On 6 June, during his official visit to Croatia, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius, together with the Deputy Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Željko Reiner and the State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Croatia Andreja Metelko-Zgombić, officially opened the Embassy of Lithuania in Zagreb.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė is attending the Three Seas Initiative Summit. Speaking at the plenary session, the President stressed that the initiative launched four years ago to link the Adriatic Sea, the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea regions through transport, energy and other interconnections is a unique platform for cooperation that strengthens economic development, reduces development disparities, and increases cooperation and unity across Europe. The Three Seas Initiative envisages three priority areas: strengthening cross-border energy, transport, and digital connections.

On 3 June, in Jūrmala, Latvia, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius attended a high-level meeting marking the end of the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States. Together with his counterparts from the Baltic and Nordic countries, Germany, Russia, and the European External Action Service, L. Linkevičius discussed prospects for the Baltic Sea regional cooperation.

According to the Foreign Minister, full-blown, trust based cooperation is only possible if all countries in the region base their policies on the principles of the rule of law, democracy, respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

On 4-5 June, an international conference "Security Challenges in the Digital Era: the Role of Science Advice" was held at the Palace of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. The event, which was open to the broader public, focused on the role of science in building resilience to various threats we face in today's world.

Twelve countries of the emerging Europe region have been ranked among the 63 most competitive economies in IMD’s 2019 World Competitiveness Ranking.

According to the Switzerland-based business school, Lithuania has become the region’s most competitive country and is now ranked 29th globally after climbing up three places.

Nordzucker, one of the leading sugar producers in Europe, is establishing a Business Service Centre in Kaunas, Lithuania, the country’s second largest city. The company already employs 230 people at its sugar production facility in Kėdainiai, and is now extending its operation in Lithuania.

“The new legal entity ‘Nordzucker Business Services’ will offer a portfolio of services across our group entities, and enables us to drive efficiency and consistency in our processes,” says Alexander Bott, Chief Financial Officer at Nordzucker.

Kaunas and Palanga air gates join the international Airport Carbon Accreditation programme for the management of airport greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, whereas Vilnius Airport has been officially invited to enter already the second stage of this programme. By participating in this programme three airports of our country calculate the annual quantity of GHG emissions expressed in carbo dioxide equivalents (CO₂e), the so-called carbon footprint, and look for measures how to reduce as much as possible the quantity of gas emitted into the environment and contribute to environmental protection on the international scale.

2018 was the best year in the Klaipeda FEZ, the total revenue of the 34 investors established in the zone was 1.239 billion EUR, a 20% increase over 2017. The last year also broke records in exports, purchases in Lithuania, as well as taxes paid.

The companies established at the Klaipeda FEZ are not only growing manufacturers but also big buyers of supplies from other Lithuanian companies. Throughout the last year, the Klaipeda FEZ investor community carried out purchases in Lithuania worth 321.1 million EUR, a 27.9% increase over 2017.

We have simply never heard a Weinberg symphony sound like this. DG offers a vibrant recorded sound. Grazinyte-Tyla has taken the city of Birmingham and its orchestra by storm, and the playing is gorgeous.

And she sings! The symphony ends with a soprano solo, which Grazinyte-Tyla, who was trained as singer, takes on in a strong, focused voice, with little vibrato. Her voice is somehow immediately recognizable as hers even if you have never heard her before. The impression is that of a symphony absorbed in a conductor’s DNA.

The presentation of Lithuanian culture “Litewski Focus” is prepared by the Lithuanian Culture Institute and cultural attaché Rasa Rimickaitė in close collaboration with Polish and Lithuanian partners in the line-up of the festival „Wschód Kultury – Inne Brzmienia“ in Lublin in 27-30 Jun 2019.

The “Litewski Focus” programme reveals a good mixture of contemporary Lithuanian culture: vibrant, intellectually charged, preoccupied with memory as much as engaged in experiments.

The 450^th anniversary of signing the Union of Lublin is a great opportunity to discover and to enjoy Lithuanian culture in Lublin!

Culture Night festival kicks off on June 14, bringing nocturnal art shows across Vilnius for the thirteenth time and offering over 100 different events. Various museums, churches, as well as the Lithuanian parliament, Seimas, will be open to visitors.

Culture Night festival opens up the capital’s squares, streets, parks, and the most unexpected spaces in Vilnius, filled with music, dance, theatre, cinema, photography and installations. Other spaces include Smoke factory and the former War museum in Vilnius, which will host an entire Cultural Town on its premises.

Tax incentive, welcoming approach by the government, and big talent pool made Vilnius an attractive filming destination.

The last episode of HBO’s miniseries Chernobyl aired this week, ending the bone-chilling historical drama. As of today, the show stands as the highest-rated TV series on IMDB. Contrary to the public belief, Chernobyl was not filmed only in Ukraine – the bigger part of the show was shot in Lithuania. Extensive parts of the show were shot in Vilnius, and the Lithuanian capital established itself as one of the regional leaders for hosting film production.