More than 1 million euros allocated by the EU and intended to support Ukrainian refugees in Lithuania were mistakenly distributed among citizens of other countries, including Russia and Belarus, which led to a government audit and a change of leadership in the agency that controlled it.
This is reported by LRT, Ukrinform reports.
The Lithuanian Ministry of Social Security and Labor launched an internal investigation after it was discovered that EU support intended for Ukrainians was also distributed to citizens of 43 other countries. The money was also received by people from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan who had residence permits in Lithuania, the publication writes.
The European Social Fund Agency (ESFA), which administered the project, claims that under the rules in force at the time, support could have been legally extended to other socially vulnerable groups, not just Ukrainians.
Between 2022 and 2023, the EU allocated almost EUR 17 million for the project “Support to War Refugees from Ukraine”. The assistance included food, hygiene products, medicines, legal services, Lithuanian language courses, and subsidized employment.
However, the State Audit Office found that 813 recipients were not citizens of Ukraine and therefore not eligible for EU-funded support.
The revelation that the recipients included Russian and Belarusian citizens reportedly caused outrage in Lithuanian government circles.
“This should not have happened. We are conducting an internal audit to determine how this happened,” said Rita Grigalienė, Vice Minister of Social Security and Labor, in an interview with LRT RADIO.
The Sejm’s Audit Committee was informed of the findings last week, and the Auditor General’s Office requested the return of the misallocated funds, the publication writes.
As Ukrinform reported, in February, the Lithuanian government decided to allocate almost 32 million euros this year for the education of Ukrainians who came to the country because of the war.
Photo: Delfi, Žygimantas Gedvila
Source: Lithuania to return over EUR 1 M in EU aid misallocated to non-Ukrainians
