European Day at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VILNIUS TECH) was celebrated in a special way this year – with a distinguished lecture by political scientist Linas Kojala titled "Unlock Lithuania: how it became a strong and independent country?" The international university community attending the lecture had the opportunity to get to know Lithuania better and ask the most relevant questions about the country they chose to connect their future with.

European Day is an international celebration symbolising peace and unity in Europe. This year, it is particularly significant for Lithuania as it marks the 20th anniversary of EU membership, during which it has managed to become a strong and innovative country.

On this occasion, political scientist and analyst Linas Kojala introduced students and lecturers from abroad to Lithuania's past and present, its values, struggles for freedom, and challenges that Lithuania had to overcome to join NATO and the European Union (EU).

This is particularly important as internationality is one of the strategic values of VILNIUS TECH. This is also reflected in the latest institutional ranking of Lithuanian universities and colleges, where VILNIUS TECH ranks first among all state universities based on criteria of competitiveness in the international study space.

Currently, VILNIUS TECH is one of the fastest-growing universities in Lithuania in terms of the number of foreign students. Bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree-seeking and exchange students from foreign countries make up 20 percent of all university students. Foreigners seeking a degree at VILNIUS TECH account for about 15 percent of all students.

During the lecture, they learnt a lot about Lithuania's history, progress, and changes since becoming a full-fledged, dignified EU and NATO state. There was information about Lithuania's differences and similarities with other Baltic countries and the opinions of Lithuanians themselves about EU and NATO membership.

The Director of the Center for Eastern European Studies (RESC) and an associate expert at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University (USA), Linas Kojala, paid a lot of attention to the war in Ukraine. L. Kojala not only explained Lithuania's principled position regarding the war provoked by Russia but also identified the positive, negative, and ugly aspects of the current situation.

"About 18 percent of Ukrainian territory is still occupied by Russia. This may seem like not much, but in fact, this territory is big enough to cover the territories of Lithuania and Estonia," said L. Kojala.

VILNIUS TECH students from abroad and Lithuania did not hesitate to ask to L. Kojala questions. Audience members were interested in what influence the geopolitical situation could have on Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential elections and other elections taking place this year, as well as how to change China's position supporting Russia.