Last week, the top news in Lithuania were the announcement of a large lay-off at the railway company LTG Cargo, Lithuanian businessmen acquiring a logistics centre in Estonia and Ryanair airline’s plans to expand its aircraft maintenance base in Kaunas.
Lithuanian President congratulates Macron on his re-election
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda congratulated his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Monday, April 25, on his re-election on Sunday night as exit polls showed he won the Sunday vote. «Dear friend @EmmanuelMacron, congratulations on winning the presidential race! Wishing you strength & courage in leading France in these challenging times for all Europe,» Nausėda tweeted, adding that he was looking forward to working together on further strengthening EU, NATO and standing up for democratic values.
Lithuania calls on EU to sanction Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill
Lithuania has proposed to the European Union to impose sanctions on Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill for supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said on Monday, April 25. He also pointed out that the authorities are involved in consultations on the separation of the Lithuanian Orthodox Church from Moscow’s subordination, stressing, however, that the community will make the final decision.
Capitalica fund completes acquisition of logistics centre near Tallinn
Capitalica Asset Management, the investment management company of Lithuania’s SBA Group, has acquired a logistics complex consisting of two buildings in the area of Juri to the south of the Estonian capital Tallinn, the company said on Tuesday, April 26. This is the second investment made by Capitalica Green Logistics Fund since its establishment in 2021 and aligns with the fund’s goal to expand its presence in the Baltic logistics market and accumulate over 100 million euros in assets in the coming years.
Ryanair to expand aircraft maintenance base in Kaunas, invest 15 million euros
Ireland’s budget airline Ryanair is set to expand its aircraft maintenance base at Lithuania’s Kaunas Airport and invest 15 million euros. The hangar will double Ryanair’s capacity in Kaunas, the company said on Tuesday, April 26. According to Lietuvos Oro Uostai (Lithuanian Airports, LOU), the airport’s operator, FRC LT, Ryanair’s Lithuanian subsidiary, is planning to build a two-part aircraft maintenance hangar after winning a tender to lease land. Construction on the hangar is planned to start in late 2022 and be completed within a year. The project is expected to create 200 new jobs for highly skilled aviation engineering, mechanical and administrative professionals. The company currently employs 270 people in Lithuania, most of them in Kaunas.
Lithuanian seaport looks to ram up business ties with Taiwan
The Lithuanian seaport of Klaipeda expects to establish closer relations with Taiwanese businesses through the island’s representative office in Lithuania and to generate higher cargo flows, Algis Latakas, the port’s CEO, said on Tuesday, April 26. In 2020, Lithuania’s exports to Taiwan amounted to 19 million euros, or 0.07 percent of its total exports, with imports at 66.1 million euros, or 0.23 percent. Lithuania exported various products to the island and imported mostly equipment and machinery from it.
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Authorities monitor situation ahead of May 9 to prevent provocations
Lithuania’s authorities are monitoring the situation ahead of May 9 in order to prevent provocations, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė said on Wednesday, April 27. The State Security Department has warned of possible provocations and violent incidents on May 9 in Lithuania. According to the intelligence agency, May 9 commemorations will most likely be held at Soviet soldiers’ cemeteries in Lithuania this year as well. Such commemorations are organized in various Lithuanian cities and towns by Russian diplomats together with Russian expatriates. These events are usually attended by several hundred people wearing Saint George’s ribbons whose public display has recently been banned by the Lithuanian parliament because of the war in Ukraine. The ban took effect on April 21 after the legislation was signed into law by President Gitanas Nausėda. The intelligence agency has also said that some organized efforts may be seen in the run-up to May 9, noting that demonstrations in support of Russia’s war in Ukraine have already been held in some EU countries.
Lithuania’s GDP grew around 4 percent in Q1 2022
Lithuania’s economy grew by slightly more than 4 percent in the first quarter of this year, compared to the same period last year, most economists estimate. Four out of the six experts surveyed believe that the country’s GDP growth ranged from 4 to 4.4 percent in the first quarter, while one analyst said it grew by 3.2 percent, and another analyst said it grew by 1.5 percent. The majority of the experts said the war in Ukraine did not have significant impact on the Lithuanian economy in the first quarter yet, adding that industrial production and a low comparative base boosted the indicators. The economists say the country’s economy grew rapidly in January-March, with good performance determined by a low comparative base as Lithuania was under a strict lockdown a year ago. Good manufacturing and export results also had impact.
Border guards turn 16 irregular migrants back to Belarus
Lithuanian border guards have in the past 24 hours turned away 16 migrants attempting to cross into the country from Belarus illegally, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Thursday, April 28. The daily number of foiled illegal crossings has been more or less stable in recent days. The SBGS also said that five shots were fired on the Belarusian side of the border near the municipality of Druskininkai at around midnight, but they did not specify whether this had anything to do with illegal migration. A total of 1,449 people have been prevented from crossing from Belarus into Lithuania at non-designated places so far this year.
Lithuanian Railways to lay off about 2,000 employees
Lietuvos Geležinkeliai (Lithuanian Railways, LTG) said on Thursday, April 28, it is planning to lay off around 2,000 of its 9,000-plus employees, with around a quarter of the state-owned group’s managerial staff at various levels set to leave. The company said in a press release that 6 million euros will be allocated for severance payments to employees. The planned layoffs will affect around 1,200 workers in LTG Cargo, the group’s freight transportation subsidiary, about 500 in LTG Infra, the infrastructure subsidiary, and some 300 in LTG. The group currently has around 9,200 employees in total. The company has said earlier that it may lose some 150 million euros in revenue this year as freight volumes are forecast to halve, compared to last year, to around 26.5 million tons. LTG has lost around 11 million tons in annual freight because of EU and US sanctions against Belarus’ potash giant Belaruskali, which will trim its annual revenue by 61 million euros.
Week in Lithuania: Railway company to lay off about 2,000 employees, Estonian logistics centre acquired, Ryanair investing in Kaunas
