers)  while  ensuring 
is  no 
deterioration of soil fertility; 

there 

that 

—  restore  at  least  10 %  of  agricultural  area  to  have 

— 

high-diversity landscape features; and 
increase the area under organic farming to at least 
25 %. 

The “Vision for agriculture and food” (56), adopted by the 
European Commission in February 2025, sets a roadmap 
to  an  agri-food  system  that  is  attractive,  competitive, 

(54) 
(55) 

https://naturalit.lt/en/home/. 
https://naturalit.lt/en/a-pilot-agro-environmental-measure-
has-been-started-in-lithuania/. 

(56) 

https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/overview-vision-agriculture-
food/vision-agriculture-and-food_en   

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
sustainable and fair for current and future generations. 
To  ensure  a  sustainable  future  for  EU  agriculture,  it  is 
crucial  that  these  four  priority  areas  are  pursued 
together,  and  that  public  and  private  support  are 
adequately targeted toward this objective. 

The  CAP  and  national  CAP  strategic  plans  are  key 
instruments  to  facilitate  and  strengthen  the  efforts  of 
European  farmers  to  protect  biodiversity  and  the 
environment  at 
large.  The  Commission  approved 
Member  States’  CAP  strategic  plans  in  2022  for  the 
programming period  2023-2027. The CAP is the  largest 
source  of  funding  dedicated  to  supporting  biodiversity 
and  plays  a  significant  role 
implementing  EU 
environmental policy. Strategic plans should continue to 
support  the  protection  of  soil,  water,  air  quality  and 
biodiversity.  

in 

indicators 

certain  CAP 

While 
focus  on 
result 
interventions favouring sustainable agriculture practices 
impact  of  these 
that  regenerate  ecosystems,  the 
measures  is  difficult  to  assess.  The  uptake  of  eco-
schemes is voluntary for farmers. 

Approximately  45%  of  the  total  area  of  the  country  is 
used for agriculture (57). The utilised agricultural area in 
Lithuania was 2 872 410 ha in 2023 (58).   

Landscape  features  are  small  fragments  of  non-
productive  and  typically,  but  not  only,  semi-natural 
vegetation  present  in,  or  adjacent  to,  agricultural  land. 
They  provide  ecosystem  services  and  support  for 
biodiversity.  The  indicator  ‘share  of  agricultural  land 
covered  with  landscape  features’  is  the  ratio  between 
the  area  covered  by  landscape  features  and  the  area 
land.  Based  on  the  Land 
covered  by  agricultural 
Use/Cover  Area  Frame  Survey 
landscape  features’ 
estimates59, the share of agricultural land covered with 
non-productive landscape features in Lithuania is 3.6 %, 
below  the  EU  average.  At  the  EU  level,  landscape 
features cover 5.6 % of agricultural land. 

In  2024,  the  CAP  basic  regulations  were  amended (60), 
inter  alia,  regarding  the  standards  for  the  good 

(57)  
(58) 

(59)  

(60) 

(61) 

Lithuania - European Commission 
Eurostat  dataset  apro_cpsh1  Utilised  agricultural  area  by 
categories, 31 March 2025 
Landscape  features  in  agricultural  land:  what  is  the  extent?  - 
European Commission 
Regulation (EU) 2024/1468 of the European Parliament and of 
the  Council  of  14 May  2024  amending  Regulations  (EU) 
2021/2115 and (EU) 2021/2116 as regards good agricultural and 
environmental  condition  standards,  schemes  for  climate, 
environment  and  animal  welfare,  amendment  of  the  CAP 
strategic plans, review of the CAP strategic plans and exemptions 
from  controls  and  penalties  (OJ  L,  2024/1468,  24.5.2024,  ELI: 
http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1468/oj). 
Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 of the European Parliament and of 
the Council of 24 June 2024 on nature restoration and amending 

Lithuania  17 

agricultural and environmental condition (GAEC) of land. 
These  changes  removed  the  obligation  for  farmers 
benefiting  from  CAP  area-related  support  to  have  a 
minimum  share  of  3–4 %  of  non-productive  areas  or 
in  their  farms.  However,  the 
landscape  features 
amended  regulation  does  not  remove  the  obligation 
under the GAEC 8 to maintain existing landscape features 
and sets out an obligation for Member States to establish 
and provide support for eco-schemes covering practices 
for  the  maintenance  of  non-productive  areas,  such  as 
land  lying  fallow,  and  for  the  establishment  of  new 
landscape features on arable land. 

The recently adopted Nature Restoration Regulation (61) 
focuses on the restoration of agricultural ecosystems and 
requires  Member  States  to  put  in  place  measures  that 
aim to achieve an increasing trend at the national level in 
at  least  two  out  of  three  indicators  for  agricultural 
ecosystems (62). One of these indicators is the ‘share of 
agricultural land with high-diversity landscape features’. 

Organic  farming  practices  are  highly  beneficial  to 
biodiversity. As shown in Figure 12, it is estimated that in 
2022,  9.32 %  of  Lithuania’s  land  area  was  used  for 
organic  farming.  This  is  lower  than  the  EU  average  of 
10.50 % ( 63).  Lithuania  could  do  more  to  contribute  to 
achieving the target of using 25 % of the EU’s agricultural 
land  for  organic  farming  by  2030.  Thematic  chapter  12 
“Environmental  Protection  and  Sustainable  Agriculture 
government 
Development” 
programme  adopted  in  December  2024  includes  an 
initiative  to  halt  the  decline  of  organic  farming  (Article 
777) (64). 

Lithuanian 

the 

of 

in  cropland  mineral  soils’  and 

Regulation  (EU)  2022/869  (OJ  L,  2024/1991,  29.7.2024,  ELI: 
http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1991/oj). 
The  three  indicators  are  ‘grassland  butterfly  index’;  ‘stock  of 
organic  carbon 
‘share  of 
agricultural land with high-diversity landscape features’. 
This is based on the latest available information from Eurostat, 
is  currently  under  review;  European  Commission, 
which 
Agriculture biologique au sein de l’union européenne, factsheet, 
Brussels, 
2024, 
https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/document/download/c67458e
d-ec50-4762-ae68-341763ab93c2_fr?filename=factsheet-
organic-farning_fr.pdf&prefLang=en. 
XV-54  Dėl  Devynioliktosios  Lietuvos  Respublikos  Vyriausybės 
programos. 

(62) 

(63) 

(64) 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
Figure 12: Share of total utilised agricultural area 
occupied by organic farming per Member State (%), 
2022 

Source:  Eurostat,  ‘Area  under  organic  farming’,  sdg_02_40,  accessed 
5 December 
2024, 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/sdg_02_40/default/
table?lang=en. 

2025 priority actions 

• 

• 

and 

Implement  eco-schemes  and  agri-environmental 
measures 
the 
to 
environmental needs of Lithuania; 
Implement  and  scale-up  the  uptake  of  organic 
farming practices. 

practices 

address 

Soil ecosystems 

Soil is an essential, finite and extremely fragile resource. 
Its  increasing  degradation  poses  a  threat  to  EU  food 
security  and  climate 
resilience,  adaptation  and 
mitigation. 

The EU soil strategy, adopted in November 2021, aims to 
support  soil  protection,  sustainable  soil  management 
and  the  restoration  of  degraded  soils  to  achieve  the 
Green  Deal  objectives  as  well  as  land  degradation 
neutrality by 2030. 

This entails: 

—  preventing further soil degradation; 
—  making  sustainable  soil  management  the  new 

normal; 

(65) 

(66) 

of 

final 

5 July 

Proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the 
Council on soil monitoring and resilience (Soil Monitoring Law), 
COM(2023) 416 
https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52023PC0416. 
Commission  staff  working  document –  Impact  assessment 
report: Annexes – Accompanying the proposal for a directive of 
the European Parliament and of the Council on soil monitoring 
and  resilience  (Soil  Monitoring  Law),  SWD(2023) 417  final  of 
2023, 
5 July 

2023, 

Lithuania  18 

—  taking action for ecosystem restoration 

The  proposed  directive  on  soil  monitoring  and 
resilience (65) aims to introduce the first comprehensive 
legislation on the protection of all soils in the EU. Should 
the  Directive  be  adopted,  Member  States  will  have  to 
transpose  it  into  national  legislation  and  implement  it, 
starting  with  putting  in  place  the  governance  systems 
and a sound monitoring framework building on existing 
national  soil  monitoring  frameworks.  The  objective  of 
the  proposed  directive  is  to  provide  better  and  more 
comparable  soil  health  data  with  the  view  of  attaining 
healthy soils by 2050. 

loss  of 

soil  organic 

Degradation  of  soil  ecosystems  encompasses  several 
aspects. The proposed Directive requires Member States 
to  assess  soil  health  according  to  a  set  of  common 
indicators  and  to  define  the  necessary  regeneration 
measures. The area of soil that is sealed is an important 
factor in monitoring land-use change and represents an 
important pressure on nature and biodiversity. Other soil 
issues  related  to  land degradation  are  soil  erosion,  soil 
compaction, 
soil 
contamination, soil salinisation and the presence in soil 
of  nitrogen  and  phosphorus  in  excess.  The  impact 
assessment accompanying the proposal, which builds on 
the data available in the EU Soil Observatory, points to 
the following soil degradation issues in Lithuania (66).The 
greatest contributor to Lithuania’s unhealthy soils is loss 
of soil organic carbon in mineral soils (67), which affects 
11 % of land and 29 % of cropland and grassland areas. 
9%  of  the  national  territory  experiences  unsustainable 
soil erosion by water, wind, tillage and harvest; and 9 % 
of  the  land  is  considered  peatland  area  experiencing 
degradation, of which 98 % is on agricultural land. 

carbon, 

Grasslands 

Grasslands  are  among  the  most  diverse  ecosystems  in 
the EU; they can contain as many as 80 different  plant 
species per square metre and are home to a large variety 
of animals, ranging from small insects, birds and rodents 
to 
for 
large  herbivores.  Grasslands  are  essential 
agriculture and livestock herding. Natural grasslands also 
play  an  important  role  in  storing  carbon.  However, 
changes  in  agricultural  practices  and  land  uses  have 
caused  grasslands  to  disappear  at  an  alarming  rate, 
making  them  one  of  Europe’s  most  threatened 

https://environment.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2023-
07/IMPACT 
REPORT_ANNEXES_SWD_2023_417_part4.pdf.https://environ
ment.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2023-07/IMPACT ASSESSMENT 
REPORT_ANNEXES_SWD_2023_417_part4.pdf 

ASSESSMENT 

(67)  De  Rosa,  D.,  Ballabio,  C.,  Lugato,  E.  et  al.,  ‘Soil  organic  carbon 
stocks in European croplands and grasslands: How much have we 
lost  in the past decade?, Global Change Biology, Vol. 30, No 1, 
2023, e16992, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16992. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
 
ecosystems. 

(intensification 

All  grassland  habitat  types 
in  Lithuania  have  an 
unfavourable conservation status. Grasslands have been 
to  multiple  pressures.  They  have  been 
subject 
particularly negatively affected by changes in agricultural 
practices 
and 
abandonment  of  others).  Increased  fertilisation  and 
mowing frequency typically weaken the plant and animal 
diversity  of  grasslands.  However,  when  grasslands  are 
abandoned,  they  become  overgrown  with  trees  and 
shrubs. The loss of traditionally managed grasslands has 
also  led  to  declines  in  the  populations  of  many  bird 
species, including waders such as the Eurasian curlew.  

some 

areas 

of 

Wetlands/peatlands 

Wetlands act as water sources and purifiers; they are the 
planet’s  greatest  natural  carbon  stores  and  they  are 
crucial  to  agriculture  and  fisheries.  Peatlands  are  a 
special  type  of  wetland  dominated  by  peat-forming 
plants such as Sphagnum mosses. Nearly all peatlands in 
the EU are habitat types listed in Annex I to the Habitats 
Directive. Drained peatlands under intensive agricultural 
use  constitute  only  3 %  of  the  EU’s  utilised  agricultural 
area. At the same time, they are responsible for 25 % of 
the  GHG  emissions  from  the  EU’s  agricultural  sector. 
Restoring  peatlands  brings  multiple  benefits,  as 
peatlands  improve  water  retention  and  quality,  store 
carbon, reduce GHG emissions and increase biodiversity. 

Most  wetlands 
in  Lithuania  have  an  unfavourable 
conservation  status.  A  significant  proportion  of  bogs, 
mires and fens in Lithuania have been drained for  peat 
extraction and land reclamation. Some bog habitat types 
have also been negatively affected by the encroachment 
of  woody  vegetation.  Restoration  of  wetlands 
is, 
however,  possible  and  should  be  promoted,  among 
others,  as  a  measure  to  mitigate  and  adapt  to  climate 
change. 

Peatland 

Peatlands are unique and rare ecosystems that, despite 
only covering around 3-4% of the planet’s land surface, 
contain up to one-third of the world’s soil carbon, which 
is  twice  the  amount  of  carbon  as  found  in  the world’s 
sustainable 
restoration 
forests. 
management is highly important to both combat climate 
change  and  preserve  biodiversity.  Living  peatlands  not 
only  sequester  carbon  dioxide  (CO2)  but  also  provide  a 
healthy habitat for valuable species and remove nitrates 
from polluted agricultural run-off through denitriﬁcation. 
Peatland loss also means biodiversity loss, more floods 

and 

(68) 

State  Service  for  Protected  Areas,  ‘Projektas  „Žuvų  migracijos 
kliūčių  pašalinimas  ties  Salantų  miesto  užtvanka  ir  vandens 
telkinio  būklės  gerinimas,  siekiant  atkurti  Salanto  upės  vagą“’, 
2023, 
LRV.LT, 

11 September 

updated 

last 

Lithuania  19 

local 
and  droughts,  degraded  drinking  water  for 
communities  and  eutrophication  of  open  waters.  This 
last  impact  should  be  avoided,  especially  around  the 
Baltic Sea, which is affected by eutrophication at a level 
of 97 %. Damage is caused when peatlands are drained 
for agriculture and tree planting, with peat extracted for 
fuel or horticulture. 

Lithuania 

required  under 

The  Lithuanian  RRP  was  initially  set  to  contribute  to 
restore 8 000 ha  of degraded peatlands, but  this target 
was  later  reduced  to  6 000 ha.  While  this  could  have 
been a good starting point for wider peatland restoration 
the  Nature  Restoration 
efforts 
Regulation, 
use 
did 
EUR 16 million  of  the  Recovery  and  resilience  facility 
(RRF)  funds  for  this  purpose.  Instead,  it  requested  their 
transfer to other priorities, with EUR 14 million directed 
toward  the  acquisition  and  installation  of  renewable 
energy  storage  facilities  and  EUR  2  million  for  the 
acquisition  of  privately-owned,  biodiversity-rich  forest 
land. 

ultimately 

not 

A good example of wetland restoration is a project that 
was selected as one of the finalists for the Natura 2000 
Award 2024. The project ‘Restoring connectivity on the 
Salantas  River  in  Lithuania’  has  led  to  the  return  of 
several  fish  and  invertebrate  species  to  an  important 
Natura 2000 site (68) Its single largest action consisted of 
the  removal  of  a  dam  to  allow  the  free  upstream 
migration of fish species. Additional restoration activities 
included the removal of invasive species and the planting 
of  native  species.  Artificial  spawning  grounds  for  fish 
were established, and a small wetland area was created, 
which has also become popular as a recreational area for 
the local community. Furthermore, a stretch of the river 
below  the  dam  was  cleaned  of  fine  bottom  sediment, 
and native water plants were reintroduced. 

Forest ecosystems 

Forests are important carbon sinks, and conserving them 
is vital if the EU is to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. 
The EU forest strategy for 2030, adopted in July 2021, is 
a  plan  of  actions  to  promote  the  many  services  that 
forests  provide.  Its  key  objective  is  to  ensure  healthy, 
diverse  and  resilient  EU 
forests  that  contribute 
significantly to the achievement of the EU’s biodiversity 
and climate ambitions. About 27 % of the forest area in 
the EU is covered by habitat types listed in Annex I to the 
Habitats  Directive.  Moreover,  forests  host  several 
species  protected  under  the  Birds  and  Habitats 
Directives, 
is  a 
requirement  to  designate  Natura  2000  sites  and  to 

including  those  for  which  there 

https://zemaitijosstd.lrv.lt/lt/veiklos-sritys/projektai/projektas-
zuvu-migracijos-kliuciu-pasalinimas-ties-salantu-miesto-
uztvanka-ir-vandens-telkinio-bukles-gerinimas-siekiant-atkurti-
salanto-upes-vaga/. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
Lithuania  20 

protect breeding sites and resting places. 

Several  guidelines  on  forestry  management  were 
published  in  2023.  They  covered  biodiversity-friendly 
afforestation, reforestation and tree planting; closer-to-
nature  forest  management;  and  defining,  mapping, 
monitoring  and  strictly  protecting  primary  and  old-
growth  forests.  Further  guidance  on  payment  schemes 
for ecosystems services has also been published. 

In  2023,  the  Commission  proposed  a  new  forest 
monitoring  law  that  aims  to  create  a  comprehensive 
forest  knowledge  base,  address  information  gaps  and 
enable  a  better  response  to  growing  pressures  on 
forests. 

Assessments  show  that,  of  the  27 %  of  EU  forest  area 
protected under the Habitats Directive, less than 15 % is 
of  favourable  conservation  status ( 69 ).  The  share  of 
forested areas in the EU with a bad conservation status 
increased from 27 % in 2015 to 31 % in 2018. 

In  Lithuania,  forests  covered  32.5 %  of  the  territory in 
2020  (70)  and  more  than  90 %  of  assessments  of  forest 
habitats of EU interest reveal a bad to poor conservation 
status ( 71 ).  Primary  forests  covered  27 000 ha 
in 
Lithuania (72). 

Figure 13:  Conservation  status  of  forests  protected 
under  the  Habitats  Directive  per  Member  State  (%  of 
assessments), 2013–2018 

Source: Commission staff working document – New EU forest strategy 
for  2030,  SWD(2021) 652 
final  of  16 July  2021,  p. 24,  eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52021SC0652. 

. 

Among forest disturbances contributing to loss of forest 
integrity  and 
loss,  wildfires 
related  biodiversity 
constitute a particular  reason for concern. In 2022, the 
EU  saw  a  record  number  (2 700)  of  wildfires  affecting 
more  than  30 ha,  which  led  to  the  destruction  of 
785 605 ha  of  forest,  the  second  highest  annual  figure 
recorded.  Recent  years  have  also  witnessed  the 
occurrence of widespread uncontrollable fires (so-called 
megafires), which are associated with loss of life and an 
enormous cost in terms of damage to the environment, 
businesses and society (over EUR 2 billion annually) and 
CO2  emissions.  Megafires  are  practically  beyond 
suppression  capacity  and  can  be  prevented  only  by  an 
integrated 
risk  management  approach.  Wildfires 
prevention is also essential to preserve resources for the 
bioeconomy.  

In Lithuania, the State Forest Enterprise submits annual 
wildfire reports to the Ministry of the Environment and 
the  State  Forest  Service  ( 73 ).  In  2023,  167  wildfires 
affected  60  hectares.  While  some  forests  already  have 
wildfire  monitoring  systems,  a  unified  system  is  being 
implemented  across  all  Lithuanian  forests.  This  system 
will ensure reliable detection and prompt management 
of wildfires. 

(69) 

(70) 

(71) 

Union, 

Luxembourg, 

EEA, State of Nature in the EU: Results from reporting under the 
Nature  Directives  2013–2018,  Publications  Office  of  the 
European 
2020, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/state-of-nature-in-
the-eu-2020. 
EEA,  forest  information  system  for  Europe,  ‘Countries –  FISE 
country  factsheets’,  forest  information  system  for  Europe 
website, https://forest.eea.europa.eu/countries. 
Commission staff working document – Stakeholder consultation 
document 
evidence 
and 
Communication 
from  the  Commission  to  the  European 
Parliament,  the  Council,  the  European  Economic  and  Social 
Committee and the Committee of the Regions – New EU forest 

Accompanying 

base: 

the 

(72) 

strategy  for  2030,  SWD(2021) 652  final  of  16 July  2021, 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/NL/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52021SC0652.https://ec.europa.eu
/environment/pdf/forests/swd_forest_strategy.pdf 
Barredo,  J.,  Brailescu,  C.,  Teller,  A.  et  al.  ,  Mapping  and 
assessment  of  primary  and  old-growth  forests  in  Europe, 
Publications  Office  of  the  European  Union,  Luxembourg,  2021, 
p. 13, 
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC124
671. 

(73)   https://amvmt.lrv.lt/lt/veiklos-sritys/misko-naudojimas-ir-

statistika/misku-gaisrai/ 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Lithuania  21 

The  EU  Timber  Regulation  (EUTR) ( 74 )  prohibits  the 
placing  on  the  EU  market  of  illegally  harvested  timber. 
According  to  the  EUTR,  Member  States’  competent 
authorities  must  conduct  regular  checks  on  operators 
and traders and apply penalties for non-compliance. 

On  29 June  2023,  the  Regulation  on  Deforestation-free 
Products  (EUDR) ( 75 )  entered  into  force  ( 76 ).  The 
regulation  seeks  to  guarantee  that  products  in  the  EU 
that come from a list of seven commodities have no links 
to  deforestation.  The  Regulation  on  Deforestation-free 
Products repeals the EU Timber Regulation.  

to  address 
work 
implementation of the MSFD. 

those  gaps  at  all 

levels  of 

Member States also reported their updated programmes 
of measures, which are required under Article 13 of the 
MSFD and  which must  be updated every  six years. The 
Commission has assessed Member States’ programmes 
of measures. 

