Over half of EU citizens feel that banks should be regulated by the EU, rather than national governments. Half also believe that they would be better protected against the economic crisis if their countries coordinated anti-crisis measures with other EU member states, suggests a Eurobarometer poll published on Friday.

On 18 October in Brussels, after over four years of tense bilateral trade talks, José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, and Prime Minister of Canada Stephan Harper reached an agreement on the last contentious issues before concluding the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the European Union and Canada. This will be the first free trade agreement between the EU and a G8 country.

Latvia's exports increased by 4% in January-July 2013 – the ninth steepest increase in the European Union, according to the latest data from the EU's statistical office Eurostat. Lithuania registered the steepest growth.

On 17 October the EU Fisheries Ministers reached an agreement on the fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea for 2014 – total allowable catches (TAC's) for certain fish stocks and the fishing effort limits for the Baltic cod stocks.

In September alone Air Lituanica carried out 192 flights and served around 9.2 thousand of passengers. In total during the three months since its launch the operator carried over 16.4 thousand air travellers.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė met with the Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Taleb Rifai, to discuss international collaboration in the sphere of tourism and Lithuania's worldwide virtual amber road initiative.

The total consolidated revenue of TEO Group, the largest provider of integrated telecommunication, IT and TV services in Lithuania, for the third quarter of 2013, compared with the second quarter 2013, increased by 1.9 per cent up to LTL 181 million. The revenue increase was a result of Company's implemented several major IT projects, growing number of Internet and television services' customers.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė met with representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, Economy, Transport and Communications, as well as from the Customs Department and the State Food and Veterinary Service, to discuss measures that have been taken to deal with the issue of exports to the Russian Federation and the results achieved.

European Union Finance Ministers will meet on October 15 in Luxembourg to finalise the question on improving access of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to finance. They will also exchange views on strengthening of the economic policy coordination. These items are related to the preparation of the European Council at the end of October.

On Thursday the construction of joint-stock stevedoring company Klaipedos Smelte international container terminal began in Lithuanian port city Klaipeda.