February 21, 2020 POLITICS L. Linkevičius: Montenegro has set example of Euro-Atlantic integration in Western Balkans The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro Srđan Darmanović. “Lithuania remains a strong supporter of Montenegro’s European integration. We welcome the country’s full alignment with the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), its participation in the EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy missions, and efforts to implement the necessary reforms, especially in the area of the rule of law”, said L. Linkevičius. Read more Nine ministers urge the Commission to save the Green Deal by remedying shortcomings of the Mobility Package Transport ministers from Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland and Romania urged the Commission to assess how the provisions of upcoming Mobility Package will affect the EU Green Deal ambitions. Their meeting with the Vice-president Timmermans and Commissioner Valean came after the European Commission recognized such potential negative impact at the final stages of negotiations last year and promised to come up with possible solutions before the controversial EU legislation comes into force. Read more Interview with Iron Wolf Commander Col. Petkevičius| Credits @ NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup Lithuania BUSINESS & SCIENCE Debunk.eu was presented during Google News Innitiative conference | Credits @ Google Leading Swiss engineering consultancy plans to double its Vilnius team Engineering consultancy CSD Engineers has announced plans to double the size of its team in Vilnius. Over the next few years, the company will hire additional civil engineering and design specialists with French or German language skills, experience in BIM – and a passion for big projects. Read more Lithuania’s fintech sector now fastest growing in EU Lithuania is home to the fastest growing fintech sector in the European Union, and the second fastest growing in Europe, behind only the UK. A study carried out by Invest Lithuania and Rockit Vilnius, which looked at the state of fintech in 2019, reveals an impressive 24 per cent increase in the number of Lithuanian companies operating in the sector. This has brought multifaceted social and economic benefits to the Lithuanian IT industry, leading to diversification and sophistication. Read more Lithuania’s impressive Fintech growth extends into 2020 The Fintech Landscape in Lithuania report, a yearly study providing a snapshot of Lithuania’s Fintech sector, was released. The report, which looks at the state of Fintech in 2019, confirms the continuation of the strong growth trend of previous years, with the number of Fintechs increasing by 24% to 210 and the number of jobs in the Fintech sector increasing by over 30% to 3,400. Read more Open Data – the Basis of Digital Economy? In 2020, a pilot version of the centralised Open Data Portal was launched in Lithuania to allow businesses, the scientific community and the public to conveniently access and use open data that is managed by the public sector. It is estimated that accessible and active use of open data in Lithuania would generate the benefit of almost 2% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Read more TALKING DIPLOMACY PODCAST Humour in Diplomacy We are excited to announce a brand new piece of content - podcast Talking Diplomacy, which will cover a range of topics on diplomacy, international relations and nuances of diplomatic life that are invisible from outside. First episode - on humuor in diplomacy and diplomacy in humour, how it works and what part of diplomatic work it takes. Our guest - ambassador, historian, writer Alfonsas Eidintas. This episode is in Lithuania, however, as the title suggests, we are planning to release episodes in English as well - stay tuned! Listen on Spotify CULTURE & HISTORY Campaign to celebrate 30th Anniversary of the Restoration of Lithuania's Independence| Credits @ LRV Biggest book fair in Baltics kicks off in Vilnius The international Vilnius Book Fair kicked off in Vilnius on Thursday with a special focus on the Lithuanian legendary artist Jonas Mekas. Over 500 different talks, presentations and various events are held during the four opening days, attracting more than 60,000 visitors, according to the press release. In line with this year’s focus on Jonas Mekas and his words, “you should live without formulas [and] be open to the world,” the event seeks new ways for freedom in self-expression. Read more Interwar Architecture Lithuanian Interwar Architecture project is an interactive educational platform that connects Lithuanian interwar architecture and the modern technologies. From an outsider‘s perspective interwar seems like a distant period of time that is not a current topic anymore. However, at the same time the architecture of the interwar period represents the beginning of modernism in Lithuania. The duality of what‘s old and new helps us tell the tale of the architecture of this period. Architectureis always close to the community and that helps us explore the contemporary lifestyle. Read more “For me, Kaunas is a City Where History and Youthful Creativity Intertwines” Jörgen Kipp, Purchasing Manager at HELLA Lithuania, came to Kaunas two years ago to live and work. He says that from day one, the city became a pleasant discovery for him. Jörgen Kipp, Purchasing Manager at HELLA Lithuania, came to Kaunas from Germany two years ago to live and work. He says that from day one, the city became a pleasant discovery for him, and today he has become sincerely accustomed to saying, “I am going back home, to Kaunas.” Read more Losing and finding Lithuania's Act of Independence The act laying Lithuania's legal foundations was lost for almost a century. Some said it was shredded by bees, others claimed it was forgotten and lost inside a book. In 2017, a little known professor from Kaunas embarked on a quest to Berlin in search of Lithuania's original Act of Independence. Read more Until March 14 Expo "Freedom Fighters" Exhibition by Giedrius Paulauskas "Freedom Fighters" showcases full original uniforms and outwear of Lithuanian freedom fighters for the first time. Find out more February 27 - March 7 19th Japanese Film Festival The Embassy of Japan in Lithuania together with the Japan Foundation is glad to announce the annual Japanese Film Festival. The 19th Film Festival this year is going to bring us films of various genres, which will be screened in Vilnius and Kaunas from February 27th until March 7th.Find out more GLOBAL LITHUANIA The tallest skyscraper in the world, the Burj Khalifa in United Arab Emirates, lit up in Lithuanian colours to mark the country’s Independence Restoration Day on February 16 Lithuania to open embassy in Australia The Lithuanian government decided on Wednesday to establish the country's embassy in Australia. Under the Foreign Ministry's proposal, the embassy should be opened in Canberra in July. "We propose to establish our embassy from July 1 to properly protect our country's interests, develop political contacts, maintain relations with the diaspora, develop business relations, and provide consular services," Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius told the Cabinet. Read more Highlight of the Week Lithuania celebrates State Restoration Day, February 16 VilniusPhoto credits @ J. Stacevičius / LRT