Figure 14:  Level  of  adequacy  of  Lithuania’s  updated 
programme of measures under  Article 13 of the MSFD 
(2022 reporting exercise) 

Marine ecosystems 

The  Marine  Strategy  Framework  Directive  (MSFD) 
requires Member States to achieve good environmental 
status  (GES)  for  their  marine  waters.  To  that  end, 
Member States must draw up marine strategies for their 
marine waters and cooperate with other Member States 
sharing  the  same  marine  region  or  subregion.  These 
marine  strategies  comprise  different  steps  to  be 
developed and implemented over six-year cycles. 

Since the 2022 EIR report, no additional data regarding 
Member  States’  set  of  GES  characteristics  for  each 
descriptor 
in  the  MSFD  have  become  available. 
Nevertheless, Member States had to report updates by 
October  2024,  and  these  are  being  assessed  by  the 
Commission.  In  the  context  of  this  next  round  of 
reporting, 
in  accordance  with  the  MSFD  and  the 
Commission  GES  decision ( 77 ),  Member  States  must 
include  as  part  of  their  set  of  GES  characteristics  any 
threshold  values  for  the  descriptors  in  the  MSFD  that 
may  have  been  established  in  cooperation  with  other 
Member States at the EU or regional level (78). 

The  Commission  assessed  the  updated  monitoring 
programme reported by Member States in 2020 (79). At 
that  time  their  updates  on  the  elements,  features  and 
parameters identified monitoring gaps. The Commission 
recommended  that  Member  States  should  prioritise 

NB:  Technical  assessment  carried  out  by  the  European  Commission, 
pursuant  to  Article 16  of  the  MSFD,  based  on  the  data  reported  by 
Lithuania in May and June 2023. 

The assessment  of Lithuania’s programme of  measures 
reveals persisting gaps across most descriptors in terms 
of addressing pressures adequately. 

For food webs (D4), while measures addressing pressures 
on fish and marine mammals have been reported, they 
fail  to  include  other  species,  like  non-commercial  fish, 
and are in themselves insufficient to ensure the overall 
health  of  food  webs.  Measures  regarding  commercial 
fish and shellfish (D3) were similarly found to be lacking, 
and the updated measure on recreational fishing focuses 
on monitoring rather than directly managing the activity. 

(74) 

(75) 

Regulation (EU) No 995/2010 of the European Parliament and of 
the  Council  of  20 October  2010  laying  down the  obligations  of 
operators who place timber and timber products on the market 
(OJ  L 295,  12.11.2010,  p. 23),  https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32010R0995. 
European  Commission, 
‘Regulation  on  deforestation-free 
website, 
products’, 
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/forests/deforestation
/regulation-deforestation-free-products_en. 

Commission 

European 

(76)   The law will apply to large and medium-sized companies starting 
on  December  30,  2025,  and  to  micro  and  small  enterprises 
starting on June 30, 2026. 
Commission  Decision  (EU) 2017/848  of  17 May  2017  laying 
down  criteria  and  methodological  standards  on  good 
environmental  status  of  marine  waters  and  specifications  and 

(77) 

(78) 

(79) 

(OJ 

standardised  methods  for  monitoring  and  assessment,  and 
repealing  Decision 2010/477/EU  (OJ  L 125,  18.5.2017,  p. 43), 
http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2017/848/oj. 
Communication from  the  Commission –  Commission  notice  on 
the threshold values set under the Marine Strategy Framework 
Directive (Directive 2008/56/EC) and Commission Decision (EU) 
11.3.2024), 
2017/848 
http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/2078/oj. 
Communication from  the  Commission –  Commission notice  on 
recommendations on the 2020 updated reports for Article 11 of 
the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, C(2023) 2203 final of 
2023, 
4 April 
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2023-
04/C_2023_2203_F1_COMMUNICATION_FROM_COMMISSION
_EN_V5_P1_2532109.PDF. 

2024/2078, 

C, 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
 
 
In addition, Lithuania did not report any new measures 
for sea-floor integrity (D6), hydrographical changes (D7) 
and contaminants in seafood (D9), leaving pressures on 
these descriptors unaddressed. 

2025 priority action 

•  Report  updates  on  the  assessment  of  the  state  of 
Lithuania’s  marine  waters, 
its 
determinations  of  GES ( 80),  which  are  expected  to 
include  any  threshold  values  for  the  descriptors  in 
the  MSFD  that  may  have  been  established  in 
cooperation with other Member States at the EU or 
regional level. 

its  target  and 

Prevention and management of invasive alien 
species 

Invasive  alien  species  (IAS)  are  a  major  cause  of 
biodiversity  loss  in  the  EU.  Besides  inflicting  direct  and 
indirect damage on nature and the economy, some IAS 
also carry and spread infectious diseases, posing a threat 
to  humans  and  wildlife.  Regulation  (EU)  No 1143/2014 
(the  IAS  Regulation)  aims  to  prevent,  minimise  and 
mitigate  the  adverse  impacts  of  IAS  on  biodiversity.  It 
focuses action on a list of IAS of EU concern (the ‘Union 
list’), which is regularly updated (81). 

The third update of the Union list (82) entered into force 
on 2 August 2022. The fourth update is in preparation. 

The IAS Regulation (83) currently lists 88 species subject 
to  restrictions  on  keeping,  importing,  selling,  breeding, 
growing  and  releasing  into  the  environment.  Member 
States are required to take measures to (i) prevent the 
introduction of IAS, (ii) ensure early detection and rapid 
eradication  of  IAS  and  (iii)  manage  species  that  are 
already widespread on their territory. 

(80) 

(81) 

(82) 

(OJ 

L 164, 

p. 19), 

In  accordance  with  Article 17  of  Directive 2008/56/EC  of  the 
European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  17 June  2008 
establishing  a  framework  for  community  action  in  the  field  of 
marine  environmental  policy  (Marine  Strategy  Framework 
Directive) 
https://eur-
25.6.2008, 
lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2008/56/oj/eng. 
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1141 of 13 July 
2016 adopting a list of  invasive alien species of Union concern 
pursuant  to  Regulation  (EU)  No 1143/2014  of  the  European 
Parliament  and  of  the  Council  (OJ  L 189,  14.7.2016,  p. 4),  as 
amended  by  Commission 
Implementing  Regulations  (EU) 
2017/1263,  (EU)  2019/1262  and  (EU)  2022/1203,  https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:02016R1141-
20220802&from=EN. 
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1203 of 12 July 
2022  amending  Implementing  Regulation  (EU)  2016/1141  to 
update  the  list  of  invasive  alien  species  of  Union  concern  (OJ 

Lithuania  22 

Preventing  the  introduction  and  spread  of  IAS,  and 
managing  them, 
including  through  eradication  and 
control,  can  result  in  a  substantial  cost  saving.  Studies 
estimate  that  the  total  cost  of  IAS  in  Europe  (damages 
and  management)  amounted  to  EUR 116.61 billion 
between  1960  and  2020 (84).  More  recent  studies  have 
put  this  cost  at  USD 28 billion  per  year  in  the  EU, 
increasing  to  USD 148.2 billion  by  2040 ( 85 ),  and  at 
USD 423 billion annually at the global level (86). 

The total number of invasive alien species of EU concern 
in the country is 18. 

This includes the 14 species recorded in the previous EIR 
(2021) and 4 new additions. Of these new additions, two 
were already on the list of EU concern in 2021, and two 
were  added 
later  under  Commission  Implementing 
Regulation (EU) 2022/1203. 

The spread can be seen in Figure 15. 

(83) 

L 186,  13.7.2022,  p. 10),  https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32022R1203. 
Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014 of the European Parliament and 
of  the  Council  of  22 October  2014  on  the  prevention  and 
management  of  the  introduction  and  spread  of  invasive  alien 
species (OJ L 317, 4.11.2014, p. 35). 

(84)  Haubrock, P. J., Turbelin, A. J., Cuthbert, R. N. et al., ‘Economic 
costs of invasive alien species across Europe’, NeoBiota, Vol. 67, 
2021, pp. 153–190. 

(86) 

(85)  Henry, M., Leung, B., Cuthbert, R. N. et al., ‘Unveiling the hidden 
economic  toll  of  biological  invasions  in  the  European  Union’, 
Environmental Sciences Europe, Vol. 35, No 1, 2023, p. 43. 
Intergovernmental  Science-Policy  Platform  on  Biodiversity  and 
for  Policymakers – 
Ecosystem  Services 
(IPBES),  Summary 
2023, 
Invasive 
https://www.ipbes.net/document-library-catalogue/summary-
policymakers-invasive-alien-species-assessment. 

assessment, 

species 

Bonn, 

alien 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
Figure 15: Number of IAS of EU concern, based on 
available georeferenced information for Lithuania, 
2024 

With regard to the 2022 priority actions of invasive alien 
species,  Lithuania  has  stepped  up  action  and  now 
complies with the requirements of  Article 13 of the IAS 
Regulation. 

2025 priority actions 

• 

Step  up  implementation  of  the  IAS  Regulation, 
including  with  regard  to  enforcement  and  the 
capacity of inspection authorities. 

•  Ratify  the  Offshore  Protocol  to  the  Barcelona 
Convention  and  ICZM  Protocol  to  the  Barcelona 
Convention. 

Ecosystem assessment and accounting 

The  BDS  calls  on  Member  States  to  better  integrate 
biodiversity  considerations  into  public  and  business 
decision-making  at  all  levels  and  to  develop  natural 
capital accounting. 

Similarly, target 14 of the GBF (87) aims to ensure the full 

Lithuania  23 

integration  of  biodiversity  and  its  multiple  values  into 
policy  and  planning  and,  as  appropriate,  national 
accounting.  This  requires  effective  and  coherent 
biodiversity  observation  and  reporting  on  ecosystem 
condition in the EU (88). 

The amended Regulation (EU) No 691/2011 on European 
environmental  economic  accounts ( 89)  introduces  new 
requirements  for  Member  States  to  report  on  the 
condition  of  ecosystems  including  urban  ecosystems, 
croplands,  grasslands,  forest  and  woodlands,  coastal 
beaches,  dunes  and  wetlands.  Data  reported  by  the 
Member  States  will  feed  into  the  second  European 
ecosystem assessment, due in 2027, and can also be used 
to support policy decisions. 

An ecosystem assessment is an analysis of the condition 
of ecosystems and the pressures acting on them, as well 
as  the  benefits  that  they  provide  to  people,  either 
directly or indirectly through the economy. 

increasing  number  of  platforms,  networks  and 
An 
communities of practice involve businesses in protecting 
biodiversity,  including  the  EU  Business  &  Biodiversity 
Platform (90). These platforms and communities are key 
tools  for  promoting  and  facilitating  natural  capital 
assessments  among  businesses  and  financial  services 
providers. 

Natural  capital  assessments  help  private  businesses  to 
better  understand  both  the  negative  and  positive 
impacts that they have on nature, and to appreciate how 
nature contributes to their success. Such understanding 
contributes to the implementation of the EU’s BDS. 

Ecosystem 

Between  2021  and  2023,  the  Lithuanian  Ministry  of 
the  “National  Study  on 
Environment  developed 
Service  Assessment 
Ecosystem 
and 
into  Decision-Making  Processes.”( 91  ) 
Integration 
The  study  provides  recommendations  to  protect, 
restore,  and  enhance  ecosystems  and  their  services  by 
integrating  ecosystem  service  assessments  into  sectors 
forestry,  agriculture,  spatial 
such  as  biodiversity, 
planning, and water management. Key proposals include 
inventories,  creating 
service 
updating  ecosystem 

(88) 

(87)  Decision 15/4 adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the 
Convention  on  Biological  Diversity:  Kunming–Montreal  global 
biodiversity 
framework 
(https://www.cbd.int/doc/decisions/cop-15/cop-15-dec-04-
en.pdf). 
European  Commission: 
JRC,  EU  Ecosystem  Assessment – 
Summary for policymakers, Publications Office of the European 
Union, 
2021, 
Luxembourg, 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/81ff1498-b91d-11eb-8aca-
01aa75ed71a1/language-en. 
Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the 
Council  amending  Regulation  (EU)  No 691/2011  as  regards 

(89) 

(90) 

(91) 

of 

final 

2022, 

11 July 

introducing  new  environmental  economic  accounts  modules, 
COM(2022) 329 
https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM:2022:329:FIN. 
The  EU  Business  &  Biodiversity  Platform  (https://green-
business.ec.europa.eu/business-and-biodiversity_en)  aims  to 
promote  the  business  case  for  biodiversity  to  businesses  and 
financial institutions through workshops, seminars, reports and 
a cross-media communication strategy. 
Aplinkos  ministerijos  vykdomas  Ekosisteminių  paslaugų 
vertinimo  integravimo  į  sprendimų  priėmimo  procesus  viešojo 
administravimo 
-  Lietuvos 
Respublikos aplinkos ministerija. 

ir  ūkio  sektoriuose  projektas 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
Lithuania  24 

assessment  methodologies,  and  conducting  economic 
valuations.  It  also  examines  best  practices,  economic 
impacts,  and  potential  regulatory  changes  to  guide 
future policymaking.  

business and biodiversity networks – and no Lithuanian 
business or biodiversity networks were members of the 
EU Business & Biodiversity Platform; hence, the related 
priority action is reiterated in this report. 

In 2022, Lithuania had prioritised actions to support the 
mapping and assessment of ecosystems and ecosystem 
services,  and  ecosystem  accounting  development,  as 
well as to support the development of national business 
and biodiversity platforms. There was some progress on 
the first part of the priority action. However, no progress 
was recorded on supporting the development of national 

2025 priority actions 

• 

Support the development of national business and 
biodiversity networks. 

•  Ratify the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic 
Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of 
Benefits Arising from their Utilization (ABS) to the 
Convention on Biological Diversity.

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
Lithuania  25 

3. Zero pollution

Clean air

EU  clean  air  policies  and  legislation  have  successfully 
reduced  emissions  of  key  air  pollutants  and  significantly 
improved  air  quality,  which  is  now  moving  towards  the 
levels  recommended  by  the  World  Health  Organization 
(WHO).  This  has  resulted  in  clear  health  benefits  and 
reduced adverse impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity. 
However, to achieve the WHO-recommended levels, more 
efforts  are  needed,  including  full  compliance  with  EU 
legislation.  To  guide  these  efforts,  the  EU  zero  pollution 
action plan sets targets for 2030 relative to. 2005. These 
are to reduce the health impacts of air pollution by 55 % 
and  to  reduce  the  EU  ecosystems  threatened  by  air 
pollution by 25 %. 

The EU has developed a comprehensive suite of air quality 
policies ( 92 ).  These  set  health-based  EU  air  quality 
standards ( 93 )  and  stipulate  Member  States’  national 
emission  reduction  commitments ( 94 )  for  several  air 
pollutants.  

Air  quality  in  Lithuania  is  generally  good,  with  some 
exceptions. 

The  latest  available  annual  estimates  (for  2022)  by  the 
European Environment Agency (95) for Lithuania attribute 
1 500 deaths each year (or 14 500 years of life lost (YLL)) 
to  fine  particulate  matter  (PM2.5) ( 96 ),  180 deaths  each 
year  (or  1 800 YLL)  to  nitrogen  dioxide  (NO2) ( 97 )  and 
320 deaths each year (or 3 200 YLL) to ozone (98). 

The  emissions  of  several  air  pollutants  have  decreased 
significantly in Lithuania since 2005, while GDP growth has 
continued  (see  Figure 16).  According  to  the  inventories 
submitted  under  Article 10(2)  of  the  National  Emission 
Reduction  Commitments  Directive  (NECD) ( 99 ),  in  2024 
Lithuania fulfilled its emission reduction commitments for 
2020–2029 for the air pollutants sulphur dioxide (SO2) and 
PM2.5,  and  did  not  fulfil  them  for  NOx,  non-methane 

(92) 

(93) 

(94) 

(95) 

(96) 

European  Commission,  ‘Air’,  European  Commission  website, 
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/air_en. 
European  Commission,  ‘EU  air  quality  standards’,  European 
Commission 
website, 
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/air/air-quality/eu-air-
quality-standards_en. 
European  Commission,  ‘Reducing  emissions  of  air  pollutants’, 
European 
website, 
Commission 
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/air/reducing-
emissions-air-pollutants_en. 
EEA, Harm to human health from air pollution in Europe: Burden 
of  disease  2024,  briefing  No 21/2024,  Copenhagen,  2024, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/publications/harm-to-
human-health-from-air-pollution-2024. 
Particulate matter (PM) is a mixture of aerosol particles (solid and 
liquid) covering a wide range of sizes and chemical compositions. 
PM10  refers  to  particles  with  a  diameter  of  10 µm  or  less.  PM2.5 

volatile organic compounds (NMVOC) and ammonia (NH3). 
According  to  the  latest  projections  submitted  under 
Article 10(2)  of  the  NECD,  Lithuania  projects  that  it  will 
fulfil  its  emission  reduction  commitments  from  2030 
onwards for NOx, NMVOC, SO2, NH3 and PM2.5. 

Lithuania  submitted  its  updated  national  air  pollution 
control  programme  (NAPCP)  to  the  Commission  on 
10 September 2024. 

Figure 16: Emission trends of main pollutants / GDP in 
Lithuania (%), 2005–2022 

300%

250%

200%

150%

100%

50%

0%

NH₃

PM2.5

NMVOC

SO₂

NOₓ

GDP

Source: EEA, ‘National air pollutant emissions data viewer 2005–2022’, 
25 June 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/topics/in-depth/air-
pollution/national-air-pollutant-emissions-data-viewer-2005-2022. 

2024, 

refers to particles with a diameter of 2.5 µm or less. PM is emitted 
from many human sources, including combustion. 

(97)  Nitrogen  dioxide  (NO2)  here  pertains  to  a  group  of  gases  called 
NOx, which also comprises nitrogen monoxide (NO). NOx is emitted 
during fuel combustion – for example, from industrial facilities and 
the road transport sector. 
Low-level  ozone 
is  produced  by  photochemical  action  on 
pollution.  This  year,  for  the  first  time,  the  impact  of  long-term 
exposure to ozone has also been taken into account. In previous 
analyses by the EEA, only the impact of short-term exposure was 
estimated. 

(98) 

(99)  Directive (EU) 2016/2284 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council  of  14 December  2016  on  the  reduction  of  national 
certain  atmospheric  pollutants,  amending 
emissions  of 
Directive 2003/35/EC  and  repealing  Directive 2001/81/EC  (OJ 
L 344, 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2016.344.01.0001.01.ENG. 

17.12.2016, 

p. 1), 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
Figure 17: PM2.5 and NOx emissions by sector in 
Lithuania (%), 2022 

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

Waste

Transport

Residential,
commercial &
institutional

Manufacturing
and extractive
industry

Energy supply

Agriculture

PM2.5

14,37%

17,03%

NOₓ

0,38%

52,06%

43,12%

6,16%

10,82%

7,61%

9,43%

5,23%

14,46%

19,33%

Source: EEA, ‘National air pollutant emissions data viewer 2005–2022’, 
25 June 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/topics/in-depth/air-
pollution/national-air-pollutant-emissions-data-viewer-2005-2022. 

2024, 

In  2023,  no  exceedances  above  the 
limit  values 
established  by  the  Ambient  Air  Quality  Directive 
(AAQD) (100) were registered in Lithuania (101). 

Infringement procedures have been opened for Member 
States not fulfilling their emission reduction commitments 
for 2020–2029, including Lithuania for NH3, NMVOC, NOx 
and PM2.5. In November 2023, the Commission addressed 
a reasoned opinion to Lithuania as it continued  to fail to 
fulfil its national emission reduction commitments under 
the NECD for NOx, NMVOC and NH3.  

In  the  2022  EIR,  Lithuania  received  two  priority  actions. 
The first priority action was to further reduce emissions in 
the context of the NAPCP. Lithuania has not progressed on 
this,  as  despite  slight  reductions  for  NOx  and  NMVOC 
latest  data  reported  show 
compared  to  2020,  the 
continued non-compliance with the 2020–2029 emission 
reduction  commitments  for  NOx,  NMVOC  and  NH3.  The 

(100)  Directive 2008/50/EU  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council of 21 May 2008 on ambient air quality and cleaner air for 
Europe 
https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32008L0050. 

11.6.2008, 

L 152, 

p. 1), 

(OJ 

(101)  EEA, 

Eionet 
(https://cdr.eionet.europa.eu/). 

Central 

Data 

Repository 

(102)  Directive 2010/75/EU  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council of 24 November 2010 on industrial and livestock rearing 

Lithuania  26 

second priority action was to ensure full compliance with 
EU air quality standards and maintain downward emission 
trends.  Based  on  the  latest  data,  Lithuania  has  made 
substantial  progress  in  this  regard.  Full  compliance  has 
been ensured with all limit values and target values. Since 
2019, downward emission trends have been reported for 
all main pollutants. However, for NH3 emissions are above 
2005 levels, requiring further action. 

2025 priority actions 

•  As part of the NAPCP, take action to reduce emissions 

• 

of air pollutants. 
Ensure  full  compliance  with  the  current  AAQD 
standards, also in light of future stricter requirements 
under the revised AAQD. 

Industrial emissions 

The  main objectives of EU policy on industrial emissions 
are to: 
—  protect  air,  water  and  soil  and  to  prevent  harmful 
effects on human health and the environment; 

—  prevent and manage waste; 
— 

improve  energy  and  resource  efficiency,  including 
water; 

—  contribute to decarbonisation. 
The  cornerstone  of  the  policy  is the  Industrial  Emissions 
Directive  (IED),  which  was  revised  in  2024 ( 102 ).  The 
revision improves the directive’s contribution to the zero 
pollution  objective.  It  has  a  strong  focus  on  innovation, 
and 
depollution, 
decarbonisation and circularity, making it a key regulatory 
tool  to  accompany  the  green  transformation  of  EU 
industry by 2050. 

between 

builds 

solid 

links 

The overview of industrial activities regulated by the IED 
below  is  based  on  data  reported  to  the  EU  Registry  in 
2022 (103). 

