‘Lithuania remains open to global-minded companies. In the near future, dozens of international companies from Belarus and Russia working in technology and services sectors would like to expand their activities in Lithuania. We work with responsible institutions in Lithuania to ensure that these companies and their employees can safely move to Lithuania,’ said Minister of the Economy and Innovation Aušrinė Armonaitė after the meeting with businessmen.
The main goal of Lithuanian institutions remains to ensure the safety and health of war refugees; but assistance rendering to businesses is also necessary however.
“We understand the challenges of Russia’s political decisions and actions faced by businesses in war-affected countries and we are ready to help them,’ said Director General of Invest Lithuania Elijus Čivilis.
Following the unfair presidential elections in Belarus, about 50 companies and several thousand employees moved to Lithuania with their families. Last year, at the initiative of the Ministry of the Economy and Innovation, the Seimas amended necessary laws to facilitate the relocation of companies, their employees and families.
The launch of the war on Ukraine may result in a new wave of company relocations, as international businesses wants to leave Russia and Belarus as soon as possible. Some Ukrainian companies are also interested in transferring companies’ activities or some employees to Lithuania for security reasons until the end of the war.
At the meeting, the Minister together with the Director General of Invest Lithuania presented in detail the latest Lithuanian initiatives to facilitate the transfer of international businesses and their employees to Lithuania and discussed activities of companies that have already moved.
The Ministry of the Economy and Innovation seeks to make it easier for new residents to open bank accounts in Lithuania and to reimburse their moving costs to Lithuania.
We seek to enable the Ukrainian citizens to work remotely in Lithuania and continue to pay taxes in Ukraine, to receive preferential loans to start a new business in Lithuania. The requirements for access to employment and the knowledge of official language have already been simplified.
