The Bank of Lithuania published the balance of payments for December 2020, which shows that:

As the requirements for the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing (ML/TF) are tightened and financial market participants devote increasingly more attention to this area, the Bank of Lithuania receives more inquiries and complaints from the customers of banks, electronic money institutions and other financial institutions concerning excess requirements related to the requests to complete and update the KYC (“know your customer”) questionnaire or to provide additional information.

From Monday (15 February), the restrictions on quarantine for business will be eased; it will be possible to provide beauty treatment and other individual services while maintaining safe distance; non-food and flower shops will be able to resume activities. The Lithuanian Government has approved these proposals.

The Ministry of the Economy and Innovation will provide EUR30 million to test small and medium-sized business representatives for coronavirus. Businesses will be partially reimbursed for rapid tests and tests carried out in health care establishments. One rapid serological test or a rapid antigen test will becompensated at a rate of EUR 12. These funds will allow testing of about 100 employees, and one person could be tested 12 times in three months.

On Wednesday, Parliament approved the Recovery and Resilience Facility, designed to help EU countries tackle the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The European Commission has disbursed €14 billion to nine Member States in the fourth instalment of financial support to Member States under the SURE instrument. This is the first disbursement in 2021. As part of 2nd February operations, Belgium has received €2 billion, Cyprus €229 million, Hungary €304 million, Latvia €72 million, Poland €4.28 billion, Slovenia €913 million, Spain €1.03 billion, Greece €728 million and Italy €4.45 billion. All nine Member States had already received financial support under SURE in 2020, under one of the first three issuances and disbursement operations that took place in 2020.

The Commission opened infringement procedures against 24 Member States for failing to enact new EU telecom rules. The European Electronic Communications Code modernises the European regulatory framework for electronic communications, to enhance consumers' choices and rights, for example by ensuring clearer contracts, quality of services, and competitive markets. The Code also ensures higher standards of communication services, including more efficient and accessible emergency communications. Furthermore, it allows operators to benefit from rules incentivising investments in very-high capacity networks, as well as from enhanced regulatory predictability, leading to more innovative digital services and infrastructures.

In accordance with the recommendations of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Bank of Lithuania has compiled and is starting the publication of the data on annual foreign direct investment (FDI) by the ultimate investing country.

Minister of Transport and Communications Marius Skuodis held a remote conversation on Friday with the Minister for Infrastructure and Housing Pedro Nuno Santos of Portugal, which currently holds the EU presidency, with Lithuania hoping that the EU will adhere to the approved Rail Baltica financing plan.

The €672.5 billion Recovery and Resilience Facility is the key tool in the EU's Covid-19 recovery plan to support reforms in response to the crisis.