In Lithuania, about 300 installations were covered by the 
IED  in  2022,  with  one  third  of  them  (33 %)  being 
installations  for  intensive  rearing  of  poultry  or  pigs.  The 
other main sectors are waste management (26 %), energy 
(13 %), food and drink (7 %) and chemicals (5 %). 

the 
Figure 18  shows  the  damage 
environment due to the main industrial air pollutants. As 
this  depends,  among  other  factors,  on  the  size  of  the 

to  health  and 

emissions (integrated pollution prevention and control) (OJ L 334, 
17.12.2010, p. 17), as amended by Directive (EU) 2024/1785 of the 
European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  24 April  2024, 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02010L0075-
20240804&qid=1725983863299. 
European 

Portal, 
Industrial 
https://industry.eea.europa.eu/, 2022 being the baseline year for 
all reports. 

Emissions 

(103)  EEA, 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
industrial  sector  in  each  Member  State,  the  figure  also 
shows  the  ratio  between  the  damage  and  industrial 
activity  (expressed  in  gross  value  added  (GVA)),  which 
gives an indication of the emissions  ‘intensity’. Lithuania 
has one of the lowest levels of damage in the EU; it ranks 
19th in terms of emissions intensity, which is below the EU 
average of EUR 27.5 / EUR 1 000 GVA. The main industrial 
contributors to emissions to air (104) are the energy sector 
and the mineral industry for NOX and SO2 emissions, and 
the  waste  management  and  energy  sector  for  dust  and 
heavy metal emissions. 

Figure 18: Industrial air pollution damage and intensity 
per Member State, 2021 

Lithuania  27 

Source:  EEA,  ‘Industrial  pollutant  releases to  water  in Europe’,  30 May 
2024, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/indicators/industrial-
pollutant-releases-to-water. 

Concerning  Lithuania  in  particular,  Figure 20  shows  the 
industrial emissions of heavy metals to water, taking into 
account  the  human  toxicity  of  each  metal,  and  the 
emissions  intensity,  based  on  the  ratio  of  emissions  to 
industrial  activity  (expressed  in  GVA).  Lithuania  has  the 
second-lowest level of emissions of heavy metals to water 
(weighted  by  human  toxicity),  and  the  second  lowest 
emissions intensity (well below the EU average intensity of 
0.864 kg per billion EUR GVA). As shown in Figure 21, the 
main  industrial  contributors  to  emissions  to  water  in 
Lithuania  are  the  pulp  and  paper  industry  and  ‘other 
manufacturing’  (mainly  textiles)  for  heavy  metals,  the 
chemicals  industry  for  nitrogen,  and  the  production  of 
food and drink for phosphorous. 

Figure 20: Industrial releases and intensity of heavy 
metals to water per Member State, 2022 

Source: EEA, ‘Industrial pollution intensity indicators – EU large industry 
air  pollution  damage  costs  intensity’,  European  Industrial  Emissions 
Portal, 
https://industry.eea.europa.eu/analyse/industrial-
emissions-indicator. 

2024, 

Overall, the industrial emissions to water in the EU have 
decreased  over  time  for  all  the  main  pollutants.  On 
average  in  the  EU,  they  appear  to  be  decoupled  from 
industrial activity (expressed in GVA), which has increased 
over the same period, as shown in Figure 19. 

Figure 19: Industrial releases of pollutants to water and 
industrial activity in the EU-27 

Source: EEA, ‘Industrial pollution intensity indicators – EU large industry 
water pollution intensity’, European Industrial Emissions Portal, 2024, 
https://industry.eea.europa.eu/analyse/industrial-emissions-indicator. 

Figure 21: Relative releases to water from industry in 
Lithuania (%), 2022(105) 

100%

75%

50%

25%

0%

Heavy Metals
Ecotoxicity

Heavy Metals Human
Toxicity

Total nitrogen

Total phosphorus

Chemicals

Food and drink

Other manufacturing

Electricity and heat production

Non-metallic minerals

Pulp, paper and wood

NB:  Cd,  cadmium;  Hg, mercury;  Ni,  nickel;  Pb,  lead;  TOC,  total  organic 
carbon; total N, total nitrogen; total P, total phosphorous. 

Source:  EEA,  ‘Industrial  reporting  under  the  Industrial  Emissions 
Directive 2010/75/EU  and  European  Pollutant  Release  and  Transfer 
Register  Regulation  (EC)  No 166/2006 –  ver. 12.0  Sep.  2024  (tabular 

(104)  European  Environment  Agency,  LRTAP,  Air  pollutant  emissions 
data viewer (Gothenburg Protocol, LRTAP Convention) 1990-2022, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/topics/in-depth/air-
pollution/air-pollutant-emissions-data-viewer-1990-2022. 

(105)  

Industrial  Reporting  under  the  Industrial  Emissions  Directive 
2010/75/EU and European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register 
Regulation (EC) No 166/2006 - ver. 12.0 Sep. 2024 (Tabular data). 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
data)’,  EEA  Geospatial  Data  Catalogue,  13 September  2024, 
https://doi.org/10.2909/cf5e54c1-be99-4426-bcad-baa26c4f27a0. 

Major industrial accidents prevention – Seveso 

Lithuania  28 

IED  provisions  on  public  information  and  participation 
require Member States to adopt transposition legislation 
enabling members of the public to have access to relevant 
information  and  participate  in  the  approval  process  for 
potentially  polluting  installations.  Thus,  the  public  and 
non-governmental  organisations 
(NGOs),  alongside 
competent authorities, play a role in ensuring compliance 
of  these  permits  with  EU  legislation.  The  IED  contains 
mandatory  requirements  on  environmental  inspections, 
requiring a site visit to take place at least every 1–3 years, 
using  risk-based  criteria.  In  addition,  IED  enforcement 
provisions require Member States to determine effective, 
proportionate,  and  dissuasive  penalties  applicable  to 
infringements  of  IED-based  national  provisions.  In  the 
that  worst 
the  provisions 
revised  directive, 
infringements can be sanctioned by fines of at least 3% of 
the  annual  EU  turnover  of  the  legal  person.  The  revised 
IED  also  introduces  a  right  to  compensation  for  people 
whose health has been harmed by such infringements. 

set 

The development of best available techniques (BATs), BAT 
reference  documents  and  BAT  conclusions  ensures 
effective collaboration between stakeholders and enables 
better implementation of the IED. 

Since  the  2022  EIR,  the  Commission  has  adopted  BAT 
conclusions for (i) ferrous metal processing; (ii) the textiles 
industry;  (iii)  common  waste  gas  management  and 
treatment  systems 
in  the  chemical  sector;  and  (iv) 
smitheries and foundries. 

The  Commission  relies  on  the  efforts  of  national 
competent  authorities  to  implement  the  legally  binding 
BAT  conclusions  and  associated  BAT  emission  levels  in 
environmental permits. This should result in considerable 
and continuous reductions in pollution. 

In 2022, Lithuania received the priority action to improve 
reporting to the European Pollutant Release and Transfer 
Register, an action which has been fulfilled. 

2025 priority actions 

•  Reduce industrial air pollution damage and intensity. 
• 
Engage  with  industry  and  environmental  NGOs  to 
ensure proper contribution to and implementation of 
BAT conclusions and ensure timely updates to permits 
following the publication of BAT conclusions. 
Ensure  effective  public  participation  and  access  to 
justice in relation to the IED. 

• 

The  main  objectives  of  EU  policy  on  the  prevention  of 
major industrial accidents are to: 
—  control  major-accident  hazards  involving  dangerous 

— 

substances, especially chemicals; 
limit the consequences of such accidents for human 
health and the environment; 

—  continuously 

improve 

the 

prevention 

of, 

preparedness for and response to major accidents. 
The cornerstone of the policy is Directive 2012/18/EU (the 
Seveso III Directive) (106). 

The overview below of industrial plants regulated by the 
Seveso III Directive (‘Seveso establishments’) is based on 
data  reported  on  eSPIRS  (e-Seveso  Plants  Information 
Retrieval  System)  for  2022–2024 (107)  and  the  report  by 
Lithuania  on  the 
implementation  of  the  Seveso III 
Directive for 2019–2022 (108). 

In 2024, of the 48 Seveso establishments in Lithuania, 28 
were categorised as lower-tier establishments and  20 as 
upper-tier  establishments  (UTE) –  based  on  the  quantity 
of hazardous substances likely to be present. The UTEs are 
subject  to  more  stringent  requirements.  The  increase  in 
the  number  of  Seveso  establishments  is  presented  in 
Figure 22. 

Figure 22: Number of Seveso establishments in 
Lithuania, 2018, 2022 and 2024 

NB: LTE, lower-tier establishment. 

Decision 

2014/896/EU 

Sources:  European  Commission:  Directorate-General  for  Environment, 
Assessment and summary of Member States’ implementation reports for 
Implementing 
(implementing 
Directive 2012/18/EU on the control of major accident hazards involving 
dangerous  substances),  Publications  Office  of  the  European  Union, 
Luxembourg, 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/94d57d74-735b-11ec-9136-01aa75ed71a1/language-
en/format-PDF/source-search;  eSPIRS  data,  extractions  from  2022  and 
2024;  Analysis  and  summary  of  Member  States'  reports  on 
implementation  of  Directive  2012/18/EU  on  the  control  of  major 

2022, 

(106)  Directive 2012/18/EU  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council  of  4 July  2012  on  the  control  of  major-accident  hazards 
involving  dangerous  substances,  amending  and  subsequently 
repealing  Council  Directive 96/82/EC  (OJ  L 197,  24.7.2012,  p. 1), 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2012/18/oj. 

(107)  https://espirs.jrc.ec.europa.eu/en/espirs/content; data extracted 

in September 2024. 

(108)  As provided for by Article 21(2) of the Seveso III Directive. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
accident hazards involving dangerous substances according to the format 
established  by  Commission  Implementing  Decision  2014/896/EU  - 
Publications  Office  of  the  EU,  https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-
detail/-/publication/9bd73087-e9b8-11ef-b5e9-
01aa75ed71a1/language-en.Member  States  are  required  to 
draw up external emergency plans (EEPs). These plans are 
essential  to  allow  the  proper  preparation  and  effective 
implementation  of  the  necessary  actions  to  protect  the 
environment and the population should a major industrial 
accident  occur.  According  to Lithuania,  in  2022,  all  UTEs 
had an EEP and 11 of the EEPs had been tested over the 
previous three years. The summary is shown in Figure 23. 

Figure 23: Situation regarding EEPs in Lithuania, 2022 

Lithuania  29 

Figure 24: Share of UTEs for which information on safety 
measures and requisite behaviours was actively made 
available to the public per Member State (%), 2022 

NB: No data available for Greece. 

2022, 

Decision 

2014/896/EU 

Sources:  European  Commission:  Directorate-General  for  Environment, 
Assessment and summary of Member States’ implementation reports for 
Implementing 
(implementing 
Directive 2012/18/EU on the control of major accident hazards involving 
dangerous  substances),  Publications  Office  of  the  European  Union, 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
Luxembourg, 
/publication/94d57d74-735b-11ec-9136-01aa75ed71a1/language-
en/format-PDF/source-search;  eSPIRS  data,  extractions  from  2022  and 
2024;  Analysis  and  summary  of  Member  States'  reports  on 
implementation  of  Directive  2012/18/EU  on  the  control  of  major 
accident hazards involving dangerous substances according to the format 
established  by  Commission  Implementing  Decision  2014/896/EU  - 
Publications  Office  of  the  EU,  https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-
detail/-/publication/9bd73087-e9b8-11ef-b5e9-
01aa75ed71a1/language-en. 

The  public  information  referred  to  in  Annex V  to  the 
Seveso III  Directive –  especially  about  how  the  public 
affected will be warned in the event of a major accident, 
the appropriate behaviour in the event of a major accident 
and the date of the last site visit – is permanently available 
for all UTE establishments in Lithuania. 

The  share  of  UTEs  for  which  information  on  safety 
measures  and  requisite  behaviours  were  actively  made 
available  to  the  public  in  2022  in  all  Member  States  is 
presented in Figure 24. This is an important  provision of 
the  Seveso III  Directive,  as  public  knowledge  of  this 
information  could  reduce  the  consequences  of  a  major 
industrial accident. 

2022, 

Decision 

2014/896/EU 

Sources:  European  Commission:  Directorate-General  for  Environment, 
Assessment and summary of Member States’ implementation reports for 
Implementing 
(implementing 
Directive 2012/18/EU on the control of major accident hazards involving 
dangerous  substances),  Publications  Office  of  the  European  Union, 
Luxembourg, 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/94d57d74-735b-11ec-9136-01aa75ed71a1/language-
en/format-PDF/source-search;  eSPIRS  data,  extractions  from  2022  and 
2024;  Analysis  and  summary  of  Member  States'  reports  on 
implementation  of  Directive  2012/18/EU  on  the  control  of  major 
accident hazards involving dangerous substances according to the format 
established  by  Commission  Implementing  Decision  2014/896/EU  - 
Publications  Office  of  the  EU,  https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-
detail/-/publication/9bd73087-e9b8-11ef-b5e9-
01aa75ed71a1/language-en. No data available for Greece.  

In 2022, Lithuania was given priority actions to strengthen 
monitoring  and  enforcement  to  ensure  compliance  with 
its  provisions  on 
the  Seveso III  Directive,  especially 
information  for  the  public  and  the  external  emergency 
plan.  Substantial  progress  was  made  on  both  those 
aspects;  however,  the  testing  of  EEPs  could  still  be 
improved. 

2025 priority actions 

• 

• 

Strengthen  compliance  with  requirements  on  safety 
measures  to  prevent  major  accidents  and  ensure 
appropriate preparedness and response in relation to 
UTEs, in particular  as regards reviewing, testing and 
updating  EEPs,  at  intervals  of  no  more  than  three 
years. 
Ensure  access  to  transparent  and  clear  information 
for citizens on risks and behaviour in the event of an 
accident. 

Mercury Regulation 

The  Mercury  Regulation  establishes  measures  and 
conditions concerning the use and storage of and trade in 
mercury,  mercury  compounds  and  mixtures  of  mercury, 
the manufacture and use of and trade in mercury-added 
products and the management of mercury waste, in order 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
Lithuania  30 

to ensure a high level of protection of human health and 
the  environment  from  anthropogenic  emissions  and 
releases of mercury and mercury compounds. The revision 
of the Mercury Regulation adopted in 2024 sets out rules 
to address the last intentional uses of mercury in the EU 
by  phasing  out  the  use  of  dental  amalgam  by  1 January 
2025 except when deemed strictly necessary by the dental 
practitioner  based  on  the  specific  medical  needs  of  the 
patient,  and  prohibiting  the  manufacture  and  export  of 
additional mercury-containing lamps from 1 January 2026 
or 1 January 2027 (depending on the lamp category). 

Measures  should  have  been  put  in  place  in  Lithuania  to 
ensure  socially  and  economically  sound  phasing  out, 
including the adequate reimbursement of alternatives to 
dental  amalgam  through  the  national  health  insurance 
scheme  and  the  training  of  dental  practitioners.  The 
Commission  is  monitoring  whether  the  phasing  out  of 
dental  amalgam  has  taken  place  under  the  terms  and 
conditions  of  the  regulation.  Lithuania  will  also  need  to 
ensure  that  the  manufacture  and  export  of  mercury-
containing lamps are prohibited by the deadlines required 
by the Mercury Regulation. 

Noise 

The  Environmental  Noise  Directive ( 109 )  requires  a 
common  approach  to  avoid,  prevent  and  reduce  the 
harmful  effects  of  noise.  The  designated  authorities  are 
responsible  for  making  and  approving  noise  maps  and 
action  plans  for  agglomerations,  major  roads,  major 
railways  and  major  airports.  Member  States  decide  on 
noise limits that are not set at the EU level. Nevertheless, 
the zero pollution action plan sets as a 2030 target a 30 % 
reduction  compared  with  2017  in  the  share  of  people 
chronically disturbed by transport noise. 

Excessive noise from aircraft, railways and roads is one of 
the main causes of environmental health‐related issues in 
the  EU.  It  can  cause  ischaemic  heart  disease,  stroke, 
interrupted sleep, cognitive impairment and stress (110). 

In Lithuania, environmental noise is estimated to cause at 
least  around  150  cases  of 
ischaemic  heart  disease 
annually ( 111 )  and  some  11 000  people  to  suffer  from 
disturbed sleep(112). 

Based on the latest set of information analysed, Lithuania 
has  completed  its  noise  mapping  of  agglomerations, 
roads, railways and airports. 

Action  plans  for  noise  management  for  agglomerations, 
roads,  railways  and  airports  must  be  updated  and 
submitted  to  the  Commission  every  five  years.  The 
deadline  for  reporting  on  noise  action  plans  under  the 
most  recent  reporting  cycle  was  18 January  2025;  the 
reports have not been assessed yet. 

Lithuania received no priority actions in the 2022 EIR. 

2025 priority action 

• 

Complete  and  implement  action  plans  on  noise 
management. 

Water quality and management 

EU  legislation  and  policy  requires  that  the  impact  of 
pressures  on  transitional,  coastal  and  fresh  water 
(including 
surface  waters  and  groundwater)  be 
significantly reduced. Achieving, maintaining or enhancing 
a  good  status  of  waterbodies  as  defined  by  the  Water 
Framework Directive  will  ensure that EU citizens benefit 
from good-quality and safe drinking and bathing water. It 
will  further  ensure  that  the  nutrient  cycle  (nitrogen  and 
phosphorus)  is  managed  in  a  more  sustainable  and 
resource-efficient way. 

Water Framework Directive 

The Water Framework Directive (113) is the cornerstone of 
EU  water  policy  in  the  21st  century ( 114 ).  The  Water 
other  water-related 
and 
Framework 

Directive 

(109)  Directive 2002/49/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council  of  25 June  2002  relating  to  the  assessment  and 
management  of  environmental  noise –  Declaration  by  the 
Commission  in  the  Conciliation  Committee  on  the  directive 
relating  to  the  assessment  and  management  of  environmental 
noise (OJ L 189, 18.7.2002, p. 12), https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32002L0049. 

(110)  WHO, Environmental Noise Guidelines for  the European  Region, 
Copenhagen, 
2018, 
https://www.who.int/europe/publications/i/item/978928905356
3. 

(111)  These figures are an estimation by the EEA based on (i) the data 
reported  by  Member  States  on  noise  exposure  covered  by 
Directive 2002/49/EC for the round of noise mapping of 2022; (ii) 
European  Topic  Centre  on  Air  Pollution,  Transport,  Noise  and 
indicators  under  the 
Industrial  Pollution  (ETC/ATNI),  Noise 

Environmental Noise Directive 2021: Methodology for estimating 
missing  data,  Eionet  report  ETC/ATNI  No 2021/06,  Kjeller,  2021; 
and  (iii)  the  methodology  for  health  impact  calculations  in 
European  Topic  Centre  on  Air  Pollution  and  Climate  Change 
Mitigation  (ETC/ACM),  Implications  of  environmental  noise  on 
in  Europe,  Eionet  report  ETC/ACM 
health  and  wellbeing 
No 2018/10, 
2018, 
https://www.eionet.europa.eu/etcs/etc-atni/products/etc-atni-
reports/eionet_rep_etcacm_2018_10_healthimplicationsnoise. 

Bilthoven, 

(112)  More information on the adverse health effects of noise pollution 

is available at: 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/human/noise/noise-2 

(113)  https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-

content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32000L0060. 

(114)  https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/water_en. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
  
Lithuania  31 

Figures 25–28  show  the  changes 
in  the  ecological 
status/potential  and  the  chemical  status  of  surface 
waters,  and  in  the  quantitative  and  chemical  status  of 
groundwaters in 2010, 2015 and 2021. 

Figure 25:  Ecological 
waterbodies in each RBMP cycle (%) 

status/potential  of 

surface 

status/potential, 

Only  36.4 %  of  surface  waterbodies  have  a  good  (or 
better)  ecological 
representing  a 
significant  deterioration  compared  with  the  second 
RBMPs.  All  coastal  and  transitional  waterbodies  fail  to 
meet  the  objective  of  having  a  good  ecological  status. 
50.8 %  of  surface  waterbodies  are  expected  to  achieve 
good ecological status/potential by 2027. 

The most significant pressure on surface water is diffuse 
agricultural pollution, followed by morphological changes. 
The  most  significant  impact  on  the  ecological  status  is 
nutrient pollution. 

Figure 26: Chemical status of surface waterbodies in each 
RBMP cycle (%) 

directives (115) form the basis of sustainable and integrated 
water management in the EU. They aim to achieve a high 
level  of  protection  of  water  resources,  prevention  of 
further  deterioration  and  restoration  to  good  status. 
important  for  the  EU’s 
These  objectives  are  very 
competitiveness,  strategic  autonomy  and  security,  yet 
have become even more challenging in the face of climate 
change affecting our precious water resources. 

The Water Framework Directive establishes a procedural 
framework for reaching good surface water ecological and 
chemical  status  and  good  groundwater  quantitative  and 
chemical status. This implies monitoring and classification 
of all waterbodies, assessment  of pressures and impacts 
and identification of the most cost-effective measures to 
achieve the objectives of the directive. The directive dates 
from 2000 and set an initial deadline of 2015 for achieving 
its objectives, with the option to extend the deadline to 
the  end  of  2027.  Every  six  years,  Member  States  must 
report their river basin management plans (RBMPs) to the 
Commission. They should cover river basin districts (RBDs) 
in their countries, some of which may be shared with other 
countries. The Commission has assessed the third cycle of 
RBMPs, which were to be submitted by March 2022, and 
will report its findings to the European Parliament and to 
the Council in the course of 2024. 

