Economy

Half-hearted reforms won’t raise competitiveness of the Baltic Region – Swedbank

Russia has exited recession and now all the Baltic Sea region (BSR) economies are expanding, but growth is expected to be modest. The global rise of populism and anti-establishment moods, although promising fiscal expansion that may boost short-term growth, builds up risks of protectionism with a negative impact on long-term growth, Swedbank writes in its annual Baltic Sea Region Report. […]

Zurab Maisuradze

ForMin contests Russian argumentation over Georgian officer busted in Vilnius

Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry has provided info to the country’s law-enforcement, contesting the Russian argumentation over the detention of Zurab Maisuradze, a former head of Georgia‘s anti-terrorism center, in Vilnius. […]

Gabrielius Landsbergis ir Algirdas Butkevičius
CORPORATE

Social Democrats and Conservatives – a quest for identity

The two largest and up to then most significant parties in Lithuania, the Social Democrats and the Conservatives, not only did not win the elections, albeit losing very differently, but are also standing at a sort of crossroads. Plagued by internal dissent they are seeking their future, striving to free themselves of a crisis of identity and to define their values. Meanwhile political scientists believe that average voters care little who rules – the left or the right, what matters is who resolves their problems. […]

Money
Economy

GDP growth slows in Q3 due to shrinking investments

Annual Lithuania’s GDP growth decelerated to 1.7% in the third quarter of this year. Seasonally and working day adjusted quarterly growth decelerated from 0.4% in the second quarter to 0.1% in the third quarter. Household demand remained the main driver of growth, while shrinking investments was the largest drag on growth, Swedbank announced. […]

Stasys Jakeliūnas
CORPORATE

Jakeliūnas on the letter which decided his post

Prior to the Seimas elections Stasys Jakeliūnas was viewed as the most likely candidate for the post of Minister of Finance. Surprisingly, however, he replaced the already confirmed Seimas Budget and Finance Committee chairman, while the PM chose Vilius Šapoka as a candidate for the post of Minister of Finance. According to Jakeliūnas this occured due to his stance on pension funds and pressure on financial institutions. […]

Heating
Energy

Vilnius to take energy co to court over EUR 190,000 overpayment for heating

Administration of Lithuania’s capital Vilnius intends to take Vilniaus Energija, heating supplier to the city, to demand that it pays back some of the money, 190,000 euros, for heating when it bought biofuel at a price far above the market price. […]

Donald Trump the USA President elect
Society

Trump won the election, a Lithuanian won 9,000 EUR

While the world expresses surprise that Donald Trump has won the United States presidential election, one Lithuanian citizen from Southwest Lithuania rejoices having won 9,000 Euros. A year ago the man bet 1,000 Euros and believed that Clinton was going to lose and no one else but Trump will win the election. At that time betting offers at the betting company “TOP sport on the 45th US president’s victory ratio was of one to nine. […]

Riga

Riga Conference 2016 – a reflection

Every year Latvia hosts what is called The Riga Conference. This year was no different. Held in the National Library across the river from the Old Town, invited delegates from the world of diplomacy, think tanks, academia, the military, and political life, gathered to listen and take part in a series of talks focussing on European foreign policy and security. […]