The Cabinet of Ministers approved this week the conclusion prepared by the Ministry of Economy and Innovation.
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“The liberalization of arms control policy without establishing appropriate measures to control the specified activity would not correspond to national security interests,” it states.
The amendments propose allowing arms manufacturers to trade weapons or their parts from other manufacturers, as well as removing the ban on intermediating purchases of Category A weapons, ammunition, and their parts.
It is also intended to grant the right to intermediate in trading explosives, and to expand the range of companies that can organize exhibitions of Category A weapons or their parts.
According to the conclusion, responsibility for trading Category A weapons, proper transaction verification, and possible undesirable diversion or use of goods due to unbalanced risk would lie with state institutions, not with the operators.
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It is indicated that without requirements ensuring the safety of organized Category A weapons exhibitions, there is a risk that weapons intended for display will be improperly stored, their sufficient physical protection will not be ensured, and as a result, the risk of weapons entering illegal circulation may increase.
The amendments were submitted by Lukas Savickas, a politician from the Democrats’ faction “For Lithuania” and Minister of Energy, who has said that the current regulation of arms and ammunition trade weakens Lithuania’s competitiveness, and companies cannot participate in many NATO or EU projects.
According to him, Lithuania is one of the few EU countries where defense sector companies are “effectively prohibited” from engaging in intermediation.
The government claims it intends to submit new coordinated draft amendments to the Arms and Ammunition Control Law and the Strategic Goods Control Law during the autumn session of the Seimas.
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