Lithuania  has  1 194  surface  waterbodies  and  20 
groundwater  bodies,  divided  between 
four  RBDs 
(Nemunas,  Venta,  Lielupe  and  Dauguva).  Approximately 
26 %  of  surface  waters  are  designated  as 
‘heavily 
modified’ and almost none as ‘artificial’. Heavily modified 
and  artificial  waterbodies  must  reach  good  ecological 
potential rather than good ecological status, which means 
that  measures  must  be  taken  to  mitigate  the  adverse 
impact  of  the  sustainable  human  development  activities 
causing the waterbodies to be heavily modified/artificial, 
while not significantly affecting the activities. 

These  findings  follow  from  the  assessment  of  the  third 
RBMPs  that  there  has  been  a  deterioration  in  the 
ecological status/potential of surface waterbodies, and a 
steep reduction in the percentage of surface waterbodies 
with  a  good  chemical  status,  compared  with  the  second 
RBMPs  (covering  2015–2021).  There  has  been  no 
deterioration 
in  the 
chemical  status  of  groundwater  bodies,  which  are  all 
reported to have a good status. 

in  the  quantitative  status  and 

(115)  These 

include 

the  Groundwater  Directive 

(https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32006L0118), 
the  Environmental  Quality  Standards  Directive  (https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2008/105/oj), 
Directive 
(https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32007L0060), the Bathing Water 
(https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
Directive 
content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32006L0007), 
Urban 
Wastewater 
(https://eur-
Directive 
lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A31991L0271), 

Treatment 

Floods 

the 

the 

Directive 

(https://eur-

Drinking  Water 

the 
new 
lex.europa.eu/legal-
Nitrates 
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32020L2184), 
Directive 
(https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/ALL/?uri=celex%3A31991L0676), the Marine Strategy 
(https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
Framework 
Directive 
IED 
content/en/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32008L0056) 
(https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32010L0075). 

and 

the 

the 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

0%20%40% 0% 0%100%1st2nd3rdS B chemical status for LTGood ailing to achieve goodUnknown 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lithuania  32 

Figure 28: Chemical status of groundwater bodies in each 
RBMP cycle (%) 

94 %  of  surface  waterbodies  are  reported  to  have  an 
unknown  status,  while  5 %  of  waterbodies  have  a  poor 
chemical status and fewer than 1 % have a good chemical 
status. Only 0.6 % of surface waterbodies are expected to 
achieve a good chemical status by 2027. 

In the 1st and 2nd RBMPs, Lithuania reverted to grouping 
and extrapolations to assume that almost 100% of surface 
water  bodies  were  in  good  chemical  status.  The  steep 
reduction  in  surface  waterbodies  with  a  good  chemical 
status in the 3rd RBMPs seems to be mainly due to a steep 
increase in surface waterbodies being reported to have an 
‘unknown’  status.    Information  about  the  amounts  of 
hazardous 
the  water 
environment  and  their  sources  remains  insufficient.  The 
specific sources of pollution hampering the good chemical 
status of  waterbodies  remain  unidentified  and  Lithuania 
failed to compile a complete inventory of pollution loads 
for  priority  substances.  Furthermore,  Lithuania  did  not 
replace  expert  judgement  and  grouping  with  actual 
monitored  data.  Instead,  no assessment  has  been  made 
for 94.6% of the SWBs at all. 

substances 

released 

into 

Figure 27: Quantitative status of groundwater bodies in 
each RBMP cycle (%) 

All groundwater bodies are reported have a good chemical 
status,  as  in  the  previous  two  RBMPs,  despite  25 %  of 
groundwater bodies being affected by saline intrusions. 

Regrettably, the number of surveillance monitoring sites 
decreased  from  278  (2015)  to  189  (2021).  Only  70 %  of 
classifications  are  still  conducted  with  high  confidence, 
down  from  100 %  (2015).  There  are  also  gaps  in  the 
assessment  methodology  and  implementation,  including 
the  monitoring  of  pharmaceuticals  carbamazepine, 
sulfamethoxazole and primidone. 

Until the end of 2027, Member States can still apply time-
related  exemptions,  subject  to  providing  evidence  of 
compliance  with  the  strict  criteria  set  out  in  the  Water 
Framework Directive. 

After 2027, the possibilities for applying exemptions will 
be much more limited. 

All  groundwater  bodies  are  reported  to  have  a  good 
quantitative status, as in the previous two RBMPs. 

• 

This assessment is, however, subject to doubt, as 25 % of 
groundwater bodies are affected by saline intrusions, and 
groundwater-associated  aquatic  ecosystems  and/or 
groundwater-dependent  terrestrial  ecosystems  are  not 
considered 
in  establishing 
quantitative status. Furthermore, 70 % of all classifications 
are  conducted  with  high  confidence,  whereas  there  was 
100 %  high  confidence 
in  the  previous  RBMPs.  No 
justification for this change was provided. 

in  three  of  four  RBMPs 

The 2022 EIR identified the following priority actions: 
• 

assess new physical modifications to waterbodies in 
line  with  Article 4(7)  of  the  Water  Framework 
Directive,  considering  alternative  options  and 
appropriate mitigation measures; 
facilitate  the 
(in 
particular on restoring river hydromorphology) aimed 
at  achieving 
the  Water  Framework  Directive 
objectives. 

implementation  of  measures 

to 

measures 

Some  progress  has  been  made  in  following  up  on  these 
priority  actions.  The  3rd  RBMPs  include  measures  to 
improve  longitudinal  connectivity  (fish  ladders,  by-pass 
channels, fish friendly turbines and fish screens), as well as 
reduce 
other 
hydromoprphological pressures, though clear evidence on 
the  degree  of  progress  was  not  found  in  the  revised 
documents  although  they  are  linked  to  implementation 
deadlines.  Lithuania’s 
third  RBMP  programme  of 
measures, for 2022–2027, suggests that the prioritisation 
of measures in the RBMP has taken place based on a cost-
effectiveness  analysis.  Reducing  sources  of  diffuse 

prevent 

or 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
is  tackled  through  the 
pollution  ranks  highest  and 
regulation  of  fertilisers  to  reduce  the 
leaching  of 
phosphorus  and  nitrogen  into  surface  waterbodies  and 
groundwater 
has  mapped 
supplementary measures against key types of measures in 
all four RBDs. Their application varies across RBDs. 

Lithuania 

bodies. 

2025 priority actions 

Without prejudice to the list of recommended actions in 
the Commission’s report to the European Parliament and 
to the Council on the assessment of the third RBMPs, the 
following priority actions can be highlighted: 

• 

Ensure  periodic  reviews  of  permits  for  discharges, 
abstractions  and  other  water  uses, 
including 
hydropower pressures;  

Lithuania  33 

climate  change,  but  climate  change  issues  are  only 
discussed briefly. 

2025 priority actions 

• 

•  Make the FRMP a self-standing document, with clear 
links  and  references,  where  relevant,  to  other 
national planning documents, and vice versa. 
Provide  more  detail  on  how  flood  risk  hazard  maps 
were used in the choice of objectives and measures in 
the FRMP. 
Clearly set out the number of measures/actions being 
implemented,  their  cost,  the  methods  used  to 
prioritise them and how they will be monitored. 
Provide  more  detail  on  public  consultation  and 
stakeholder involvement. 

• 

• 

•  Reduce pollution from nutrients, chemicals, metals 

Drinking Water Directive 

and saline discharges; 

•  Better justify exemptions to the achievement of 

• 

good status; 
Improve  the  classification  of  water  bodies  and 
strengthen monitoring systems; 

•  Develop  more  robust  programmes  of  measures, 
tackle  obstacles  identified  in  the  implementation  of 
for 
measures  and  ensure  adequate 
implementation, including through better use of the 
cost recovery and polluter pays principle. 

financing 

Floods Directive 

Every six years, following the same reporting cycle as the 
RBMPs,  all  Member  States  also  report  their  flood  risk 
management  plans  (FRMPs),  based  on  the  flood  risk 
hazard  maps  and  the  preliminary  flood  risk  assessments 
drawn up during the second cycle (2016–2021). 

The  Commission  assessed  the  FRMPs  and  reported  its 
findings to the European Parliament and to the Council on 
4th  February  2025,  together  with  the  assessment  of  the 
RBMPs. 

indicators,  making 

The  main  progress  resulting  from  the  assessment  of  the 
second  FRMP  is  that  the  achievement  of  its  objective  is 
linked  to  quantitative 
it  more 
measurable.  Links  to  measures  are  now  provided  more 
clearly.  Furthermore,  the  second  FRMP  has  a  simpler 
structure  than  the  previous  one.  The  FRMP  considers 
nature-based  solutions  and  measures  related  to  cultural 
heritage  protection.  Reference  is  made  to  adaptation  to 

(116)  https://environment.ec.europa.eu/publications/implementing-

decision-drinking-water-directive-watch-list_en. 

(117)  OJ L, 2024/1441, 21.5.2024 
(118)  OJ L, 

2024/365, 

23.4.2024, 
http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2024/365/oj; OJ L, 2024/367, 
http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2024/367/oj; 
23.4.2024, 
23.4.2024, 
OJ L, 

2024/369, 

The recast Drinking Water Directive is now applicable, and 
Member States were required to transpose its provisions 
into their national legal systems by 12 January 2023. Since 
into  force  of  the  recast  directive,  the 
the  entry 
several  delegated  and 
Commission  has  adopted 
implementing  acts  establishing  (i)  a  watch 
list  of 
substances  and  compounds  of  concern  for  drinking 
water (116), (ii) a methodology for measuring microplastics 
in drinking water (117) and (iii) an EU system for testing and 
approving materials that will be allowed to be in contact 
with drinking water (118). Member States will have to take 
these  various  Commission  acts 
into  account  when 
implementing the recast directive. 

Finally,  the  Commission  has  now  received  data  from 
Member States on the quality of drinking water in 2017–
2019.  The  quality  of  drinking  water  (supplied  by  large 
water  suppliers)  in  Lithuania  does  not  give  rise  to 
concern (119). 
From  January  2026,  the  European  quality  standards  for 
per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in drinking water will 
apply,  ensuring  harmonised  reporting  of  data  from  the 
monitoring of these substances across Member States in 
the future. 

Bathing Water Directive 

The  Bathing  Water  Directive  requires  Member  States  to 
monitor and assess bathing water. It requires that, during 
the  bathing  season,  Member  States  disseminate  to  the 
public information on bathing water quality actively and 

http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2024/369/oj;  OJ L,  2024/368, 
23.4.2024, http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2024/368/oj; OJ L, 
2024/370, 
23.4.2024, 
http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2024/370/oj;  OJ L,  2024/371, 
23.4.2024, http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2024/371/oj. 
In summary, the compliance for all parameter groups in Lithuania 
was at least 99.46 % in 2017, 99.50 % in 2018 and 99.19 % in 2019. 

(119) 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
promptly. In particular, notices banning or advising against 
bathing should be rapidly and easily identifiable. 

Figure 29  shows  that  in  2023,  out  of  the  121  Lithuanian 
bathing  waters,  108  (89.3%)  were  of  excellent  quality,  8 
(6.6%) were of good quality and 4 (3.3%) were of sufficient 
quality.  No  bathing  waters  were  found  to  be  of  poor 
quality. 

Figure 29: Bathing water quality per Member State (%), 
2023 

Source:  EEA,  European  Bathing  Water  Quality 
No 04/2024, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/european-bathing-water-
quality-in-2023/. 

in  2023,  briefing 
2024, 

Copenhagen, 

Nitrates Directive 

The  Nitrates  Directive (120)  aims  to  protect  water  quality 
across  Europe  by  preventing  nitrates  from  agricultural 
sources  polluting  ground  and  surface  waters  and  by 
promoting the use of good farming practices. 

The  latest  Commission  report  on  the  implementation  of 
the  Nitrates  Directive ( 121 ),  dating  to  2021,  warns  that 
nitrates are still causing harmful pollution to water in the 
EU. Excessive nitrates in water are harmful to both human 
health  and  ecosystems,  causing  oxygen  depletion  and 
eutrophication. Cleaning of waters by national authorities 
or  farmers,  where  it  has  been  undertaken,  has  had  a 
positive  impact  on  the  drinking  water  supply  and  on 
biodiversity.  It  has  also  benefited  the  sectors –  such  as 
fisheries and tourism – that depend on biodiversity and on 
a good supply of drinking water. Nevertheless, excessive 
fertilisation remains a problem in many parts of the EU. 

The  analysis  of  the  3rd  RBMPs  of  Lithuania  identified 
nutrients  from  agriculture  as  an  important  pressure  on 
surface water, impacting their good status, and one of the 
main  reasons  the  Water  Framework  Directive  objectives 
have not been met. 

Lithuania  34 

Since  the  report  on  the  implementation  of  the  Nitrates 
Directive covering 2020–2023 will be available in 2025, the 
2022 priority action could not be assessed and has to be 
repeated. 

2025 priority action 

•  Tackle  nutrient  pollution,  especially  nitrates  from 
implementation  of  the 

agriculture,  through  the 
Nitrates Directive. 

Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive 

The  Urban  Wastewater  Treatment  Directive  (UWWTD) 
aims to protect human health and the environment from 
the effects of untreated urban waste water. It therefore 
requires Member States to collect and treat (secondary or 
biological  treatment)  waste  water  in  all  urban  areas  of 
more  than  2 000  people,  and  to  apply  a  more  stringent 
treatment 
than  secondary,  with  nitrogen  and/or 
phosphorus  removal,  to  the  waste  water  generated  in 
urban areas, also known as agglomerations, of more than 
10 000 people, before they are discharged into waters and 
their  catchments,  when  they  are  sensitive  to  nitrogen 
and/or phosphorus (i.e. eutrophic or tending to become 
eutrophic). 

Overall,  in  Lithuania,  the  compliance  rate  was  99.3 %  in 
2020.  

Figure 30:  Proportion  of  urban  waste  water  that  fully 
complies with the UWWTD (%), 2020 

Source:  European  Commission:  Directorate-General  for  Environment, 
Fribourg-Blanc,  B.,  Dhuygelaere,  N.,  Berland,  J.  and  Imbert,  F.,  12th 
technical  assessment  of  UWWTD  implementation  –  Final  version, 
Publications 
2024, 
the 
https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2779/318637. 

European 

Union, 

Office 

of 

The directive has been revised. The revised directive builds 
on  the  current  acquis,  strengthens  existing  treatment 
standards and establishes a new additional treatment for 
in  urban  wastewater.  Other  new 
micropollutants 

(120)  https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-

(121)  https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/water/nitrates_en. 

content/EN/TXT/?qid=1561542776070&uri=CELEX:01991L0676-
20081211. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
 
 
requirements relate to the sector moving towards energy 
neutrality,  establishing  an  EPR  system  to  ensure  the 
sustainable financing of micropollutant treatment by the 
most  polluting 
industries  and  ensuring  access  to 
sanitation,  especially  for  vulnerable  and  marginalised 
groups. Lithuania has until 31 July 2027 to transpose the 
new directive into its national legal system. 

2025 priority action 

• 

Ensure the correct transposition of the recast Urban 
Wastewater Treatment Directive. 

Chemicals 

The EU seeks to ensure that chemicals are produced and 
used  in  a  way  that  minimises  any  significant  adverse 
effects on human health and the environment. In October 
2020, the Commission published its chemicals strategy for 
sustainability  towards  a  toxic-free  environment ( 122 ), 
which  led  to  some  systemic  changes  in  EU  chemicals 
legislation. The strategy is part of the EU’s zero pollution 
ambition –  a  key  commitment  of  the  European  Green 
Deal. 

The  EU’s  chemicals  legislation ( 123 )  provides  a  baseline 
protection for human health and the environment. It also 
ensures  stability  and  predictability 
for  businesses 
operating in the internal market. 

Since 2007, the Commission has gathered information on 
the  enforcement  of 
the  Registration,  Evaluation, 
Authorisation  and  Restriction  of  Chemicals  (REACH) 
Regulation and the Classification, Labelling and Packaging 

(122)  Communication 

to 

from 

the  Commission 

the  European 
Parliament,  the  Council,  the  European  Economic  and  Social 
Committee  and  the  Committee  of  the  Regions –  Chemicals 
strategy  for  sustainability:  Towards  a  toxic-free  environment, 
COM(2020) 667 
final  of  14 October  2020,  https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM%3A2020%3A667%3AFIN;  Regulation 
(EC) No 1272/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council 
of 16 December 2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of 
substances  and  mixtures,  amending  and  repealing  Directives 
67/548/EEC  and  1999/45/EC,  and  amending  Regulation  (EC) 
No 1907/2006 
p. 1), 
L 353, 
https://publications.europa.eu/resource/cellar/c6b6a31d-8359-
11ee-99ba-01aa75ed71a1.0004.02/DOC_2. 

31.12.2008, 

(OJ 

(123)  Namely,  Regulation 

(EC)  No 1907/2006  of  the  European 
Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  18 December  2006  concerning 
the  registration,  evaluation,  authorisation  and  restriction  of 
chemicals  (REACH),  establishing  a  European  Chemicals  Agency, 
amending Directive 1999/45/EC and repealing Council Regulation 
(EEC) No 793/93 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 1488/94 as 
well  as  Council  Directive 76/769/EEC  and Commission Directives 
91/155/EEC,  93/67/EEC,  93/105/EC  and  2000/21/EC  (OJ  L 396, 
30/12/2006, 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/en/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32006R1907; and Regulation (EC) 
No 1272/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 
16 December  2008  on  classification,  labelling  and  packaging  of 
substances  and  mixtures,  amending  and  repealing  Directives 
67/548/EEC  and  1999/45/EC,  and  amending  Regulation  (EC) 

p. 1), 

Lithuania  35 

of 

and 

enforcement 

(CLP)  Regulation.  In  December  2020,  the  Commission 
assessed  the  Member  States’  reports ( 124 )  on  the 
implementation 
these 
regulations ( 125 ).  It  is  apparent  from  the  Commission’s 
in  the 
report  that  there  are  still  many  disparities 
implementation  of  the  REACH  and  CLP  Regulations, 
notably 
law  enforcement.  Recorded 
compliance levels in Member States, generally quite stable 
over time, appear to be getting slightly worse. This may be 
because  (i)  enforcement  authorities  are  becoming  more 
effective in detecting non-compliant products/companies 
and (ii) more non-compliant products are being placed on 
the EU market. 

in  the  area  of 

In August 2021, the Commission published a measurable 
assessment  of the enforcement (126) of the two  main EU 
regulations  on  chemicals  using  a  set  of  indicators  on 
different  aspects  of  enforcement.  Since  2021,  the  list  of 
chemicals  subject  to  restrictions  has  been  expanded  as 
new entries have been added to Annex XVII to the REACH 
Regulation (127). 

In  2023,  new  hazard  classes  were  added  to  the  CLP 
Regulation, and the revision of the regulation was tabled 
(published  on  20 November  2024)  (128).  The  new  hazard 
classes  cover  endocrine  disruptors  and  persistence-
related  hazards  while  the  revision  of  the  regulation 
encompasses  new  rules  on  online  sales  to  better  tackle 
non-compliances  observed  over  the  years.  Also  in  2023, 
the  Conference  of  the  Parties  of  the  Stockholm 
Convention (COP) decided to include, in its Annex A (which 

L 353,  31.12.2008,  p. 1),  https://eur-

No 1907/2006 
(OJ 
lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02008R1272-20221217. 
(124)  European Commission, Technical assistance to review the existing 
Member  States  reporting  questionnaire  under  Articles 117(1)  of 
REACH and 46(2) of CLP – Final report, Publications Office of the 
European 
2020, 
https://circabc.europa.eu/ui/group/8ee3c69a-bccb-4f22-89ca-
277e35de7c63/library/a4abce8c-8425-455f-b7e6-
0ead917bde6b/details. 
In 
Article 46(2) of the CLP Regulation. 

line  with  Article 117(1)  of  the  REACH  Regulation  and 

Luxembourg, 

Union, 

(125) 

the 

European 

(126)  European  Commission:  Directorate-General  for  Internal  Market, 
Industry,  Entrepreneurship  and  SMEs,  REACH  and  CLP 
Enforcement: EU-level enforcement indicators, Publications Office 
of 
2021, 
Union, 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/e5c3e461-0f85-11ec-9151-01aa75ed71a1/. 
(127)  These are substances in tattoo inks and permanent make-up, N,N-
dimethylformamide, formaldehyde (and formaldehyde releasers), 
lead in PVC (polyvinyl chloride), siloxanes (D4, D5, D6) and, finally, 
microplastics. 

Luxembourg, 

(128)  Regulation (EU) 2024/2865 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council  of  23  October  2024  amending  Regulation  (EC)  No 
1272/2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances 
and mixtures, OJ L, 2024/2865, 20.11.2024, p.1 (Regulation - EU - 
2024/2865 - EN - EUR-Lex) 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
Lithuania  36 

A risk approach was used for the targeting of controls in 
order to maximise the chances of finding non-compliance. 
Therefore,  the  non-compliance  rates  presented  above 
cannot  be considered  the  average non-compliance rates 
of  products  in  the  EU.  However,  the  proportion  of  non-
compliance  cases  found  in  the  REF-8  project  are  of 
concern. 

Figure 32: Number of REF-8 checks performed per 
100 000 inhabitants (EU average = 1.24) 

lists  banned  substances),  three  new  chemicals (129).  The 
Commission  is  working  on  the  delegated  acts  to  include 
these  substances  in  Annex I  to  the  Persistent  Organic 
Pollutants Regulation by 2025 at the latest. 

Member  States  conduct  a  reporting  exercise  set  out  in 
Article 117 of the REACH Regulation and Article 46 of the 
CLP Regulation every five years. The results of the current 
exercise are expected to be published in 2025; hence, new 
country-specific data on enforcement since 2022 is not yet 
available. 

