After the rapid 2013 development reaching 3.2%, the growth of Lithuania's gross domestic product (GDP) should continue gaining momentum and should exceed 4%.

According to Chair of Committee on Budget and Finance Bronius Bradauskas, in a worst-case scenario for economic relations with Russia, Lithuania would lose LTL 0.5 billion (EUR 144 million) from the budget and about LTL 3 billion (EUR 866 million) of the gross domestic product (GDP).

In the context of Ukraine's crisis, the Government will allocate LTL 200 million (EUR 57 million) for Lithuania's businessmen striving to re-orient the business from the problematic eastern markets or to create new business.

The surplus balances of services and of current transfers, as well as the narrowing foreign trade and income balance deficits, led to the build-up of a 732.1 million litas current account balance (CAB) surplus in Lithuania's balance of payments in the fourth quarter 2013, the Statistics Department of the Bank of Lithuania said in a statement.

Consistent economic development in Lithuania in recent years has been supported by domestic demand and euro area membership expectations, hoping for a faster growth in investment. Yet the potential of economic growth in the country may be disturbed by stalled development of exports, since the Ukrainian-Russian conflict poses a major threat and causes uncertainty.

DPD Lietuva, a parcel delivery company which has been growing successfully for the last few years, is now expanding its business even further. It has signed a contract with Kaunas Free Economic Zone – the place, where the company intends to build the biggest state-of-the-art parcel sorting terminal in the Baltic States.

Responding to possible threats to exporting business, Lithuania should focus on a faster diversification of export, says Lithuania's Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius.

Invalda LT, one of the major Lithuanian investment companies, announced the split – off terms. According to the terms, three companies INVL Baltic Farmland, INVL Baltic Real Estate and INVL Technology, presently comprising 48% of Invalda LT assets calculated in book values, will be split – off from Invalda LT.

If Lithuanian export to Russia was disturbed, LTL 200 million (EUR 58 million) would be allocated to the promotion of foreign trade, says Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius.

Compared with 2012, exports of Lithuanian goods in 2013 increased by 6.5%, or LTL 5.2 billion (EUR 1.5 billion), to a total of LTL 84.8 billion (EUR 24.5 billion). Measured by growth in export volumes, Lithuania is still holding the leading position in the Baltic States – in 2013, Latvian exports grew by 1.5% while Estonian exports grew by 2.0%.