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.

On 22-23 May, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius is attending the Meeting of the OECD Council at the Ministerial Level, which focuses on topical issues of global policy and strategic goals of the organization. This year, special attention is given to the potential and challenges of digital transition.

"Emerging technologies like 5g, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockhain, and Big Data cross state boundaries. In addition, global space is constantly changing. Thus, we need to find multilateral solutions making better use of the opportunities promised by emerging technologies," said L. Linkevičius during a discussion with other ministers from OECD countries.

On 21 May, a traditional meeting of the Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian, and German Foreign Ministers took place in Hamburg. The meeting discussed issues of security, the future of the European Union and its relations with eastern neighbors, as well as regional cooperation. In the meeting, Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius presented security issues and thanked Germany for its military contribution to NATO's efforts to ensure Baltic security. L. Linkevičius also stressed the need to increase NATO's deterrence and defense capabilities, and to strengthen the EU-NATO security cooperation.

“Now that it is in a very dangerous threat environment, Lithuania should continue what it is doing which is increase defence spending from 2 to 2.5 in overtime. That is appropriate for a frontline state which unfortunate Lithuania and other Baltic states are,” former US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Walt Slocombe says. He is visiting Lithuania this week in a delegation of defence and security experts and shapers led by the Atlantic Council, an influential analytical centre of the U.S., in order to get first hand impressions about the Baltic security situation.

On 23 May, Lithuania opened its Honorary Consulate in Sapporo after a year-long pause. Masahiro Fujii was appointed as the Honorary Consul of Lithuania in Hokkaido, Japan‘s largest prefecture. The Ambassador Gediminas Varvuolis presented him a consular patent.

On May 15, SYLOS, one of the most powerful laser systems in the world produced by Lithuanians, started working at the Laser Research Center in Hungary, Verslo žinios reports.

“Although lasers represent a relatively small share in the overall Lithuanian export market, they make Lithuania famous around the world and push global science to improvement. The need for laser technology worldwide is constantly increasing, so the development of products that have no alternatives and participation in such large international projects give more opportunities and further strengthen the position of Lithuania in laser science and industry,” says Gintaras Vilda, Vice Minister of Economy and Innovation, who participated in the ceremony.

Around 130 mln euros will be invested into the expansion and reconstruction of Lithuania's largest Vilnius Airport over the next four years, until 2022, and annual revenue of Lietuvos Oro Uostai (Lithuanian Airports, LOU), the sate-run operator of three airports in Lithuania, is set to grow by around 43% to 63 mln euros, informed LETA/BNS.

The company's EBITDA margin is forecast to increase by 45-56% in 2019-2022, from 40 percent last year, according to Lietuvos Oro Uostai's 2018 report.

In I quarter 2019, the volume of construction work carried out in the country amounted to EUR 535.1 mln at current prices, and against the previous period, seasonally and calendar adjusted, increased by 14% (unadjusted – decreased by 40.6%).

Over a quarter, the volume of building construction increased by 18.3%, civil engineering structures – 8.8% more (unadjusted – 23.7% and 59.8% less respectively).

In I quarter 2019, against the respective period of the previous year, the volume of construction work carried out, calendar adjusted and unadjusted, increased by 18.6%.

At the end of summer, the first two Lithuanian electric buses Dancer should start operating in Klaipeda. Vejo projektai, the company that makes them, is almost done building them, while the Klaipeda Bus Park is waiting for the financing, which is planned to get alotted this month.

With bagels making a delicious comeback in Lithuania’s capital and a number of traditional Jewish celebrations becoming part of city life again, there’s a sense that Jewish culture is experiencing somewhat of a rebirth in Vilnius, which has many looking back at the city’s historic ties with its Jewish, or Litvak, community. 

And though the time machine has yet to be invented, it’s now possible to travel back in time to when Vilnius was known as the Jerusalem of the North. Unlocking the Jewish cultural heritage deeply embedded into the city’s streets, buildings, and history has just become a lot easier thanks to the new free guide entitled, Discover Jewish Heritage in Vilnius.

The European Capital of Culture Forum is an annual event initiated by the team of Kaunas – European Capital of Culture 2022, where leaders representing various creative fields from all around Europe come together for gaining and sharing knowledge, getting inspiration, networking and discussing the opportunities for cooperation. One of the main objectives of this initiative is to encourage the culture of collaboration with other sectors, such as business, science or politics.

For the first time in Israel: chamber music, poetry night, performance art, contemporary indie and electronic music, contemporary dance and film from Lithuania.