The Minister of the Economy and Innovation Aušrinė Armonaitė opened the Lithuanian stand at Money20/20, one of the largest financial technology (fintech) exhibitions in Amsterdam. This year, 8 fintech companies from Lithuania are participating in the national stand.

This week, Klaipėda is hosting the third Baltic LNG & New Energies Forum, which focuses on regional cooperation for energy security and a smooth energy transition. The international forum, organized in collaboration with the international energy terminal operator KN Energies, brings together over 150 participants from the European energy sector, including international experts and decision-makers.

The Ministry of the Economy and Innovation is consistently investing in the growth of Lithuania's tourism sector by announcing a call for funding for tourism representatives to participate in exhibitions and business events abroad.

Lithuanian Minister of Transport and Communications Marius Skuodis, participating today in the international conference E-Fuels Dialogue 2024 in Berlin, signed a joint declaration with his German and Japanese counterparts to promote the use of e-fuels in transport. Lithuania sees the production and use of e-fuels and other alternative fuels as an important opportunity for the country's economy, since the development of these fuels will help our country become the centre of green energy in the Baltic region.

On Monday, the Minister of the Economy and Innovation Aušrinė Armonaitė will meet with Stefano Pontecorvo, President of the Italian company Leonardo, and present the simplified regulatory framework for companies to develop defence and security industry activities in Lithuania.

On Friday evening, the international credit rating agency S&P Global Ratings changed the ‘A+’ long-term debt rating (negative outlook) previously granted to Lithuania to ‘A’ with a stable outlook, leaving the ‘A-1’ short-term debt rating in effect. The agency based its decision on geopolitical risks in the region due to the protracted war in Ukraine.

The Ministry of the Economy and Innovation has conducted a survey among the country's businesses on the performance of business regulators. The survey shows that positive trends are emerging: the number of inspections is decreasing, the majority of inspections are planned, and businesses are clearly informed of irregularities and given instructions on how to remedy them.

The Ministry of the Economy and Innovation is investing in the modernisation of business service centres in Lithuania. A €2.4 million call for project implementation plans is being launched for business service centres that want to automate their business processes.

Minister of Finance Gintarė Skaistė today publicly presented the Defence Fund package, which includes proposals to increase the national defence spending to 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) for the period 2025-2030. According to Minister G. Skaistė, the proposed package consists of four parts: the extension of the solidarity contribution, corporate income tax decisions, excise duty decisions, and the concept of the security contribution.

The Ministry of the Economy and Innovation continues to support innovation. This time, €15 million has been allocated to 170 startups and spin-offs in the Vilnius region to develop solutions in artificial intelligence, blockchain technology and robotic process automation.