In  2022,  Lithuania  devised  and  implemented  both  the 
REACH and CLP Regulation enforcement strategies (130). A 
total of 74 staff members (coordinators and territorial or 
regional  inspectors)  were  allocated  to  REACH  and  CLP 
Regulation enforcement (131). 

In  2020,  Lithuania  participated  in  an  EU  coordinated 
enforcement  project  on  products  sold  online,  called  the 
REACH-EN-FORCE  (REF-8)  project ( 132 ).  The  associated 
report was adopted in November 2021, so it could not be 
taken into account in the previous EIR. 

Figure 31: Compliances of imported products – results of 
the REF-8 project (%) 

Lithuania’s participation to the coordinated enforcement 
project (REF-8) was well above the EU average. 

As a result of this project and others conducted with the 
help  of  the  European  Chemicals  Agency  in  recent  years, 
online  sales  have  proven  to  correspond  consistently  to 
higher non-compliance rates in controls performed across 
the EU, in particular when related to imported products. 

its 

In 2022, Lithuania received a priority action related to the 
upgrade  of 
implementation  and  enforcement 
administrative  capacities  towards  the  zero  tolerance  of 
non-compliance. In the absence of reporting since 2022, 
no  progress  has  been  reported  and  this  priority  action 
remains valid in 2025. 

(129)  These are methoxychlor, dechlorane plus and UV-328. In the case 
of the pesticide methoxychlor, there are no exemptions from the 
ban. However, for the two plastic additives, dechlorane plus and 
UV-328,  the  COP  decision 
lists  some  time-limited  specific 
exemptions. 

(130)  European Commission, Technical assistance to review the existing 
Member  States  reporting  questionnaire  under  Articles 117(1)  of 
REACH and 46(2) of CLP – Final report, Publications Office of the 
European 
p. 76, 
https://circabc.europa.eu/ui/group/8ee3c69a-bccb-4f22-89ca-
277e35de7c63/library/a4abce8c-8425-455f-b7e6-
0ead917bde6b/details. 

Luxembourg, 

Union, 

2020, 

(131)  European Commission, Technical assistance to review the existing 
Member  States  reporting  questionnaire  under  Articles 117(1)  of 
REACH and 46(2) of CLP – Final report, Publications Office of the 
European 
p. 75, 
https://circabc.europa.eu/ui/group/8ee3c69a-bccb-4f22-89ca-
277e35de7c63/library/a4abce8c-8425-455f-b7e6-
0ead917bde6b/details. 

Luxembourg, 

Union, 

2020, 

(132)  European Chemicals Agency, REF-8 project report on enforcement 
of the CLP, REACH and BPR duties related to substances, mixtures 
p. 20, 
and 
https://echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/17088/project_report
_ref-8_en.pdf/ccf2c453-da0e-c185-908e-
3a0343b25802?t=1638885422475. 

Helsinki, 

articles 

online, 

2021, 

sold 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
 
2025 priority actions 

•  Upgrade 

the 

in 
administrative 
implementation and enforcement to move towards a 
policy of zero tolerance of non-compliance. 

capacities 

Lithuania  37 

• 

Increase customs checks and checks of products sold 
online  with  regard  to  compliance  with  chemicals 
legislation. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
Lithuania  38 

4. Climate action 

the  EU  has  demonstrated 

The  impacts  of  climate  change  have  continued  to 
increase in recent years, inflicting damage and suffering 
in the EU and around the world. Globally, 2023 was the 
hottest year on record, while Europe has been warming 
twice  as  quickly  as  the  global  average,  and  is  now  the 
fastest-warming  continent.  The  frequency  and  severity 
of  extreme  climate  events  are  also  increasing.  Against 
this  backdrop, 
its 
determination  to  implement  the  European  Green  Deal 
and  to  become  climate  neutral  and  resilient  by  2050, 
ensuring sustainable competitiveness and supporting EU 
industry in the net-zero transition. The European Climate 
Law is the EU’s response to the need for action. It sets 
the objective of achieving climate neutrality by 2050 and 
a midterm target of a reduction in GHG emissions of at 
least 55 % by 2030, and outlines the adaptation efforts 
necessary  to  adjust  to  climate  change’s  present  and 
future impacts. Almost  all the  ‘Fit for 55’ proposals set 
out in the European Green Deal have been agreed in law, 
and  the  European  Commission  recommended  a  new 
intermediate  climate  target  of  a  90 %  reduction  in 
In  2024,  the  Member  States 
emissions  by  2040. 
submitted updated national energy and climate plans for 
2021–2030,  reflecting  the  increased  ambition  of  the 
revised EU legislation. In 2024, the European Commission 
jointly  with  the  EEA,  the  first-ever 
also  released, 
European climate risk assessment. 

Since  1990,  the  EU  has  seen  a  steady  decreases  in  its 
emissions,  reaching  a  running  total 
in  2022  of 
– 32.5 % (133).  However,  the  EU  and  its  Member  States 
need  to  step  up  their  implementation  efforts  and 
accelerate  emissions  reduction  to  stay  on  track  to 
reaching  their  targets  of  achieving  a  55 %  reduction  in 
net  GHG  emissions  by  2030  and  climate  neutrality  by 
2050. Between 1990 and 2022, the net GHG emissions of 
Lithuania  decreased  by  71%,  placing  it  among  the 
countries with an above-average decrease. 

It 

includes 

transition. 

the  green 

The  ‘Fit  for  55’  legislative  package  reflects  the  need  to 
speed  up 
(i) 
strengthening  and  expanding  the  EU  emissions  trading 
system (ETS), with the creation of a new, second, ETS for 
transport and buildings together with a dedicated Social 
Climate  Fund  to  help  citizens  during  the  transition;  (ii) 
increasing  targets  under  the  Effort  Sharing  Regulation; 
and  (iii)  a  revised  Regulation  for  Land  Use,  Land-Use 
Change  and  Forestry ( 134).  The  package  has  been  fully 

adopted,  and 
implementing the legislation. 

the  Member  States  have  been 

The  key  strategic  document  at  the  country  level  is  the 
national  energy  and  climate  plan ( 135 ).  Lithuania 
submitted  its  final  plan  in October  2024,  after  the 
deadline 
regulation.  The  European 
Commission assessed the updated plan and the extent to 
which Lithuania has followed the recommendations for 
the draft version. The findings from the assessment are: 

set  by 

the 

• 

• 
• 

• 

Emissions  under  the  Effort  Sharing  Regulation  will 
decrease  by  21%  in  2030  compared  to  2005,  and 
Lithuania will meet its target of 21%. 
Lithuania is in line with its LULUCF target.  
Lithuania  is  in  line  with  its  target  for  the  share  of 
renewable energy. 
There are still gaps in energy efficiency targets that 
must be closed. 

To minimise the impacts of climate policies on vulnerable 
people and sectors, Lithuania is using the Just Transition 
Fund  and  Modernisation  Fund,  and  will  use  the  Social 
Climate  Fund  from  2026  (for  more  information,  see 
Chapter 5, on finance). 

Figure 33: Total GHG emissions (excluding international 
aviation) (%), 1990–2022 

The EU emissions trading system 

The EU ETS is the key tool for reducing  GHG emissions 
cost-effectively across all Member States. It is the world’s 
biggest carbon market, covering around 40 % of the EU’s 
from  electricity  and  heat 
total  GHG  emissions 

(133)  EU  net  domestic  emissions,  including  the  land  use,  land-use 
change and forestry sector and excluding international aviation. 

(134)  A full overview of the Fit for 55 package is available at 

https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-
2019-2024/european-green-deal/delivering-european-green-
deal/fit-55-delivering-proposals_en. 

(135)  More information about the national energy and climate plan is 

on the dedicated website 
https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/energy-strategy/national-
energy-and-climate-plans-necps_en. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
generation, the manufacturing industry, aviation within 
Europe (136) and, from 2024, maritime transport also. 

Effort sharing 

Lithuania  39 

The  system  sets  a  limit  or  cap  on  the  total  amount  of 
GHGs  that  can  be  emitted  at  the  EU  level.  Within  this 
limit,  companies  buy  emissions  allowances 
(one 
allowance gives the right  to emit 1 t  of  CO2  eq (carbon 
dioxide  equivalent)),  in  auctions  or  through  trading 
allowances with others. The  cap is reduced annually to 
ensure  that  overall  emissions  in  the  sectors  covered 
decrease over time. 

The  emissions  under  the  ETS  decreased  by  58%  from 
2005 to 2023. 

In 2023, almost 88 % of the GHGs emitted by Lithuania’s 
ETS  installations  came  from  three  installations  (around 
35 % from a refinery, around 29 % from a chemical plant, 
and around 19 % from a cement and lime plant). Power 
and heat generation were responsible for 12 %, and 9 % 
came from industry sectors classified as ‘other’. Between 
2019  and  2023,  the  power  sector  slightly  increased  its 
emissions,  by  3 %,  and  the  industry  sectors  decreased 
theirs by 24 %. GHG emissions in the chemicals industry 
decreased  significantly,  by  49 %,  between  2013  and 
2023, and GHG emissions in the industry sectors declined 
by 23 %. 

From  2027,  a  new  ETS,  called  ETS2,  for  buildings,  road 
transport and additional sectors (mainly industry sectors 
not  covered  by  the  current  ETS)  will  become  fully 
operational (137).  Member  States  should  have  reported 
the full incorporation of the provisions of the revised EU 
ETS Directive related to the new ETS2 into national law 
by 30 June 2024. 

Lithuania  did  not  communicate  full  incorporation  into 
national law by this deadline. The Commission therefore 
opened an infringement procedure against Lithuania on 
25 July  2024,  by  sending  a  letter  of  formal  notice  for 
failing  to  fully  incorporate  the  provisions  into  national 
law. 

Lithuania  has  since  reported  the  incorporation  of  the 
relevant  provisions  of  the  revised  ETS  Directive  to  the 
Commission. The monitoring and reporting requirements 
and the obligation to hold a permit to carry out activities 
under ETS2 will commence on 1 January 2025. 

The  Commission  also  opened  infringement  procedures 
against Lithuania on 25 January 2024, by sending a letter 
of  formal  notice  for  failing  to  fully  transpose  previous 
revisions  of  the  ETS  Directive ( 138 )  into  national  law. 
Lithuania has since reported the full incorporation of the 
abovementioned directives to the Commission. 

The  Effort  Sharing  Regulation (ESR) ( 139 )  covers  GHG 
emissions  from  domestic  transport  (excluding  CO₂ 
emissions  from  aviation),  buildings,  agriculture,  small 
industry  and  waste.  Emissions  from  these  sectors 
account for around 60 % of the EU’s domestic emissions. 
The  regulation  sets  the  EU-wide  target  to  reduce 
emissions  from  the  effort  sharing  sectors  by  40 %  by 
2030 compared to 2005 levels. This overall target for the 
EU  translates  to  binding  national  emission  reduction 
targets  for  each  Member  State.  Lithuania’s  target  is 
– 21 %. 

In  addition  to  the  2030  targets,  Member  States  have 
annual  GHG  emissions 
(annual  emission 
allocations), reducing every year until 2030. 

limits 

There  is  some  flexibility  to  take  account  of  annual 
fluctuations  in  emissions,  by  trading  emissions  and 
transfers from the ETS and land use, land-use change and 
forestry. 

Based  on  historical  emissions  and  the  most  up-to-date 
projections, Lithuania is on track to achieve its 2030 ESR 
target.  Emissions  are  projected 
to 
0.3 percentage points above the 2030 target. 

reduce 

to 

The largest contributor is the domestic transport sector, 
which accounted for 43 % of all effort sharing emissions 
in 2022. 

Sustainable  transport  has  yet  to  take  off  in  Lithuania, 
where electric rail transport has high potential. At 0.4 % 
in  2022,  the  share  of  battery  electric  vehicles  in  its 
passenger  car  fleet  is  comparatively  low  (EU  average: 
1.2 %). A total of 1 070 publicly accessible charging points 
in  2023  provided  1  charging point  for  every  11  electric 
vehicles (EU average: 1 for every 10). Nearly all passenger 
is  by  passenger  car. 
transport  (93 %) 
However, only 37 % of freight is transported by road and 
the remainder (62 %) is transported by rail, far above the 
EU  average  (16 %).  By  contrast,  only  8 %  of  the  rail 
network  is  electrified,  a  very  low  share  (EU  average: 
56 %). 

in  Lithuania 

Agriculture  accounted  for  29 %  of  effort  sharing 
emissions. Its emissions remain stable and at the same 
level as in 2005. 

Buildings accounted for 11 % of effort sharing emissions 
but  remain  a  great  concern  for  Lithuania.  Lithuania’s 
in  buildings  renovation  will  probably  not 
efforts 
contribute meaningfully to its 2030 reduction target for 
energy  consumption  by  buildings.  Residential  final 

(136)  Flights between the EU Member States including departing 

(138)  Directive - 2023/959 - EN - EUR-Lex and Directive - 2023/958 - EN 

flights to Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. 

- EUR-Lex 

(137)  Directive (EU) 2023/959 (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-

content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2023.130.01.0134.01.ENG) 

(139)  Regulation (EU) 2018/842 (https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2018/842). 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
energy consumption increased by 7 % between 2015 and 
2022, while the long-term Lithuanian renovation strategy 
sets  out  a  target  of  reducing  building  primary  energy 
consumption by 15 % by 2030 compared with 2015. The 
total emissions of buildings have increased by 12 % since 
2005. 

Figure 34: Effort-sharing emissions by sector (%), 2022 

Land use, land-use change and forestry 

The  land  use,  land-use  change  and  forestry  (LULUCF) 
sector  plays  a  significant  role  in  achieving  the  EU’s 
climate  neutrality  goal.  In  the  EU,  this  sector  absorbs 
more GHGs than it emits, removing significant volumes 
of carbon from the atmosphere. Thus, it is the only sector 
with negative emissions. 

Over  the  last  10 years,  Lithuania’s  land-use  sector  has 
maintained  a  consistent  level  of  carbon  removal.  To 
increase  its  ability  to  absorb  carbon,  Lithuania  had 
measures  in  its  RRP  to  restore  degraded  peatlands. 
However,  Lithuania 
is  experiencing  difficulties  with 
implementation of these measures. 

Lithuania’s target for 2030 is to enhance CO2 removal by 
an additional −0.6 Mt of CO2 eq compared with the yearly 
average for 2016–2018. The latest available projections 
show  a  surplus  to  target  of  −0.3 Mt  of  CO2  eq  in  2030. 
Therefore, Lithuania is on track to meet its 2030 target. 

Adaptation to climate change 

Halting  all  GHG  emissions  would  not  prevent  climate 
that  are  already  occurring.  Therefore, 
impacts 

Lithuania  40 

adaptation to climate change is also a key component of 
climate policy. 

In  Lithuania,  one  out  of  three  regions  are  identified  as 
hotspots for climate risks (i.e. most affected by climate 
change): low-lying coastal regions (140). 

Climate  change 
is  affecting  several  sectors  and 
ecosystems  in  Lithuania,  particularly  in  the  coastal 
region.  The  highest  climate-related  risks  relate  to 
(coastal) flooding and windstorms in the western part of 
the  country.  The  most  climate-sensitive  sectors  are 
agriculture, public health, energy, industry, transport and 
communication  infrastructure.  The  rising  number  of 
heatwaves  is  projected  to  affect  heat-related  mortality 
and morbidity and the transport system. Heatwaves are 
also  likely  to  exacerbate  problems  with  electricity  and 
water  supply,  especially  in  urban  areas  such  as  Vilnius. 
During  winter, 
fluctuations 
frequent 
around 0 °C intensify frost heave and corrosion. 

temperature 

Lithuania  adopted  its  national  adaptation  strategy  in 
2012  and  updated  it  in  2021.  Lithuania  has  also  had  a 
national adaptation plan since 2013, which was updated 
in 2019. It has no regional or sectoral adaptation plans. 

Lithuania received five priority actions regarding climate 
action in the 2022 EIR.  

Lithuania  has  made  significant  steps  in  implementing 
reforms to accelerate renewable development, but  the 
share of renewables remains low in the transport sector. 

The  sustainability  of  transport,  especially  passenger 
transport, is still at a low level. 

There  has  been  no  progress  in  improving  the  energy 
efficiency  of  buildings.  Final  energy  consumption  and 
emissions have increased since 2015. 

There has been no progress in increasing environmental 
taxes. The share of environmental taxes in GDP was 1.5 % 
in  2022  (EU  average:  2.0 %)  and  there  has  been  no 
positive development. 

2025 priority action 

• 

Implement all polices and measures that are needed 
to  achieve  targets  laid  down  in  the  Effort  Sharing 
Regulation  (ESR)  and  the  Land  Use  and  Land-Use 
Change  and  Forestry  (LULUCF)  Regulation.  More 
detailed  priority  actions  are  set  out 
in  the 
assessment of the final National Energy and Climate 
Plan (NECP)(141). 

(140)  European Climate Risk Assessment (EUCRA). 2024. Available at 

(141)   National energy and climate plans 

European Climate Risk Assessment (europa.eu) 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
Lithuania  41 

Part II: Enabling framework – implementation tools

5. Financing

The EU budget  supports climate investment  in  Lithuania 
with  significant  amounts  in  2021–2027,  with  revenues 
from the ETS also feeding into the national budget. During 
2020–2022, Lithuania’s revenues from auctioning reached 
EUR 277million in total, with all of that spent on climate 
and energy. 

In  addition,  the  annual  investment  needed  to  meet  its 
environmental  objectives 
in  the  areas  of  pollution 
prevention and control, the circular economy and waste, 
water protection and management, and biodiversity and 
ecosystems is estimated to be EUR 2.9 billion per year in 
Lithuania. 

These  four  environmental  areas  currently  receive  total 
funding of around EUR 1.3 billion per year; thus, there is a 
gap of EUR 1.6 billion per year. 

the 

annual 

Of 
gap, 
environmental 
EUR 0.8 billion concerns biodiversity and ecosystems, 0.3–
0.4 billion  pollution  prevention  and  control  and  water 
(each)  and  around  0.1 billion  the  circular  economy 
objective. 

investment 

Climate finance landmarks 

EU funding for climate action 

The EU budget supports climate action in the EU-27 with 
EUR 657.8 billion  in  the  2021–2027  budgetary  period 
across  the  various  programmes  and  funds,  representing 
an  overall  34.3 %  contribution  level.  Of  this,  cohesion 
policy provides EUR 120 billion (over half of it through the 
European  Regional  Development  Fund  (ERDF)),  the  RRF 
EUR 275.7 billion and CAP EUR 145.9 billion (142). 

In  Lithuania,  the  EU  cohesion  policy  (considering  EU 
contribution  amounts)  provides  EUR 2 billion  for  climate 
action  in  2021–2027  (with  around  half  of  this  via  the 
ERDF),  with  a  further  35 million  from  the  European 
Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (143). 

(142)  European  Commission,  Statement  of  Estimates  of  the  European 
Commission –  For  the  financial  year  2025,  Publications  Office  of 
pp. 94–96, 
the 
https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/7a0420e1-
599e-4246-9131-ccb7d505d6d9_en?filename=DB2025-
Statement-of-Estimates_1.pdf. 

European  Union, 

Luxembourg, 

2024, 

(143)  See 

the 

Cohesion 

Open 

Data 

Platform 

(https://cohesiondata.ec.europa.eu/). 

(144)  European Commission datasets and the Recovery and Resilience 
(https://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/recovery-

Scoreboard 
and-resilience-scoreboard/index.html). 

The RRF contributes to climate finance in  Lithuania with 
EUR 1.4 billion  up  to  2026,  representing  37.3 %  of  the 
RRP (144). 

The  European 
(EIB)  provided 
Investment  Bank 
EUR 109.9 billion  financing  across  the  EU-27  between 
2021  and  mid-2024  to  support  energy,  transport  and 
industry  projects  that  are  aligned  with  the  EU’s  climate 
objectives. Of this amount, EUR 520 million was assigned 
to Lithuania in the reference period (145). 

National financing, including EU emissions trading 
system revenues 

amounted 

to  EUR 87 million 

Revenues  from  the  auctioning  of  emission  allowances 
under  the  EU  ETS,  which  feed  directly  into  national 
in  2020, 
budgets, 
EUR 86 million  in  2021  and  EUR 104 million  in  2022  in 
Lithuania,  totalling  EUR 277 million  in  the  three-year 
period. In Lithuania, revenues are put in a climate change 
fund that is only funded by auctioning revenues, and used 
for climate and energy purposes (146). 

From the remaining part of the EU ETS revenues that feed 
into  the  Innovation  Fund  and  the  Modernisation  Fund, 
further  support  is  available  to  climate  action  at  the  EU 
level. 

the  environment 

It should be noted that investment in climate action also 
the 
supports 
environmental  investments  described  in  the  following 
sections  cannot  be  regarded  as  entirely  additional  to 
climate investment (147). 

therefore, 

and, 

Environmental financing and investments 

This  section  describes  Lithuania’s 
investment  needs, 
current  financing  and  gaps  as  they  relate  to  the  four 
environmental  objectives  beyond  climate  objectives, 
namely  tackling  pollution,  the  circular  economy  and 

(145)  A 

list  of 

financed  projects 

is  provided  by 

the  EIB 

(https://www.eib.org/en/projects/loans/index.htm). 

(146)  European  Commission:  Directorate-General  for  Climate  Action, 
Progress Report 2023 – Climate action, Publications Office of the 
European 
2023, 
https://climate.ec.europa.eu/news-your-voice/news/climate-
action-progress-report-2023-2023-10-24_en. 
Indirect investments (from climate and other policies) in support 
of the environment are accounted for via the tracking. 

Luxembourg, 

Union, 

(147) 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
waste,  water  protection  and  management,  and 
biodiversity and ecosystems (148). 

