European Union
Year: 2017
Economy
Renovation of wastewater system to save Vilnius from flooding – Vilnius mayor
Vilnius will be safe from flooding after renovation of the wastewater system – the work has already been started and will be finished within three years, the Lithuanian capital’s Mayor Remigijus Šimašius said after the city was again flooded following a heavy downpour on Tuesday evening. […]
Society
Tuesday’s downpour flooded cellars, interrupted traffic, power supplies. PHOTOS
The thunderstorm that ripped through Lithuania on Tuesday night and early hours of Wednesday caused substantial damage across the country, flooding cellars, rupturing a gas pipeline and interrupting traffic for a few hours on some streets due to massive rainfall. Bottom levels of some largest malls in Vilnius were also flooded. […]
Economy
VAT tariff on heating could be 15% – Seimas speaker
The reduced value-added tax (VAT) rate on heating in Lithuania could be 15 percent, says Parliamentary Speaker Viktoras Pranckietis. […]
Defence
NATO jets scrambled from Lithuania twice last week over Russian warplanes
NATO air-policing jets were last week scrambled twice from Lithuania to intercept Russian warplanes flying above the Baltic Sea, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry said. […]
Society
Downpour in Vilnius prevents landing of 6 flights
The heavy rainfall in Lithuania on Tuesday evening prevented six airplanes from landing at the Vilnius international airport. In early hours of Wednesday, four of the planes returned to Vilnius, however, two morning flights to Warsaw and Riga were canceled, as the airplanes intended for the flights decided not to return to the Lithuanian capital. […]
CORPORATE
Coalition – a party of three?
There are often complaints that Lithuanian political parties do not renew themselves, the same politicians keep getting re-elected to Seimas, youth or new faces, who have fresh ideas, are not allowed in. These complaints have […]
Politics
Seimas okays forestry sector restructuring initiated by Farmers
After the ruling Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union promised to the opposition conservatives to bring back the value-added tax (VAT) discount, the parliament on Tuesday approved the restructuring scheme of the country’s forestry sector that has triggered heated debates in the society. […]
CORPORATE
Linkevičius on Trump and Putin’s meeting – we should avoid rushed conclusions
“Emotionally both sides had the aim to show that relations can be constructive, that there is room for cooperation. Russia distributed information that the talks lasted four times longer than planned, which displays Russia’s importance. […]
Economy
UAE minister in Lithuania calls for intensified trade
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates, said in Lithuania on Tuesday that the countries should make efforts to step up mutual trade. […]
Economy
New details in Hella’s investment story: German giant chooses Kaunas FEZ
Hella KGaA Hueck & co., a German manufacturer of lighting technology and electronics products for the automotive industry, and the Lithuanian Kaunas Free Economic Zone have finalized a long term land lease agreement. During the first stage of development up to €30 million investment in a production plant is planned and this will create up to 250 new jobs. Depending on the pace of growth, more investments are expected in the future. […]
European Union
Seimas transposes EU directive without listing partners as family
Lithuania’s parliament on Tuesday transposed a European directive on non-discrimination of European Union (EU) citizens and their family members on grounds of their citizenship, however, partners were left aside. […]
Economy
VAT reduction for heating may hold back Lithuania’s tax reform
Reintroducing a reduced VAT rate on district heating and hot water services may hold back the government’s planned tax reform, Swedbank Lithuania’s chief economist Nerijus Mačiulis warned on Tuesday. […]
Economy
Weekly magazine Veidas to stop print edition
The Lithuanian weekly magazine Veidas is set to stop its print edition and plans to develop its website. […]
Politics
Social Democrat accuses Farmers, Homeland Union of trading in influence
Juozas Olekas, a member of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party‘s (LSDP) political group in the Seimas, has accused the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LFGU), the senior coalition partner, and the opposition Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats of trading in influence. […]
Politics
Government coalition unchanged after Farmers, Conservatives agree on forest reform
The leader of the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LFGU) says that the makeup of the government coalition remains unchanged after the senior coalition partner on Tuesday signed a deal with the Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats under which the opposition party will back the government’s planned state forest management reform in exchange for a reduced VAT rate on district heating and hot water services. […]
History
“A Land of Forests and Swamp.” The image of Lithuania in Medieval Europe
“Lithuania [Lectonia] is a province of Scythia, and its people are called Lithuanians. They are towering and strong, warlike and savage people. Lithuania is a land of fertile soil; much of it is swampland and covered with forests, watered with rivers and lakes; there are many beasts and animals there. The forests and swamps protect it; other than the lakes, forests and swamps, they have few fortified places [settlements]. And this is why it is doubtful whether this area could be conquered in summer, perhaps only in winter, when the rivers and other bodies of water are frozen over.” […]
Economy
Lithuanian association wants national-level regulation of short-term letting
The Lithuanian Association of Hotels and Restaurants wants the short-term accommodation rental activity to be regulated at the national level, saying that hotel owners are now subject to much more taxes and requirements than apartment owners, the business daily Verslo Žinios reported on Tuesday. […]
Culture
Sugihara Week Festival 2017
Chiune Suhigara made a profound impact on thousands of Lithuanian lives. The honorable yet humble man, stood up during the dark days of WWII saving thousands of innocent people. He made every second count, spending his final moments leaving Lithuania via train, passing out travel visas to Jewish Lithuanians. […]
Defence
Air defense exercise kicks off in Lithuania
The Tobruq Legacy 2017 air defense exercise gets underway in the district of Šiauliai, in northern Lithuania, on Tuesday. […]