Why Lithuania

Strategic Location in Europe

• Part of the EU, Schengen area and NATO
• Crossroads of North, East and West: proximity to Scandinavia, Western Europe, Russia and the CIS
• The EU’s prime transport hub and interconnection of two international transport corridors, air, sea, railway and highway routes Europe’s

Pool of Talent 

• Among the best educated EU citizens (more than 90 percent of Lithuania's citizens have secondary or higher education)
• Among the most multilingual people in EU (90 percent of citizens speak at least one foreign language)
• Innovators and authors of world-scale inventions (biotech, lasers)

World-class Business Infrastructure

• Globally leading ICT resources (world’s fastest download and second fastest upload Internet, Europe’s highest fiber penetration)
• Hub of five science and business valleys, six business development parks and four logistic centres

Business Opportunities for All

• Global performance of local industries (biotech, lasers, ICT)
• Diversified industries

Investor-friendly Operating Conditions

• Low-cost operations in the EU (among the most competitive taxes and salaries)
• INVEST LT+ program designed to cover the expenses of FDIs (up to EUR 3.5 million support)
• Corporate profit tax reductions for new technologies and R&D

Part of EU Common Market

Lithuania is a part of the common EU market, ensuring unrestricted movement of goods, services, capital, and dividends within the EU. Member States are prohibited from levying any duties or charges having equivalent effect on goods crossing a border within the EU. Discriminatory taxes, quotas, and measures having an equal effect are also prohibited by laws of the EU. Restrictions on free circulation of services are prohibited as well. Companies working in the Lithuanian market freely operate within the EU market. There are no restrictions on the amount of capital that can be transferred from one EU Member State to another. In addition, Lithuania is a member of the Schengen area which operates very much like a single territory of 25 European countries with border controls for those travelling in and out of the area, but with no internal border controls.

Reliable, Safe and Stable

In the Corruption Perception Index 2010 (carried out by Transparency International), Lithuania is ranked 46th out of 178 countries. In 2011 the Fitch Ratings agency increased Lithuania’s outlook from stable to positive and affirmed its long-term foreign currency rating at BBB and its longterm local currency rating at BBB+.

Free

Lithuania ranks 24th (up by nine positions over the year), higher than, for example, Sweden and France and well above the world and regional averages, in the 2011 World Economic Freedom Rating by the Canadian-based Fraser Institute as well as in the Index of Economic Freedom by Heritage Foundation. The Heritage Foundation also ranks Lithuania 13th among 43 countries in Europe. The Fraser Institute granted Lithuania’s stable monetary policy the highest ranking, of 9.16 points out of the max 10, whereas the country’s regulation system gained 7.7 points, freedom to trade internationally was given 6.9 points, governmental expenditures got 6.7 points, and the legal system and property rights were awarded 6.5 points.

Strategically Located Between Huge Markets                                         Part of Baltic Sea Region

Lithuania is located on the very crossroads of 3 huge markets. It’s a springboard to the EU markets (Western Europe and Scandinavian countries), and Eastern markets (Russia and the CIS countries) are also just at Lithuania’s side. Lithuania is located in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR), and has always been an active business partner with its neighbours – other BSR countries – the Scandinavian states and Germany, as well as Poland, Latvia and Estonia. Lithuania’s trade with BSR countries makes up almost 70 percent of all Lithuania’s foreign trade, and about 70 percent of FDI in Lithuania comes also from BSR countries.

Information and Communication Network

Lithuania maintains world leading information and communication technology (ICT) resources and infrastructure. All of the most up-to-date ICT technologies are fully implemented and functioning across the country. The following significant records belong to Lithuania:

• World’s fastest Internet download speed in 2011
• World’s second fastest Internet upload speed in 2011
• World’s 6th and Europe’s No. 1 fiber to the home (FTTH) optic communication penetration (23 percent)
• Europe’s highest fiber optic density
• Global leader in mobile e-signature
• Europe’s densest network of public Internet access points (875)

It is no surprise, that the world’s first multi-platform mobile application download provider, the GetJar company, which was listed among the world’s most innovative Technology Pioneers 2011 by the World Economic Forum, is originally a Lithuanian company. Ilja Laurs, the founder and CEO of GetJar, has been named one of the 40 most influential leaders in the world’s mobile communication industry by Informa Telecoms & Media, the leading provider of business intelligence to global telecoms and media markets.

Talent Pool

Lithuania is among the Most Multilingual and Most Educated in the EU. In 2011, the share of the population aged 25 — 64 having completed at least upper secondary education in the EU made up 72.7 percent. Lithuania had the highest share of any EU country with 92 percent.

30 percent of the Lithuanian population hold higher education degrees, compared to the EU average of 24 percent. And even 40 percent of the 25 - 34 years old have higher education, which is almost twice as high as the EU-15 average. In 2010-2011, there were about 134,000 students enrolled at Lithuania’s 22 universities, and more than 53,000 in 23 colleges. During 2000-2010 more than 366,000 Lithuanians graduated colleges and universities, out of whom more than 278,500 obtained their degrees in universities and almost 86,000 in colleges. Lithuania has one of the EU’s most educated populations and continues to possess a pool of well educated professionals for local and international businesses. Lithuanians are a multi-lingual nation, which makes Lithuanian employees even more attractive. According to the Europeans and Languages survey, 90 percent of Lithuanians are able to participate in a conversation in other language than their mother tongue. The EU-25 average is only 50 percent. 50 percent of the population speaks in two foreign languages. Figures provided by Eurostat show that 90 percent of Lithuanians are able to speak Russian, almost 40 percent speak English, and around 20 percent are able to lead a discussion in the German language.