Other MFF sources 

RRF (d) (2021–2026) 

126.1 (c) 

 589 

Lithuania  42 

The environment overall 

Investment needs 

The  overall  environmental 
investment  needs  to  be 
sufficient to enable Lithuania to meet its objectives in the 
areas  of  pollution  prevention  and  control,  the  circular 
economy and waste, water protection and management, 
and biodiversity and ecosystems. The required investment 
is estimated to be EUR 2.9 billion per year (in 2022 prices). 

A  significant  part  of  the  estimated  requirement,  around 
EUR 1 billion  per  year,  can  be  attributed  to  the  need  to 
support  biodiversity  and  ecosystems.  For  pollution 
prevention and control, the annual investment needs are 
estimated  to  be  EUR 652 million;  for  water,  they  are 
EUR 439 billion,  and  for  the  circular  economy  they  are 
EUR 751 million (in 2022 prices). 

Current investments 

To implement the environmental investments needed, the 
available  financing  is  estimated  to  currently  reach  an 
annual  EUR 1.3 billion  in  Lithuania  from  EU  and  national 
sources combined (in 2022 prices). 

Total  environmental  funding  from  the  multiannual 
financial  framework  (MFF)  is  estimated  to  reach  around 
EUR 2.4 billion for Lithuania in total, during 2021–2027 (or 
EUR 341.9 million per year). 

Table 1: Key environmental allocations from EU funds to 
Lithuania (million EUR), 2021–2027 

Instrument 

Cohesion policy 
ERDF 
Cohesion Fund 
Just Transition Fund 

Agricultural 

CAP 
European 
Guarantee Fund 
European  Agricultural  Fund 
for Rural Development 

European 
Maritime, 
Fisheries  and  Aquaculture 
Fund 

Allocations 

1 378.1 (a) 
604.7 
678.0 
95.4 
851.8 (b) 
614.5 
237.3 

37.5 

(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

(d) 

European  Commission,  2021-2027  cohesion  policy  (planned) 
allocations  in  EU  amount  excluding  national  co-financing,  based 
on the tracking in the Common Provisions Regulation (CPR, 2021) 
Annex I. Please note potential data changes that may have arisen 
between the EIR preparation cut-off date (31 October 2024) and 
its  publication  date.  Source  and 
information: 
https://cohesiondata.ec.europa.eu/2021-2027-
Categorisation/2021-2027-Planned-finances-detailed-
categorisation/hgyj-gyin/about_data. 

further 

Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council  of  2 December  2021  establishing  rules  on  support  for 
strategic  plans  to  be  drawn  up  by  Member  States  under  the 
common agricultural policy (CAP strategic plans) and financed by 
the  European  Agricultural  Guarantee  Fund  (EAGF)  and  by  the 
European  Agricultural  Fund  for  Rural  Development  (EAFRD)  and 
repealing Regulations (EU) No 1305/2013 and (EU) No 1307/2013 
(OJ 
https://eur-
p. 1), 
lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/2115. 

6.12.2021, 

Annex XI, 

L 435 

Note that 2021-2027 combines factual data for 2021 and 2022 and 
expenditure  under  the  relevant  specific  objectives  (SOs)  of  the 
CAP strategic plans from 2023, using the EU biodiversity tracking 
methodology  (https://commission.europa.eu/system/files/2023-
06/Biodiversity%20tracking%20methodology%20for%20each%20
programme%202023.pdf). Source: European Commission.  

Space  Fund,  Horizon  Europe,  financial 
environment and the Connecting Europe Facility. 

instrument  for  the 

Outside  the  MFF.  Note  that  the  RRF  applies  a  similar 
environmental tracking scheme (set in the RRF Regulation, Annex 
VI)  as  the  EU’s  cohesion  policy.  RR   dataset  version  used:  July 
2024, prior to 2025 revisions. Data source: European Commission. 

Lithuania,  in  addition  to  receiving  EU  funds  earmarked 
specifically  for  it  in  2021–2027,  can  also  benefit  from 
funding programmes that can be accessed at the EU level 
and which are open to all Member States. These include 
the LIFE programme (EUR 5.4 billion) (149), Horizon Europe 
(EUR 95.5 billion) ( 150 ),  the  Connecting  Europe  Facility 
(EUR 33.7 billion) ( 151 )  and  funds  that  can  be  mobilised 
through the InvestEU programme (152). 

Lithuania’s  RRP  supports  climate  objectives  through 
funding  of  EUR 1.4 billion  (37.3 %  of  total),  with  no 
additional amount for the environment. 

EIB  provided 

EUR 283.1 million 

The 
in 
around 
environment-related  financial  contributions  to  Lithuania 
from 2021 to mid-2024, most of which, EUR 180.8 million 
(64 %),  was  in  the  area  of  sustainable  energy,  transport 
and  industrial  projects,  which  provides  significant  co-

(148)  Research,  development  and  innovation  is  accounted  for  under 
each environmental objective. The financing needs, baselines and 
gaps  estimates  are  based  on  the  Directorate-General  for 
Environment’s 
internal  analysis  (of  2024).  Throughout  this 
chapter,  specific  references are  provided to  the  most  important 
data sources used. 

(149)  https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/programmes/life_en. 
(150)  European  Commission,  Horizon  Europe,  https://research-and-
innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-
programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe_en. 

(151)  The  Connecting  Europe  Facility  Transport  part  also  includes 
EUR 11.3 billion  transferred  from  the  Cohesion  Fund,  of  which 
30 % will be made available, on a competitive basis, to all Member 
States  eligible  for  the  Cohesion  Fund.  The  remaining  70 %  will 
respect the national envelopes until 31 December 2023. 

(152)  The  InvestEU  Fund  is  set  to  mobilise  over  EUR 372 billion  of 
investment through an EU budget guarantee of EUR 26.2 billion to 
back  the  investment  of  financial  partners such as  the  EIB  group 
and others. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
benefits  to  reducing  air  pollution,  environmental  noise 
and other pollution. 

Figure 35: Environmental financing, needs and gaps  per 
Member State (% of GDP) 

Lithuania  43 

The  EU’s  total  national  expenditure  on  environmental 
protection  (operating  plus  capital  expenditure)  was 
EUR 298 billion  in  2020  and  EUR 321 billion  in  2021, 
representing around 2.2 % of EU-27 GDP. In Lithuania, the 
total national environmental protection expenditure was 
in  2021, 
EUR 773 million 
representing 1.5 % and 1.9 % of GDP, respectively. 

in  2020  and  1 046 billion 

Of  the  total  environmental  expenditure,  the  national 
capital  expenditure 
(investment)  on  environmental 
protection  amounted  to  EUR 54.5 billion  in  2020  and 
EUR 59.9 billion in 2021 in the EU-27, representing around 
In  Lithuania,  the  national 
0.4 %  of  the  EU’s  GDP. 
environmental 
reached 
EUR 207 million in 2020, rising to EUR 297 million in 2021, 
representing around 0.4–0.5 % of GDP. 

investment 

protection 

Splitting  by 
institutional  sector,  20 %  of  Lithuania’s 
national  environmental  protection  investment  (capital 
expenditure) comes from the general government budget, 
with 63 % coming from specialist private-sector producers 
(of environmental protection services, such as waste and 
water  companies)  and  17 %  from  the  general  business 
sector,  whose  environmental  activities  are  usually 
ancillary  to  its  main  activities.  At  the  EU  level,  38 %  of 
environmental  protection 
from 
specialist  private-sector 
governments,  40 % 
producers and 22 % from the general business sector (153). 

investment  comes 

from 

Lithuania’s  total  financing  for  environmental  investment 
reaches  an  estimated  EUR 1.3 billion  per  year  (in  2022 
prices),  including  EU  funding  and  national  public  and 
national private expenditure. Of the total, the share of EU 
funds  (including  EIB  funds)  reaches  34 %,  with  around 
66 % national financing. The total public financing (EU plus 
national public) represents 47 % of the total. 

The gap 

To meet its four environmental objectives beyond climate 
change, the additional investment need over the current 
levels  (i.e.  the  gap)  reaches  an  estimated  EUR 1.6 billion 
per year in  Lithuania, representing around  2.36 % of the 
national  GDP,  being  considerably  higher  than  the  EU 
average (0.77 %). 

Source: Analysis of Directorate-General for Environment. 

The 
following  table  provides  the  distributions  of 
Lithuania’s  environmental  investment  gap  (expressed  in 
various forms) by environmental objective. 

Table 2: Summary of environmental investment gaps in 
Lithuania per year, 2021–2027 

Environmental 
objective 

Pollution prevention 
and control 

Circular economy and 
waste 

Water management 
and water industries 

Biodiversity and 
ecosystems 

Investment gap, per year  

% of GDP 

% of 
total 

Million 
EUR 
(2022 
prices) 

378 

 24.0 

0.57 

122 

 7.8 

0.18 

259 

16.4 

0.39 

820 

51.9 

1.23 

Total 

1 579 

100.0 

2.36 

Source: Directorate-General for Environment analysis. 

(153)  Eurostat, 

‘Environmental  protection  expenditure  accounts’, 

env_ac_epea. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
Pollution prevention and control 

Investment needs 

control, 

Lithuania’s 
In  pollution  prevention  and 
investment needs are estimated to reach EUR 652 billion 
per  year  (including  baseline  investments)  in  2021–2027. 
Most  of  this,  EUR 473 billion,  relates  to  air  pollution 
control, to comply with the clean air requirements for the 
five  main  air  pollutants  under  the  NECD  by  2030.  The 
estimated  needs  to  reduce  environmental  noise  reach 
EUR 101 million per year, most of which is delivered by the 
(same) sustainable energy and transport investments that 
also  benefit  clean  air ( 154 ).  Industrial  site  remediation 
requires  an  estimated  EUR 12 million  per 
year. 
Microplastics pollution and the chemicals strategy require 
around EUR 7–10 million per year (each) (155). 

Current investments 

reach 

control 

investment 
and 

levels  supporting  pollution 
The  current 
prevention 
estimated 
an 
EUR 274 million per year in Lithuania in 2021–2027. Most 
of  the  financing  concerns  clean  air  (EUR 222 million  per 
year).  Protection  from  environmental  noise  receives 
around EUR 70 million per year, with a further 4 million for 
site remediation. 

In Lithuania, the EU MFF provides an estimated 37.8 % of 
the clean air financing (mostly via cohesion policy), with a 
further 28.5 % from the RRF, adding up to  66.3 % of the 
total. EIB financing contributes  9 % and national sources 
reach 24.7 % (156). 

The gap 

To meet its environmental objectives concerning pollution 
prevention and control (towards zero pollution), Lithuania 
needs  to  provide  an  additional  EUR 378 million  per  year 
(0.57 % of GDP), mostly related to clean air and noise. The 
adequate  implementation  of  the  national  climate  and 
energy plan with the investments included for sustainable 

(154)  2021 

assessment 

Phenomena 

project 
(https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/f4cd7465-a95d-11eb-9585-01aa75ed71a1)  and  the 
Directive 
Commission’s 
implementation 
report 
(https://environment.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2023-
03/COM_2023_139_1_EN_ACT_part1_v3.pdf). 

Environmental 

Noise 

2023 

(155)  European  Commission,  Third  Clean  Air  Outlook,  Brussels,  2022, 

https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/air/clean-air-
outlook_en. See also the impact assessment for the revision of the 
AAQD, available from the Commission web page on the proposed 
revision 
(https://environment.ec.europa.eu/publications/revision-eu-
ambient-air-quality-legislation_en). 

(156)  Through  the  tracking  of  EU  funds,  EIB  projects  and  national 
expenditure (EPEA accounts, Eurostat). Note that the bulk of clean 
air  financing  is  provided  as  a  contribution  from  climate  (energy 
and  transport)  measures,  as  per  the  tracking  schemes  in  the 
Common  Provisions  Regulation  Annex  I  and  the  RRF  Regulation 
tracking: 
Annex  VI.  Further 

information  on  clean  air 

Lithuania  44 

energy  and  transport  would  largely  deliver  this,  while  in 
many  Member  States  additional  measures  and 
investments  may  be  required  to  comply  with  the  NH3 
reduction requirements. 

According to the latest (2023) NAPCP review report (157), 
Lithuania  did  not  comply  with  a  range  of  air  pollution 
reduction requirements in 2020 and 2021 (NOx, NMVOC, 
NH3), while it is not at risk of non-compliance with NH3 and 
other air pollutants concerning the NECD’s 2030 emission 
reduction  commitments,  based  on  the  policies  and 
measures  in  its  NAPCP  that  take  into  account  climate, 
energy and CAP plans and financing baselines. 

Circular economy and waste 

Investment needs 

Lithuania’s  investment  needs  in  circular  economy  and 
waste reach EUR 751 million per year (including baseline 
investments).  Most  of  this,  around  EUR 626 million  per 
year, relates to circular economy measures in the mobility, 
food  and  built  environment  systems,  with  a  further 
EUR 125 million  necessary 
for  waste  management 
(municipal  and  packaging  waste),  covering  waste 
collection,  biowaste  treatment,  recycling  reprocessors, 
waste-sorting  facilities  and  digitalisation  of  the  waste 
registry. The amount for waste excludes the investments 
needed for the uptake of circularity and waste prevention 
across the economy (158). 

Current investments 

Circular economy investments across the economy reach 
around  EUR 527 million  per  year  in  Lithuania  in  2021-
2027,  with  a  further  EUR 102 million  provided  for  waste 
management  that  does  not  constitute  the  circular 
economy. 

Around 6 % of this combined financing for circularity and 
waste  comes  from  the  EU  MFF,  with  no  further 

https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/0a80484e-
2409-4749-94c6-
3b23bc6bae8f_en?filename=Clean%20air%20methodology_0.pdf 
(157)  European Commission, ‘National air pollution control programmes 
website, 
European 

projections’, 

Commission 

and 
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/air/reducing-
emissions-air-pollutants/national-air-pollution-control-
programmes-and-
projections_en.https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/air/red
ucing-emissions-air-pollutants/national-air-pollution-control-
programmes-and-projections_en 

(158)  See Systemiq and Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Achieving ‘Growth 
2017, 

Within’, 
https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/achieving-growth-
within;  and  European  Commission:  Directorate-General  for 
Environment, Study on investment needs in the waste sector and 
on  the  financing  of  municipal  waste  management  in  Member 
States,  Publications  Office  of  the  European  Union,  Luxembourg, 
2019, 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/4d5f8355-bcad-11e9-9d01-01aa75ed71a1. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
contribution from the RRF. EIB loans identified in support 
of circularity and waste represent 0.5 % of the total. The 
share  of  national  sources  is  absolutely  overwhelming, 
reaching 94 % of the total financing (159). 

The gap 

To  meet  its  environmental  objectives  concerning  the 
circular economy and waste, Lithuania needs to increase 
investments  by  an  estimated 
circular  economy 
EUR 100 million 
additional 
EUR 23 million concerning waste management action, not 
belonging to circular economy. Combined, this amounts to 
representing  0.18 %  of 
EUR 122 million  per  year, 
Lithuania’s GDP. 

year,  with 

per 

an 

Of  the  circular  economy  gap,  EUR 26 million  relates  to 
recent  initiatives,  such  as  the  eco-design  for  sustainable 
products,  packaging  and  packaging  waste,  labelling  and 
digital  tools,  CRM  recycling,  and  measures  proposed 
under the amendment of the Waste Framework Directive, 
and EUR 73 million constitutes further investment need to 
unlock Lithuania’s circular economy potential. 

Water protection and management 

Investment needs 

The  annual  water  investment  needs  reach  an  estimated 
EUR 439 million  (in  2022  prices) 
in  Lithuania.  This 
comprises investment needs both for the water industry 
and for the protection and the management of water. Of 
the  total  annual  need,  EUR 186 million  relates  to  the 
management  of  waste  water  (also  including  additional 
costs  associated  with  the  revised  UWWTD).  A  further 
EUR 54 million  is  necessary  for  drinking-water-related 
investments  and  around  EUR 194 million 
the 
protection and management of water (160). 

for 

Current investments 

Water  investments  in  Lithuania  are  estimated  to  be 
around EUR 180 million per year (in 2022 prices) in 2021–
2027.  Of  this,  EUR 133 million  supports  wastewater 
management,  EUR 38 million  drinking  water  and  around 

(159)  Waste management and circular economy expenditure tracking in 
the  EU  funds,  EIB  projects  and  in  the  national  expenditure 
(Eurostat).  Datasets:  EPEA  accounts  (env_epi)  and  circular 
economy private investments (cei_cie012). 

(160)  See  European  Commission,  ‘Estimating  investment  needs  and 
financing capacities for water-related investment in EU Member 
States’, 
2020, 
2  May 
https://commission.europa.eu/news/estimating-investment-
needs-and-financing-capacities-water-related-investment-eu-
member-states-2020-05-28_en;  and  OECD,  Financing  Water 
Supply, Sanitation and Flood Protection: Challenges in EU Member 
States  and  policy  options,  OECD  Publishing,  Paris,  2020, 
https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/environment/financing-water-
supply-sanitation-and-flood-protection_6893cdac-en. 

(161)  Water investment levels are estimated through tracking EU funds, 
EIB projects and national expenditure (EPEA accounts, Eurostat). 

Lithuania  45 

EUR 7 million the other aspects of the Water Framework 
Directive (water management and protection). 

Of the total financing,  14.7 % is provided by the EU MFF 
(mostly  through  cohesion  policy),  with  further  0.5% 
support from the RRF. EIB financing is around  5.7 % of the 
total,  while  the  bulk  of  financing  comes  from  national 
sources (.79.1 %) (161). 

The gap 

To  meet  the  various  environmental  targets  under  the 
Water  Framework  Directive  and  the  Floods  Directive, 
Lithuania’s water investment gap reaches EUR 259 million 
per  year  (0.39 %  of  GDP),  with  EUR 53 million  linked  to 
waste  water.  Drinking  water  measures  require  an 
additional EUR 16 million per year and the other aspects 
of the Water Framework Directive around EUR 188 million 
per year over the existing levels of financing. 

Biodiversity and ecosystems 

Investment needs 

The investment needs for biodiversity and ecosystems are 
estimated to be EUR 1 billion per year (in 2022 prices) in 
includes  the  following 
Lithuania 
financing needs: 

in  2021–2027.  This 

(i) 

(ii) 

(iii) 

the 

2000 

Natura 

Lithuania’s  prioritised  action  framework ( 162 ) 
concerning 
areas: 
EUR 122 million per year, mostly running costs; 
additional  BDS ( 163 )  costs:  EUR 632 million  per 
year on top of the framework; 
sustainable  soil  management (
EUR 269 million per year. 

)  costs: 

164

Current investments 

The current level of biodiversity financing is estimated to 
be EUR 203 million per year (in 2022 prices) in 2021–2027. 
69.4 % of this is considered direct financing to biodiversity 
and ecosystems, with a 100 % coefficient  in the tracking 
schemes. 

(162)  European Commission, ‘ inancing Natura 2000 – Prioritised action 
website, 

Commission 

frameworks’, 
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/nature-and-
biodiversity/natura-2000/financing-natura-2000_en. 

European 

(163)  European  Commission:  Directorate-General  for  Environment, 
Biodiversity  Financing  and  Tracking –  Final  report,  Publications 
Office 
2022, 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/793eb6ec-dbd6-11ec-a534-
01aa75ed71a1/language-en. 

European  Union, 

Luxembourg, 

the 

of 

(164)  Proposal  for  a  directive  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council  on  soil  monitoring  and  resilience  (Soil  Monitoring  Law) 
2023, 
COM(2023) 416 
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/publications/proposal-
directive-soil-monitoring-and-resilience_en. 

5 July 

final 

of 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
12 % of the total financing is estimated to come from EU 
cohesion  policy,  56 %  from  CAP,  3.9 %  from  Horizon 
Europe,  and  around  1.5 %  from  LIFE  and  1.5 %  from  the 
European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund. The 
EU MFF altogether accounts for 76 % of the financing and 
the RRF for 0.4 %, adding up to a total of 76 % from the EU 
budget. The rest, 24 %, comes from national sources (165). 

Lithuania  has  programmed  16.2 %  of  its  CAP  budget  in 
2021–2027,  4.8 %  of  its  cohesion  policy  EU  contribution 
amount  (disregarding  ESF+)  and  0.2 %  of  RRF  funds  for 
investments in biodiversity. This is below the EU average 
share.  Furthermore,  the  Commission  has  received  a 
request  to  transfer  the  total  amount  envisaged  for 
biodiversity in the Lithuanian RRP to other priorities. 

Figure 36: 2021–2027 contributions to biodiversity from 
the main EU instruments per Member State (% of policy 
total) 

NB: ESF+, European Social Fund Plus. 

The gap 

To  meet  the  environmental  objectives  concerning  the 
protection and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems 
and  other  relevant  cross-cutting  measures,  Lithuania’s 
investment gap is estimated to be around EUR 0.8 billion 
per year, corresponding to 1.23 % of its GDP. 

Lithuania  46 

Public financial management 

Green budgeting practices 

Green  budgeting  refers  to  the  use  of  budgetary  tools to 
achieve climate and environmental goals. Some Member 
States  already  use  green  budgeting  tools  for  identifying 
and  tracking  green  expenditures  and/or  revenues ( 166 ). 
Green budgeting practices provide increased transparency 
on the environmental implications of budgetary policies. 

The  Commission  has  developed  a  non-mandatory  green 
budgeting  reference  framework  that  brings  together 
methodologies  for  assessing  the  impacts  of  budgets  on 
climate and environmental goals (167).  

To help Member States develop national green budgeting 
and  thereby  improve  policy  coherence  and  support  the 
green  transition,  the  Commission  facilitated  a  technical 
support instrument (TSI) project on green budgeting from 
2021 to 2024 (168), in which Lithuania participated. 

Beyond green budgeting, to improve policy outcomes, the 
Commission  has  also  drawn  up  climate-proofing  and 
sustainability-proofing  guidance ( 169),  as  tools  to  assess 
project  eligibility  and  compliance  with  environmental 
legislation and criteria. 

