The last few years have seen significant changes in migration trends, with more people immigrating to the country than emigrating from it since 2019. According to data from the Migration Department of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania, on 22 September 2023, the number of foreigners living in Lithuania exceeded 200,000 for the first time in the country’s history. At the beginning of 2024, there were 221,848 foreigners living in the Republic of Lithuania, accounting for 7.69% of the country’s total population (6.62% at the beginning of 2023; 2.08% in 2019). Over the year, the number of foreigners living in Lithuania increased by 17.1%, and since 2019 – by as much as 73%. Most of the non-European Union (hereinafter – the EU) residents who immigrated to Lithuania in 2022–2023 were citizens of Ukraine and Belarus, with a significant number also arriving from the Russian Federation, Central Asia and India. The increase in the number of temporary residence permits issued indicates that foreigners arriving in Lithuania are staying in the country for longer periods of time.

The integration policy for foreigners formulated by the Ministry of Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania (hereinafter – the MSSL), the measures used for the social integration of foreigners, support provided in recent years, the reception and integration measures applied to refugees who have fled the war in Ukraine and to Belarusian citizens and other persons who have arrived in Lithuania as victims of the regime and repression or persecution, demonstrate the state’s contribution to the integration of foreign citizens in Lithuania. On the other hand, the policies and measures applied to the reception and integration of foreigners are fragmented and limited in scope, so only a small proportion of Ukrainian and Belarusian citizens have been able to benefit from them. The integration of these foreign citizens in Lithuania reveals its strengths (state support, services provided, public acceptance, etc.), but also the areas for improvement (insufficient availability of services, long-term renting of dwelling, challenges of the labour market integration). Other migrant groups (e.g., migrants from Central Asia, India, etc.) face similar problems – various national and international studies reveal that there are still obstacles to the integration of foreigners in practice.

The first strategic document on the integration of foreigners in Lithuania (the Action Plan 2018–2020 on the Integration of Foreigners into Society drawn up by the Ministry of Social Security and Labour, hereinafter – the Action Plan) was approved at the end of 2018. It states that a properly organised integration process allows foreign nationals to contribute to the economic, social and cultural life and prosperity of the country. The Action Plan sets out the following objectives: to improve the implementation of the integration of foreigners and ensure their successful integration into society through measures such as improving inter-institutional cooperation in the field of integration of foreigners and asylum seekers, improving the integration of foreigners and asylum seekers into the labour market system and improving the results of their integration into the labour market, improving the integration of asylum seekers and foreigners into the education system, improving social and health care services for foreigners, promoting cooperation between foreigners and local communities, reducing discrimination against foreigners, improving the integration of foreign women by ensuring their rights, monitoring and researching the implementation of foreigner integration processes and policies.

The implementation of these measures requires significant involvement of municipalities where the integration, involvement and expanding competences of non-EU citizens are not yet fully developed. Municipalities and their institutions are not only often responsible for providing, coordinating or organising the necessary services, but also have greater opportunities to tailor them to a specific target group. The effectiveness and success of the integration process of non-EU citizens largely depends on the practices applied in municipalities, where successful integration policies allow them to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the integration process. The effectiveness and success of the integration process of non-EU citizens largely depends on practices applied in municipalities, where a successful integration policy allows the full social, economic and cultural potential of immigration to be exploited. Meanwhile, ineffective integration policies can create additional challenges for both the municipality and local communities. Each municipality should address its own specific challenges, taking into account the structure of immigration and the targeted policy measures applied to different categories of non-EU citizens.

According to the MSSL, with the number of foreigners in Lithuania increasing, an effective integration system is becoming increasingly important. In the context of migration challenges in 2022, a large number of municipalities had to take clear leadership at the local level and coordinate the reception and integration of foreigners. Problems mentioned by the MSSL:

1. the roles of municipalities, national authorities and other actors in the foreigner integration system are not clearly defined;
2. lack of inter-institutional cooperation;
3. there is no long-term integration monitoring and evaluation system;
4. there is a lack of funding for the integration of foreigners;
5. the integration of foreigners is not specified as either an independent or a delegated function of municipalities.

