Last year, 120 people died on Lithuanian roads, which is the lowest number of road fatalities in the entire period of independence. In 2022, there were 43 road deaths per million inhabitants, a rate that for the first time managed to catch up with the European Union (EU) average in recent years.

On Tuesday, the Minister of Transport and Communications is leaving for Poland to participate in an international conference in Warsaw, which will emphasise the importance of the railway sector for the safety of Europe. During the visit, the Minister will also meet the European Commission’s Coordinator for Rail Baltica and the heads of LOT Polish Airlines.

Minister of the Economy and Innovation Aušrinė Armonaitė met with Taiwan’s Minister of Digital Affairs Audrey Tang in Vilnius on Wednesday. During the meeting, the ministers focused on the implementation of joint projects in the fields of digital literacy, financial technology and innovation in the public sector, and digitisation.

On January 2–8, 2023, fighter aircraft conducting the NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltic states were not alerted to intercept military aircraft of the Russian Federation in the international airspace over the Baltic Sea flying in violation of international aviation flight rules.

One year after his passing, the European Parliament will hold a ceremony to remember late President David Sassoli.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications and LTG Link, the passenger transportation company of the Lithuanian Railways Group, have signed a passenger transport agreement for the period between 2023 and 2032 aimed at creating even more convenient conditions for rail travel, including those with individual needs, also promoting the use of more sustainable public transport and reducing the impact of transport on the environment.

Gitanas Nausėda has attended the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at the Vatican. On Wednesday evening, the President paid his last respects to the departed Pope’s mortal remains in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Vilnius starts upgrading its trolleybus fleet, which will make it one of the newest and most modern in the capital. At the end of the year, UAB Vilniaus Viešasis Transportas (Vilnius Public Transport) (VVT) launched a public tender for the purchase of 91 double-axle trolleybuses and started the first stage of the upgrade after a new revision of the conditions. After the procurements, autonomous trolleybuses will reach Vilnius in summer 2024. The remaining vehicles will be delivered in the first quarter of 2025.

Celebrating the exact day of Vilnius’s 700th anniversary, the 1st Vilnius Performance Art Biennial presents the opening event of the festival—a new work by artist Emilia Škarnulytė, Aphotia, which will take place on 23 January at 7 pm at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre.

In 2023, Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, will celebrate its 700th anniversary with a large swathe of events spreading across the city. From scenic hot-air balloon rides over the Old Town to an Opera resurrected from the 17th century, Vilnius is planning to meet the new year triumphantly.