Green taxation and tax reform 

Total  environmental  taxes  amounted  to  EUR 1 billion  in 
Lithuania  in  2022,  representing  1.5 %  of  its  GDP  (EU 
average:  2.0 %).  Energy  taxes 
largest 
component of environmental taxes, accounting for 1.3 % 
of  GDP,  which  is  lower  than  the  EU  average  of  1.6 %. 
Transport  taxes,  at  0.1 %  of  GDP,  were  under  the  EU 
average (0.4 %), while taxes on pollution and resources, at 
0.12 %,  were  slightly  above  the  EU  average  (0.08 %).  In 
2022,  environmental  taxes  in  Lithuania  accounted  for 

formed  the 

(165)  Based  on 

biodiversity 

tracking 

in 

the 

EU 

budget 

(167)  European  Commission, 

(https://circabc.europa.eu/ui/group/3f466d71-92a7-49eb-9c63-
6cb0fadf29dc/library/8e44293a-d97f-496d-8769-50365780acde), 
and national expenditure into biodiversity from the Classification 
of the Functions of Government accounts. 

(166)  European  Commission,  Green  Budgeting  in  the  EU.  Key  Insights 
from the 2023 European Commission Survey of Green Budgeting 
Practices, 
https://economy-
finance.ec.europa.eu/economic-and-fiscal-governance/national-
fiscal-frameworks-eu-member-states/green-budgeting-
eu_en#:~:text=European%20Commission%20Green%20Budgetin
g%20Survey%C2%A0.. 

2023, 

‘European  Union  green  budgeting 
https://economy-

2022, 

framework’, 

reference 
finance.ec.europa.eu/economic-and-fiscal-governance/green-
budgeting-eu_en. 

(168)  https://reform-support.ec.europa.eu/what-we-do/revenue-

administration-and-public-financial-management/supporting-
implementation-green-budgeting-practices-eu_en. 

(169)  Commission notice – Technical guidance on the climate proofing 
of infrastructure in the period 2021–2027 (OJ C 373, 16.09.2021, 
p. 1), 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/23a24b21-16d0-11ec-b4fe-
01aa75ed71a1/language-en. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
 
4.8 %  of  total  revenues  from  taxes  and  social  security 
contributions (slightly under the EU average of 5.0 %) (170). 

Figure 37: Environmental taxes per Member State, 2022 

Lithuania  47 

served objectives in energy, buildings or transport, while 
5 % supported objectives in water, 5.1 % related to land 
use  (with  links  to  nature  and  ecosystems)  and  3.8 % 
applied  to  waste  management.  By  2023,  the  combined 
share of energy, buildings and transport had decreased to 
73 %, the shares of waste management and land use had 
increased (to 5.9 % and 8.4 %, respectively) and the share 
of water had remained around 5 %. 

issuances)  were 

In 2021–2023, 31.7 % of European green bonds (excluding 
supranational 
financial 
corporates, 29.1 % by sovereign governments and 23.1 % 
by  non-financial  corporates.  8.3 %  of  the  issuances  was 
linked 
to 
to  government-backed  entities,  6.4 % 
developments banks and 1.4 % to local governments. 

issued  by 

Figure 38: Value of green bonds issued per Member State 
(billion EUR), 2021, 2022 and 2023 

The EU Green Deal emphasises the role of well-designed 
tax  reforms  (e.g.  shifts  from  taxing  labour  to  taxing 
pollution) to boost economic growth and resilience, and to 
foster  a  fairer  society  and  a  just  transition  through  the 
right price signals. The Green Deal promotes the ‘polluter-
pays  principle’,  which  makes  polluters  bear  the  costs  to 
prevent, control and remedy pollution. 

According to a 2024 study (171), Lithuania applies charges 
on  emissions  to  water  and  on  solid  waste  disposal 
(landfilling fee), with further charges on plastics, for tree 
protection, for water disposal and for mineral extraction. 

Green bonds and sustainable bonds 

Data source: Climatebonds.net, with some additional data from national 
sources (e.g. Croatia, Slovenia). 

In 2023, the total value of green bonds issued by Member 
States  was  USD 245 billion  (EUR 227 billion),  up  from 
USD 234 billion (EUR 198 billion) in 2021 (172). 

During  2021–2023  combined,  Lithuania  issued  green 
bonds worth  USD 95.3 million (EUR 80.6 million). Of this, 
the  issuance  in  2023  amounted  to  USD 42.2 million 
(EUR 39 billion). 

During  2014–2023,  83 %  of  the  green  bonds  issued  by 
European  countries  (excluding  supranational  entities) 

Environmentally harmful subsidies 

Addressing  and  phasing  out  environmentally  harmful 
subsidies,  in  particular  fossil  fuel  subsidies  (FFS)  is  a 
further  step  towards  achieving  the  eighth  environment 
action  programme  objectives  and 
the  enabling 
conditions (173). FFS are costly for public budgets and make 
it difficult to achieve European Green Deal objectives. 

(170)  Eurostat, ‘Environmental taxes accounts’, env_eta. 
(171)  European  Commission:  Directorate-General  for  Environment, 
Candidates  for  Taxing  Environmental  Bads  at  National  Level, 
Publications  Office  of  the  European  Union,  Luxembourg,  2024, 
Annexes 1  and  2,  https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/35c1bbdf-2931-11ef-9290-01aa75ed71a1/language-
en. 

(172)  Climate  bonds  initiative  (https://www.climatebonds.net/).  NB. 
Additionally (and not included in this), national sources indicated 
EUR 544.8 million issuance for Croatia, in 2022-2023, and a slightly 
higher  amount  for  Slovenia  (+0.27  billion)  during  2021-2023  in 
total. 

(173)  Article 3(h) and 3(v) of the eighth environment action plan. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
 
 
 
The overall downward trend of FFS mentioned in past EIRs 
was disrupted from 2022 due to the European response to 
the 2021 energy crisis and subsequent increase in energy 
prices. 

As  a  direct  consequence,  annual  FFS  in  the  EU  have 
increased to EUR 109 billion in 2023 from EUR 57 billion in 
2020. From 2021 to 2023, there was a marked increase in 
annual FFS of 72 % in the EU (174). 

• 

For the majority of the Member States (16), the year 2022 
saw  a  peak  in  the  amount  of  overall  FFS.  A  decline  was 
then observed in 2023 (175). In particular, FFS for coal and 
lignite, natural gas and oil increased in 2022 and a strong 
increase was observed for natural gas subsidies. 

In  Lithuania,  the  energy  subsidies  ranged  between 
EUR 0.7 billion  and  EUR 0.9 billion  per  year  during  2015 
and 2021, with FFS also being stable, at EUR 0.3–0.4 billion 
per  year.  In  2022  and  2023,  energy  subsidies  increased 
overall;  FFS  was  also  higher,  at  EUR 0.8 billion  and 
EUR 0.6 billion, respectively. 

As a share of GDP, fossil fuel subsidies in 2022 ranged from 
1.8 %  in  Croatia  to  less  than  0.1 %  in  Denmark  and 
Sweden.  Lithuania’s  value  reached  1.2 %,  above  the  EU 
average (0.8 %) (176). 

Figure 39:  Energy  subsidies  by  energy  carrier  (billion 
EUR), 2015–2023 

Lithuania  48 

The  2022  recommendations  for  Lithuania  included  the 
following. 

•  Devise  an  environmental 

financing  strategy  to 
maximise  opportunities  for  closing  environmental 
implementation  gaps,  bringing  together  all  relevant 
administrative levels. 
Increased  level  of  financing  for  the  environment,  in 
particular  from  private  sources  (currently  around 
33 %),  to  cover  the  high  level  of  investment  needs 
across  the  environmental  objectives  by  closing  the 
investment gaps. 

Lithuania  has  a  similar  level  of  overall  environmental 
investment gap to that observed in 2022 (2.4 % of GDP in 
2025 –  above  the  EU  average),  most  of  which  relates  to 
biodiversity and ecosystems. 

2025 priority action 

In  light  of  similar  levels  of  investment  gaps  to  those 
observed 
is 
maintained for Lithuania. 

in  2022,  a  general  recommendation 

•  Use more national funding (for instance by increasing 
taxes  in  favour  of  the  environment  and  reducing 
environmentally  harmful  subsidies),  EU  funding  and 
private funding to help close the investment gap. 

NB: RES, renewable energy source. 

Source: analysis of Directorate-General Energy 

(174)  European  Commission,  2024  Report  on  Energy  Subsidies  in  the 

(176)  European  Commission,  2024  Report  on  Energy  Subsidies  in  the 

European Union, COM(2025). 
https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/documents-
register/detail?ref=COM(2025)17&lang=en  

(175)  16 Member States: BE, EE, IE, EL, ES, FR, HR, IT, CY, LT, HU, NL, AT, 

PT, RO and SE. 

European Union, COM(2025). 
https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/documents-
register/detail?ref=COM(2025)17&lang=en  

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Lithuania  49 

6. Environmental governance

Information, public participation and access to 
justice 

Table 3: Lithuania dashboard on the implementation of 
the Inspire Directive, 2016–2023 

2016 

2023 

Legend 

Citizens  can  more  effectively  protect  the  environment  if 
they rely on the three ‘pillars’ of the Aarhus Convention: 
(i)  access  to  information,  (ii)  public  participation  in 
decision-making and (iii) access to justice in environmental 
matters.  It  is  of  crucial  importance  to  public  authorities, 
the public and businesses that environmental information 
is  shared  efficiently  and  effectively ( 177 ).  Public 
participation  allows  authorities  to  make  decisions  that 
take public concerns into account. Access to justice is a set 
of  guarantees  that  allows  citizens  and  NGOs  to  use 
national courts to protect the environment, safeguard the 
rights  of 
citizens  and  ensure  accountability  of 
authorities ( 178 ).  It  includes  the  right  to  bring  legal 
challenges (‘legal standing’) (179). 

Environmental information 

This  section  focuses  on  the  implementation  of  the 
Infrastructure  for  Spatial  Information  in  the  European 
Community (Inspire) Directive. The Inspire Directive aims 
to set up a European spatial-data infrastructure for sharing 
information  between  public 
environmental  spatial 
authorities across Europe. It is expected that this will help 
policymaking  across  boundaries  and  facilitate  public 
access  to  this  information.  Geographic  information  is 
needed  for  good  governance  at  all  levels  and  should  be 
readily and transparently available. 

Lithuania’s  performance  in  implementing  the  Inspire 
Directive is substantial and has been reviewed based on its 
2023 country fiche (180) (see Table 3). 

In  2022,  Lithuania  received  a  priority  action  to  make 
spatial  data  more  widely  accessible.  Lithuania  has  made 
good  progress  on  improving  the  accessibility  of  spatial 
data,  but  more  effort 
to  prioritise 
environmental datasets (181). 

is  needed 

(177)  The  Aarhus 

Convention 

(https://unece.org/environment-
policy/public-participation/aarhus-convention/text),  the  Access 
to  Environmental  Information  Directive  (Directive 2003/4/EC) 
(https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
Inspire 
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32003L0004) 
Directive  (Directive 2007/2/EC)  (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32007L0002) together create a legal 
foundation for the sharing of environmental information between 
public authorities and with the public. 

and 

the 

(178)  These  guarantees  are  explained  in  the  European  Commission’s 
2017  notice  on  access  to  justice  in  environmental  matters 
(https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:52017XC0818(02))  and  a  related 

Effective  coordination  and  data 
sharing 

Ensure  effective 
coordination 

■  ■ 

Data 

sharing 

without obstacle  ■  ■ 
Inspire performance indicators 

(i)  Conformity  of 
metadata  

■  ■ 

(ii)  Conformity  of 
spatial datasets  

■  ■ 

(iii)  Accessibility 
of 
spatial 
datasets  through 
and 
view 
download 
services 

■  ■ 

(iv) Conformity of 

network services  ■  ■ 

■  Implementation 
of  this  provision  is 
well  advanced  or 
(nearly)  completed. 
issues 
Outstanding 
are minor and can be 
addressed 
easily. 
Percentage > 89 % 

■ 
Implementation 
of  this  provision  has 
started  and  made 
some  or  substantial 
progress  but  is  still 
not  close  to  being 
completed. 
Percentage = 31–
89 % 

■ 
Implementation 
of  this  provision  is 
falling 
significantly 
behind  or  has  not 
even started. Serious 
efforts are necessary 
to 
the 
close 
implementation  gap. 
Percentage < 31 % 

Source:  European  Commission,  ‘Lithuania’,  Inspire  Knowledge  Base, 
https://knowledge-base.inspire.ec.europa.eu/lithuania_en. 

Public participation 

Public involvement  at both the  planning and the project 
phase  maximises  transparency  and  social  acceptance  of 
programmes  and  projects.  Consultation  with  the  public 
(including  NGOs)  and  environmental,  local  and  regional 
authorities  is  a  key  feature  of  an  effective  impact 

2018 citizen’s guide (https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/2b362f0a-bfe4-11e8-99ee-01aa75ed71a1/language-
en/format-PDF). 

(179)  This  EIR  focuses  on  the  means  used  by  Member  States  to 
guarantee  rights  of  access  to  justice  and  legal  standing  and  to 
overcome other major barriers to bringing cases on environmental 
protection. 

(180)  European  Commission,  ‘Lithuania’,  Inspire  Knowledge  Base, 
https://knowledge-base.inspire.ec.europa.eu/lithuania_en. 
(181)  See the European Commission’s list of high-value spatial datasets 

(https://github.com/INSPIRE-MIF/need-driven-data-
prioritisation/blob/main/documents/eReporting_PriorityDataList
_V2.1_final_20201008.xlsx). 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
 
assessment procedure. Such consultation also provides an 
opportunity for public authorities and project promoters 
to  engage  with  the  public  actively  and  meaningfully  by 
making information on the likely significant effects widely 
available. If carried out with due diligence and taking into 
consideration  useful  public  input,  this  process  leads  to 
better-informed decision-making and can promote public 
acceptance.  Making 
increases 
stakeholder  involvement,  thus  lessening  resistance  and 
preventing (or minimising) litigation. On the other hand, it 
is paramount that the procedure is effective. 

information  available 

This  section  examines  how  public 
involvement  and 
transparency are ensured under two instruments, namely 
the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive (182) 
(SEA) 
and  the  Strategic  Environmental  Assessment 
Directive (183). 

EU law provides for a flexible framework concerning EIAs. 
The aim of this framework is to ensure the application of 
the  necessary  environmental  safeguards,  while  enabling 
the  speedy  approval  of  projects.  The  Commission  has 
contributed to simplifying and accelerating permitting for 
renewable energy projects and continues to support the 
Member States in this regard (184). Lithuania has already 
taken steps aimed at accelerating permitting procedures, 
taking advantages of the broad flexibility offered by the EU 
legal framework, such as the establishment of a ‘one-stop 
shop’  and  accelerated  short  deadlines  for  permitting 
renewable energy projects. 

and 

The  average  time  taken  in  the  EU  to  permit  projects 
involving an EIA is 20.6 months, with a minimum duration 
a  maximum  duration  of 
of  11.4 months 
75.7 months ( 185).  The  duration  of  each  step  in  the  EIA 
process  (screening,  scoping,  formulating  an  EIA  report, 
conducting  a  public  consultation,  providing  an  reasoned 
conclusion,  obtaining  development  consent)  varies 
considerably  between  Member  States  and  projects.  The 

(182)  Directive 2011/92/EU  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council of 13 December 2011 on the assessment of the effects of 
certain public and private projects on the environment (OJ L 26, 
28.1.2012, 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
p. 1), 
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32011L0092. 

(183)  Directive 2001/42/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council of 27 June 2001 on the assessment of the effects of certain 
plans and programmes on the environment (OJ L 197, 21.7.2001, 
p. 30), 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32001L0042. 

(184)  Commission Staff Working Document  (SWD/2022/0149 final), 18 
May 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52022SC0149&qid=1653034229
953). 

2022, 

( 

(185)  European  Commission:  Directorate-General  for  Environment, 
Collection of information and data on the implementation of the 
(EIA)  Directive 
revised  Environmental 

Impact  Assessment 

Lithuania  50 

available  data  for  Lithuania  show  that,  on  average, 
screening 
takes  between  0.7  and  10.2 months, 
formulating  an  EIA  report  3–57 months  and  public 
consultation  1.4 months.  The 
is 
completed considerably faster than the EU average.  The 
effective use of EU procedures can positively influence the 
the 
timely 
decarbonisation of the economy on the way to net zero by 
2050. 

activities  underpinning 

approval  of 

screening 

stage 

A new report  is not  yet  available on the application and 
effectiveness of the SEA Directive in the EU. Nevertheless, 
a  support  study has been published with information by 
Member State (186). 

In 2022, Lithuania received the priority action to assess the 
level of public engagement in the EIA and SEA processes 
and considering ways to improve public participation. 

Lithuania has made some progress in and efforts to raise 
information.  The  Ministry  of 
public  awareness  and 
Environment  and  the  Environmental  Protection  Agency 
have 
information  on  their  websites  and  dedicated 
brochures ( 187 ).  In  2024,  the  Ministry  of  Environment 
started  a  project  on  the  digitalisation  of  EIAs  and  the 
issuance of pollution permits. One of the main objectives 
of  this  project  is  to  improve  the  public’s  access  to 
information and ability to become more actively involved 
in environmental decision-making. The project is expected 
to be finalised in 2027. 

Access to justice 

Access to justice, guaranteed by Article 19(1) of the Treaty 
on  European  Union  and  Article 47  of  the  EU  Charter  of 
Fundamental Rights, is a fundamental right and part of the 
democratic process. It is vital to ensure the full application 
of EU law in all Member States and the legal protection of 

(2011/92/EU) as amended by 2014/52/EU), Publications Office of 
the  European  Union,  Luxembourg,  2024,  Tables 5  and  6, 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/8349a857-2936-11ef-9290-01aa75ed71a1/. 
( 186 )  European  Commission:  Directorate-General  for  Environment, 
Lundberg, P., McNeill, A., McGuinn, J., Cantarelli, A. et al., Study 
supporting  the  preparation  of  the  report  on  the  application  and 
effectiveness  of  the  SEA  Directive  (Directive  2001/42/EC)  –  Final 
study,  Publications  Office  of  the  European  Union,  2025, 
https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2779/1615072 

(187)  Ministry  of  Environment  of  the  Republic  of  Lithuania,  ‘Kaip 
užtikrinti  visuomenės  teisę  į  švarią  aplinką?’,  Environmental 
Protection  Agency  website, 
last  updated  11 October  2023, 
Visuomenės  dalyvavimas  planuojamos  ūkinės  veiklos  poveikio 
aplinkai vertinimo (PAV) ir atrankos dėl PAV procesuose - Lietuvos 
Respublikos aplinkos ministerija. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
 
 
 
the  rights  of  individuals,  including  in  environmental 
matters.  Access  to  justice  is  essential  to  enable  judicial 
review of the decisions of public authorities and to allow 
the  correction  of  any  wrongdoing  committed  by  these 
authorities. 

This  section  provides  a  snapshot  of  the  state  of  play  of 
access to courts by the public, particularly when it comes 
to challenging plans, or the non-adoption of plans, under 
EU law, in the areas of water, waste, air quality and noise, 
irrespective of the form of the legal act (i.e. regulatory act 
or administrative decision). 

As mentioned in the 2022 EIR, both individuals and NGOs 
can  challenge  environmental  administrative  decisions, 
including plans and programmes. 

The  website  of  the  Ministry  of  Environment  contains  a 
dedicated  section  on  how  the  public  can  exercise  their 
access  to  justice  rights ( 188 ),  providing  a  link  to  the 
Commission’s  e-justice  factsheets ( 189 ).  There  is  also  a 
publicly  available  report  of  the  Ombudsperson  of  the 
Lithuanian parliament on the right of the public to access 
to justice in environmental matters (190). 

In 2022, Lithuania received the priority actions to provide 
better public information on the right to access justice and 
to  make  a  greater  effort  to 
inform  environmental 
stakeholders about  ways to enforce their environmental 
rights. Both of these actions have been fulfilled. 

2025 priority action 

•  Make  spatial  data  more  widely  accessible  and 
prioritise  environmental  datasets  in  implementing 
the  Inspire  Directive,  especially  those  identified  as 
high-value 
implementing 
spatial  datasets 
environmental legislation (191). 

for 

Compliance assurance 

Environmental  compliance  assurance  covers  all  work 
undertaken by public authorities to ensure that industries, 
farmers and others fulfil their obligations to protect water, 

(188)  Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania, ‘Visuomenės 
teisės  ir  jų  realizavimo  tvarka  Lietuvoje’,  LRV.LT,  last  updated 
3 October 
https://am.lrv.lt/lt/orhuso-
konvencija/visuomenes-teises-ir-ju-realizavimo-tvarka-lietuvoje/. 

2023, 

(189)  https://www.teismai.lt/lt/nacionaline-teismu-

administracija/nuorodos/101. 

(190)  https://www.lrski.lt/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/SK-ataskaita-

Lithuania  51 

air and nature, to manage waste (192) and to remedy any 
environmental  damage.  It  includes  measures  such  as  (i) 
compliance  promotion,  (ii)  compliance  monitoring  (i.e. 
inspections  and  other  checks),  (iii)  enforcement,  that  is, 
steps taken to stop breaches and impose sanctions, and 
(iv) ensuring damage prevention and remediation in line 
with the polluter-pays principle. 

Compliance promotion, monitoring and enforcement 

Non-compliance  with  environmental  obligations  may 
occur for different reasons, including poor understanding 
or  lack  of  acceptance  of  the  rules,  opportunism  or  even 
criminality.  Compliance  promotion  activities  help  duty-
holders to comply by providing information, guidance and 
other  support.  This  is  particularly  important  in  areas 
where new and complex legislation is put in place. 