According to studies and reviews, Lithuanian municipalities, their administrations and other institutions and agencies operating at the local government level are not sufficiently involved, or not involved at all, in the integration processes of foreigners living in their territory, are not adequately prepared to provide comprehensive and balanced services to integrate non-EU citizens arriving in Lithuania ensuring their socialisation and smooth integration into social life. In addition, there is a lack of cooperation with representatives of migrant associations, other non-governmental organisations (hereinafter – NGOs) and research institutes on the development and implementation of integration policy.

Due to various circumstances, the number of foreigners arriving in Lithuania is increasing, there is a need to improve the implementation of integration policies that are insufficiently coordinated and carried out on an ad hoc basis, to ensure that institutions providing (and coordinating) services to non-EU citizens have all resources, knowledge and competences, and are interested in the successful results of the policy at the local (municipal) level where the integration and inclusion processes take (or should take) place. The smooth implementation of the integration process requires:

1. comprehensive understanding of the situation;
2. cooperation between state and municipal institutions and other organisations;
3. interest in implementing integration policies and measures, while cooperating with the target group and involving non-EU citizens in policy development and implementation;
4. commitment to ensuring the relevance, continuity and quality of services provided to non-EU citizens;
5. strategic aim to empower non-EU citizens to become equal participants in the integration process, responsible not only for using services but also for developing integration initiatives. Successful integration is only possible through close cooperation between all stakeholders – local authorities that plan and provide integration services or have the potential to do so, NGOs, (social) businesses, as well as the recipients of these services – migrant organisations and local communities.

In order to implement these principles of integration and ensure their success, it is necessary to involve all stakeholders in a methodical and coordinated manner in the process of developing a coherent strategic approach (documents and action plans).

The aim of Project No PMIF-2.01-V-02-01 “Development of Coordination of Integration Processes of Foreign-born Residents of Lithuania in Municipalities of the Republic of Lithuania” (hereinafter – the Project) is to improve the processes of integration of non-EU citizens or stateless persons residing in the Republic of Lithuania at the local government level and to strengthen the long-term monitoring of the integration processes of these persons.

Project duration: 1 October 2024 – 31 December 2028.

Planned activities of the Project implementation:

1. Increasing the role of local government in the integration processes of third-country nationals (non-European Union Member States) or stateless persons in the Republic of Lithuania:

1.1. Establishing the positions of coordinators for the integration of foreign-born residents of Lithuania (hereinafter – Coordinators) in the Description of the Procedure for the Coordination of the Integration of Foreign-Born Residents of Lithuania in Municipalities approved by the Minister of Social Security and Labour (hereinafter – the Description of the Procedure for the Coordination of the Integration of Foreign-Born  Residents of Lithuania in Municipalities), to perform the functions specified therein;

1.2. Organising and implementing training and discussions for Coordinators and representatives of municipal administrations on the topics of integration of foreigners;

1.3. Organising and conducting study visits for Coordinators in Lithuania and/or foreign countries;

1.4. Organising and implementing networking activities for Coordinators;

2. Preparing, testing and presenting to the Ministry of Social Security and Labour the results of a research instrument (methodology) designed to assess how nationals of third countries (non-EU Member States) or stateless persons residing in the Republic of Lithuania evaluate integration processes.

Project partners:

• PI Diversity Development Group;
• Akmenė District Municipality Administration;
• Alytus City Municipality Administration;
• Jonava District Municipality Administration;
• Jurbarkas District Municipality Administration;
• Kaunas District Municipality Administration;
• Kėdainiai District Municipality Administration;
• Klaipėda City Municipality Administration;
• Klaipėda District Municipality Administration;
• Mažeikiai District Municipality Administration;
• Panevėžys City Municipality Administration;
• Tauragė District Municipality Administration;
• Trakai District Municipality Administration;
• Utena District Municipality Administration;
• Vilnius City Municipality Administration;
• Vilnius District Municipality Administration;
• Visaginas District Municipality Administration.

Target outcome of the Project – the creation of a system for coordinating the integration processes of foreign-born residents in the municipalities of the Republic of Lithuania, ensuring the provision of appropriate, diverse and needs-based services through the effective operation of the network of Coordinators in Lithuanian municipalities.

EUR 2,936,004.88 was allocated for the Project implementation.

The Project is co-financed by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (2021-2027) Action Programme.