When  inspections  and  other  control  activities  identify 
problems,  a  range  of  responses  may  be  appropriate, 
including 
the  use  of  administrative  and  criminal 
enforcement tools. 

regards 

cases.  As 

As  mentioned  in  the  2022  EIR,  The  Lithuanian  National 
Courts Administration publishes annual statistics on civil, 
criminal  and  administrative  court  cases ( 193 ),  including 
environmental 
administrative 
procedures, only general statistics are available, without 
detail  on  the  specific  environmental  issues  concerned. 
Data on criminal cases are provided for each article of the 
Criminal  Code.  Information  is  also  available  on  the 
Environmental Protection Department’s website on how 
the  public  can  report  infringements  of  environmental 
law (194). 

The project ‘Establishment of the Information System for 
State Control of Environmental Protection’, in place from 
September 2024 to December 2026, aims to establish an 
effective  information  system  for  the  state  control  of 
environmental  protection  based  on  the  more  efficient 
identification and supervision of the most at-risk entities, 
analysis  and  forecasting  of  the  results  of  controls,  and 
for  human  error  and 
reduction  of  the  potential 

(192)  The concept is explained in detail in the European Commission’s 
2018  communication  on  EU  actions  to  improve  environmental 
compliance  and  governance  (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52018DC0010)  and  the  related 
Commission 
(https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52018SC0010). 

document 

working 

staff 

Orhuso_galutine-2023-01-30.pdf. 

(193)  https://www.teismai.lt/lt/visuomenei-ir-

(191)  See the European Commission’s list of high-value spatial datasets 

ziniasklaidai/statistika/106. 

(https://github.com/INSPIRE-MIF/need-driven-data-
prioritisation/blob/main/documents/eReporting_PriorityDataList
_V2.1_final_20201008.xlsx). 

(194)  https://aad.lrv.lt/lt/pranesk-apie-aplinkosaugos-pazeidimus/. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
 
 
corruption (195). One of the activities of the project is to set 
up a unified channel to register all forms of complaints and 
notifications  in  a  single  information  system  in  order  to 
make the receipt of complaints and notifications and the 
subsequent handling of complaints or notifications more 
efficient. 

This project has the potential to strengthen enforcement; 
however, as mentioned in the 2022 EIR, so far the lack of 
systematic 
information  on  the  outcomes  of  cases, 
combined  with  the  lack  of  detailed  information  on  the 
outcomes  of  inspections,  makes  it  difficult  to  track  the 
effectiveness  of  enforcement  actions  in  the  field  of  the 
environment. 

The  2022  EIR  recommended  that  Lithuania  (i)  provides 
better  public  information  on  how  to  make  complaints 
about environmental damage and compliance issues and 
how  to  enforce  their  environmental  rights;  (ii)  develops 
and implements a systematic approach towards handling 
existing  environmental  data  that  would  not  only  link 
various  types  of  environmental  data  with  each  other  or 
with  other  types  of  data  (e.g.  geospatial  data),  but  also 
give environmental stakeholders easier access to the data; 
and (iii) publishes detailed and structured information on 
the  outcomes  of  enforcement  actions.  However,  such 
actions  concerning  compliance  promotion,  monitoring 
and  criminal  and  administrative  enforcement  are  not 
assessed here due to a lack of systematic information. 

The new EU Environmental Crime Directive 

The EU has recently strengthened its legal framework on 
tackling  the  most  serious  breaches  of  environmental 
obligations,  notably  by  the  adoption  of  the  new 
Environmental  Crime  Directive  (ECD)  (Directive  (EU) 
2024/1203) (196) and new sectoral legislation with stronger 
provisions  on  compliance  monitoring,  enforcement  and 
penalties. Issues important for the transposition and the 
implementation  of  the  relevant  new  instruments  are 
highlighted below; a detailed assessment of these topics 
will be included in the next EIR once more implementation 
measures  are  put 
in  place  and  more  systematic 
information is available. 

The  new  ECD  replaced  the  2008  ECD  and  introduced 
several  new  offence  categories,  such  as  unlawful  ship 

(195)  https://aad.lrv.lt/lt/administracine-informacija/igyvendinami-
projektai/projektas-aplinkos-apsaugos-valstybines-kontroles-
informacines-sistemos-aavkis-sukurimas/. 

( 196 )    Directive  2024/1203/EU  on  the  protection  of  the  environment 
https://eur-

criminal 

law 

through 
lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/1203/oj/eng 

(197)  https://www.impel.eu/en. 

Lithuania  52 

recycling,  unlawful  water  abstraction,  and  serious 
breaches  of  EU 
legislation  on  chemicals,  mercury, 
fluorinated GHG and IAS of EU concern. It also covered the 
establishment  of  qualified  offences,  subject  to  more 
severe penalties where one of the offences defined in the 
Directive  leads  to  serious  widespread  and  substantial 
damage  or  destruction  of  the  environment.  Concrete 
provisions on the types and levels of penalties for natural 
and  legal  persons  who  commit  an  offence  were  also 
introduced.  Other  provisions  will  help  considerably  to 
improve  the  effectiveness  in  combating  environmental 
crime  of  all  actors  along  the  enforcement  chain.  These 
include  obligations  to  ensure  adequate  resources  and 
investigative  tools,  specialised  regular  training  and  the 
establishment  of  cooperation  mechanisms  within  and 
between Member States as well as national strategies on 
combating environmental crime. 

including  by 

Member  States  are  required  to  transpose  the  new  ECD 
into national law by 21 May 2026 and to take additional 
measures  to  more  effectively  combat  environmental 
crime, 
in  particular  through  training,  coordination, 
cooperation  and  strategic  approaches.  The  Commission 
facilitating  the 
will  provide  support, 
identification  and  sharing  of  good  practices.  Member 
States are expected to ensure the necessary resources and 
specialised  skills  required  and  they  are 
invited  to 
encourage their authorities to support and cooperate with 
the  recognised  EU-level  networks  of  environmental 
enforcement practitioners, such as the EU Network for the 
Implementation  and  Enforcement  of  Environmental 
Law ( 197),  EnviCrimeNet ( 198),  the  European  Network  of 
Prosecutors for the Environment (199) and the EU Forum of 
Judges  for  the  Environment ( 200 ).  The  European  Union 
Agency for Law Enforcement  Cooperation and European 
Union  Agency 
Justice  Cooperation 
mechanisms for cooperation on cross-border cases should 
be used more systematically for environmental offences. 

for  Criminal 

On  2 July  2024,  amendments  to  the  Lithuanian  Code  of 
Administrative  Offences  and  the  Law  on  Environmental 
Protection  came  into  force,  strengthening  penalties  for 
violations  of  the  requirements  for  the  management  of 
fluorinated GHGs and their mixtures, and of the products 
and  equipment  containing  them,  and  reinforcing  the 
liability of individuals and legal entities for the illegal use 

(198) 

LIFE+SATEC 
(https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/life/publicWebsite/project/LIFE2
0-PRE-ES-000001/fight-against-environmental-crime-at-a-
strategic-level-through-the-strengthening-of-envicrimenet-
network-of-experts-in-environmental-criminal-investigations). 

project 

(199)  https://www.environmentalprosecutors.eu. 
(200)  https://www.eufje.org/index.php?lang=en. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
 
 
Lithuania  53 

invasive  species  and  for  failure  to 

of 
implement 
management  measures.  In  addition,  the  penalties  for 
natural  persons  for  a  number  of  other  environmental 
infringements  have  been  revised  and  increased,  and 
penalties  for  legal  persons  for  these  infringements  have 
been introduced. 

Environmental Liability Directive 

The  Environmental  Liability  Directive  (ELD)  ( 201)  aims  to 
ensure that environmental damage is remediated in kind 
at the expense of those who have caused it, in line with 
the polluter-pays principle. It helps to halt the net loss in 
biodiversity,  as  well  as  reducing  the  number  of 
contaminated  sites  and  protecting  the  environmental 
quality of groundwater and surface waters. The ELD is a 
cross-cutting 
for  better 
tool  and  a  key  enabler 
implementation of EU environmental law. 

The  ELD  addresses  cases  of  significant  environmental 
damage  to  protected  species  and  natural  habitats,  and, 
when caused by operators carrying out certain potentially 
hazardous  activities,  damage  to  water  and  to  soil.  The 
legal  obligation  to  periodically 
Commission  has  the 
evaluate  the  ELD.  The  ELD  has  undergone  its  second 
evaluation ( 202 ),  which  will  be  finalised  in  2025  and 
supported  by  an  external  study ( 203 ).  The  evaluation 
consisted of evidence, views, reports and other relevant 
information gathered from different stakeholder groups, 
including Member States. 

One  of  the  most  relevant  indicators  in  assessing  the 
implementation  and  enforcement  of  the  ELD  is  the 
number of cases of environmental damage handled under 
the  ELD,  especially  when  this  number  is  compared  with 
the  previous  reporting  period.  Fewer  ELD  cases  were 
reported in the second reporting period (2013–2022) than 
in  the  first  one  (2007–2013).  However,  the  downward 
trend in the number of ELD occurrences and their overall 
low  number  do  not  necessarily  mean  that  the  ELD  has 
achieved  its  objectives,  as  these  findings  needs  to  be 
compared  with  the  overall  number  of  and  trend  in 
environmental  damage  cases,  some  of  which  may  have 
been handled under other liability instruments. 

The ELD has not always been effective in ensuring that the 
polluter pays, because the liable operators often lack the 
financial  capacity  to  carry  out  remediation  measures. 
While the ELD does not provide for a mandatory financial 
security  system,  it  explicitly  calls  for  Member  States  to 
encourage 
financial  security 
instruments  and  markets,  with  the  aim  of  enabling 
operators  to  use  financial  guarantees  to  cover  their 
responsibilities under this directive. 

the  development  of 

From  1 May  2013  to  31 December  2021,  Lithuania 
reported  only  one  occurrence  of  environmental  damage 
under the ELD (a case of land and water damage), whereas 
five occurrences were reported in the previous reporting 
period. 

The environmental insurance market in Lithuania is at an 
early stage of development. This excludes insurance that 
provides cover for businesses that carry out operations to 
recover  or  dispose  of  waste,  for  which  Lithuania  has 
introduced mandatory financial security actions for waste 
management activities. 

The  2022  EIR  recommended  that  Lithuania  makes 
follow-up  of 
information  more  available  on 
environmental  incidents,  including  cases  under  the  ELD. 
There  is  no  information  available  about  the  progress  on 
2022  priority  actions  in  relation  to  the  ELD.  Efforts  to 
implement  2022  priority  actions  should  continue  along 
with the 2025 priority action. 

the 

2025 priority action 

• 

Encourage the use of training programmes provided 
by  the  Commission  (or  developed  at  the  national 
level) and covering the ELD and its interactions with 
the  other  national  liability-related  instruments,  to 
ensure  more  efficient  ELD  implementation,  improve 
the expertise of the competent authorities and raise 
awareness among all stakeholder groups. 

EU-supported environmental capacity building 

The Commission’s 2023 Compact (204) initiative to enhance 
the administrative space identifies the capacity to lead the 
green transition as one of three key pillars, along with the 

(201 )   Directive 2004/35/EC on environmental liability with regard to the 
prevention and remedying of environmental damage, https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02004L0035-20190626. 
 Commission  staff  working  document  -  Evaluation  of  the 
Environmental Liability Directive, forthcoming 2025. 

(202) 

(203)  European Commission: Directorate-General for Environment and 
Fogleman,  V.,  Study 
in  support  of  the  evaluation  of  the 
Environmental  Liability  Directive  and  its  implementation –  Final 

report,  Publications  Office  of  the  European  Union,  Luxembourg, 
2024, 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/006d90e5-980a-11ef-a130-
01aa75ed71a1/language-en. 

(204)  See 

the  European  Commission  web  page  on  Compact 
(https://reform-support.ec.europa.eu/public-administration-and-
governance-coordination/enhancing-european-administrative-
space-compact_en). 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
 
 
 
public  administration  skills  agenda  and  the  capacity  for 
Europe’s Digital Decade. Compact also recognises the role 
of  the  EIR  reporting  tool  in  improving  environmental 
governance. The two main capacity-building opportunities 
for 
the  European 
Commission  are  the  TSI ( 205)  and  the  TAIEX-EIR  PEER  2 
PEER tool (206). The technical assistance available through 
the cohesion policy is subject to shared management and 
is not dealt with in this subsection. 

the  environment  provided  by 

The Commission’s technical support instrument 

The  TSI  provides  Member  States  with  tailor-made 
technical expertise on the design and implementation of 
reforms.  The  support  is  demand  driven  and  does  not 
require national co-financing. 

With the TSI 2023, 2024 and 2025, the Commission’s TSI 
supported four environment-related projects in Lithuania: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

the 

Environmental 

‘Accelerating  permitting  for  renewable  energy’, 
conducted by the National Energy Regulatory Council 
(2023); 
‘Strengthening  of  institutional  and  administrative 
capacities for the improvement of energy efficiency of 
buildings  renovation  and  the  organic  renovation’, 
conducted 
Projects 
by 
Management  Agency  under 
the  Ministry  of 
Environment (2023); 
‘GPP  monitoring  in  Lithuania  and  Latvia’,  conducted 
by the Ministry of the Economy and Innovation of the 
Republic of Lithuania and the PPO (2024); 
‘Support for the preparation of Social Climate Plans’ 
(2024),  a  multi-country  project  benefiting  nine 
Member States: Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Croatia, 
Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Finland. 

(205)  See 

the  European  Commission  web  page  on 

the  TSI 

(https://commission.europa.eu/funding-tenders/find-
funding/eu-funding-programmes/technical-support-
instrument/technical-support-instrument-tsi_en). 

(206)  See the European Commission web page on the TAIEX-EIR PEER 2 
(https://environment.ec.europa.eu/law-and-

PEER 
governance/environmental-implementation-review/peer-2-
peer_en).TAIEX: Technical Assistance and Information Exchange. 

tool 

(207)  Flagship  multi-country  workshops  in  the  reporting  period  are: 
Recast  Drinking    Water  Directive  (3  April  2025);  Environmental 
compliance  and  governance  (18  March  2025);  Planning  of 
Renewable  Energy  Projects  (20  February  2025);  Air  Quality: 
Implementation  of  the  revised  Air  Quality  Directive  (16  January 
2025); Industrial safety: awareness raising of emerging risks linked 
with climate change and decarbonation (12 December 2024); Air 
quality: 
further 
implementation  of  the  NEC  Directive  to 
mainstream  air  and  broader  pollution  reduction  in  agricultural 

Lithuania  54 

The Commission’s TAIEX-EIR PEER 2 PEER tool 

The Commission launched the TAIEX-EIR PEER 2 PEER tool 
in 2017. It aims to facilitate peer-to-peer learning among 
Member  States’  environmental  authorities  through 
workshops  (single  or  multi-country),  expert  missions 
(where  a  delegation  of  experts  travels  to  the  requesting 
institution) and study visits (where a delegation from the 
requesting institution travels to a host country). Flagship 
multi-country  workshops  are  those  requested  by  the 
European  Commission  to  present  new  and  upcoming 
in  all  Member 
legislation  and  policy 
environmental 
States (207). 

Workshops involving Lithuania are as follows: 
• 

biowaste 

future  challenges  for  air  protection  (24 November 
2022), with the Czech Presidency of the Council of the 
European Union; 
decentralised 
(9 October –11 October 2023); 
reducing  air  pollution  from  the  transport  and 
residential energy sectors (11–13 June 2024); 
online platforms for the EU Batteries Regulation, and 
Packaging  and  Packaging  Waste  Regulation  (28–
29 October 2023). 

in  Austria 

recycling 

• 

• 

• 

Lithuania  hosted  an  expert  mission  on  air  emission 
inventories and assessment of the impacts of policies and 
measures on emissions (15–17 May 2023).  

2025 priority action 

• 

Improve overall national environmental governance, 
in  particular  administrative  capacity  to  support  the 
green transition and coordination at the regional and 
local levels. 

policy  (25 September  2024);  Industrial  emissions  transposition 
and implementation of the revised directive (12 September 2024); 
Noise:  progress  towards  meeting  Member  States’  noise  limit 
values and EU reduction targets (5 June 2024); Best practice use 
of  environmental  footprint  methods  on  the  EU  market  (30 May 
2024);  Sustainable  finance  (9 November  2023);  Textile  waste 
separate collection, treatment and markets (3 October 2023); EU 
environmental  funding  and  support  (13 June  2023);  Advisory 
service for businesses to go circular (24 April 2023); Digital product 
passport implementation (6 December 2022); Public involvement 
in  planning  and  approval  of  renewable  energy  projects 
(17 November 2022); Environmental compliance and governance 
(14 November  2022);  Biowaste  management  (19–20 September 
2022); and  Renewable energy projects: permit granting processes 
(13 June 2022). NB: The first flagship workshop on zero pollution 
for air, water and soil took place 9 February 2022. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lithuania  55 

Annex 

2025 priority actions 
Circular economy and waste management 
Transitioning to a circular economy 

•  Adopt measures to increase the circular material use rate. 

Waste management 

• 
• 

Improve municipal waste preparation for reuse and recycling. 
Increase the collection and recycling rate of waste electronic and electric equipment 
(WEEE). 
• 
Invest in waste prevention measures to reduce the total amount of waste generated. 
•  Ensure the achievement of the 2025 waste targets, following the recommendations made 

by the Commission in the Early Warning Report. 

Biodiversity and natural capital 
Global and EU biodiversity frameworks  
•  Submit to the CBD an updated NBSAP or national targets following the adoption of the 

Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.  

Nature protection and restoration – Natura 2000 

•  Complete the Natura 2000 site designation process. 
•  Finalise the establishment of site-specific conservation objectives and measures for 
all Natura 2000 sites (including by adopting their management plans) and ensure 
their effective implementation.  

Recovery of species  

•  Reinforce action for habitats and species in unfavourable conservation status, for example 
through restoration measures, increased connectivity, better policy coordination and 
integration, and increased funding. 

Recovery of ecosystems 

• 

Implement eco-schemes and agri-environmental measures and practices to address 
the environmental needs of Lithuania. 
Implement and scale-up the uptake of organic farming practices. 

• 
•  Promote active management of grasslands through extensive grazing to maintain the 

• 

condition of these semi-natural habitats. 
Implement peatland conservation and restoration measures and include such 
measures and objectives in the national restoration plans 

•  Report its updates on the assessment of the state of its marine waters, its targets, 

and its determinations of GES which are expected to include any threshold values for 
the descriptors in the MSFD that may have been established in cooperation with 
other Member States at the EU or regional level 

Prevention and management of invasive alien species  

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lithuania  56 

•  Step up implementation of the IAS Regulation, including with regard to enforcement and 

capacity of inspection authorities. 

Ecosystem assessment and accounting  

•  Support development of national business and biodiversity network.  
•  Ratify the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable 
Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (ABS) to the Convention on Biological 
Diversity. 

Zero pollution 
Clean air 

•  As part of the NAPCP, take action towards reducing emissions of air pollutants. 
•  Ensure full compliance with the current AAQD standards, also in light of future 

stricter requirements under the revised AAQD. 

Industrial emissions 
•  Reduce industrial air pollution damage and intensity. 
•  Engage with industry and environmental NGOs to ensure proper contribution to and 
implementation of BAT conclusions and ensure timely update of permits following 
publication of BAT conclusions. 

•  Ensure effective public participation and access to justice in relation with the IED. 

Major industrial accidents prevention – Seveso 

•  Strengthen compliance with requirements on safety measures to prevent major 

accidents and ensure appropriate preparedness and response in relation to UTEs, in 
particular as regards reviewing, testing and updating EEPs, at intervals of no more 
than three years. 

•  Ensure access to transparent and clear information towards citizens on risks and 

behaviour in case of accidents. 

Noise 

•  Complete and implement action plans on noise management. 

Water quality and management 
•  Ensure periodic reviews of permits for discharges, abstractions and other water uses, 

including hydropower pressures. 

•  Reduce pollution from nutrients, chemicals, metals and saline discharges. 
•  Better justify exemptions to the achievement of good status. 
• 
Improve the classification of water bodies and strengthen monitoring systems. 
•  Develop more robust programmes of measures, tackle obstacles identified in the 
implementation of measures and ensure adequate financing for implementation, 
including through better use of the cost recovery and polluter pays principle. 
•  FRMPs should provide details on how the FHRMs were used in the choice of 

measures and how to consider pluvial flooding. 

•  Consider future climate scenarios in FRMPs. 
•  Better explain the choice and implementation of flood prevention and protection 

measures (prioritisation, monitoring, costs of measures). 
Improve public consultation and stakeholder involvement. 

• 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lithuania  57 

•  Tackle nutrients pollution, especially nitrates from agriculture through the 

implementation of the Nitrates Directive. 

Chemicals 
•  Upgrade the administrative capacities in implementation and enforcement towards a 

• 

• 

policy of zero tolerance for non-compliance. 
Increase customs controls and controls of products sold online with regard to compliance 
with chemicals legislations. 

Climate action 

Implement all polices and measures that are needed to achieve targets laid down in the 
Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR) and the Land Use and Land-Use Change and Forestry 
(LULUCF) Regulation. More detailed priority actions are set out in the assessment of the 
final National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP). 

Financing 
•  Use more national funding (for instance by increasing taxes in favour of the environment 
and reducing environmentally harmful subsidies), EU funding and private funding to help 
close the investment gap. 

Environmental governance 

•  Encourage the use of training programmes provided by the Commission (or 

developed at the national level) covering the ELD and its interactions with the other 
national liability related instruments, to ensure more efficient ELD implementation, 
improve the expertise of the competent authorities and raise awareness among all 
stakeholder groups. 
Improve overall national environmental governance, in particular administrative 
capacity to support the green transition and coordination at the regional and local 
levels. 

• 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Lithuania