The first ships have yet to arrive, but already there is plenty of activity amid the sand and the dunes. Rotterdam, Europe's biggest port, has just reclaimed 2,000 hectares of land from the North Sea to expand its gateway by a staggering 20%. Reduced to rubble during the Second World War, Rotterdam quickly blossomed in the following decades thanks to the gradual reduction of trade barriers between members of the European Union.

According to preconceived data presented by the Statistics Lithuania, in January 2014, the number of the passenger who arrived and departed from Lithuanian airports reached 220.6 thousand and, as compared to January 2013, the number of the passengers increased 5.6%.

Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA will continue its expansion by launching a new route between Stockholm and the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. The first flight from Stockholm to Vilnius takes off on 8th May 2014, the company Invest Lithuania informed.

According to Vilnius Deputy Mayor Romas Adomavicius, it planned to end the National Stadium by 2016. Adomavicius highlighted that the Song Celebration 2016 should be taking place in National Stadium.

An event to honour the winners of the Lithuanian National Culture and Art Prize 2013 and present their creative achievements was held at the Seimas on 16 February 2014.

Vilnius International Film Festival "Cinema Spring" ("Kino Pavasaris"), the biggest and most important cinema event in Lithuania, will be launched on March 20 - April 3, 2014, the Vilnius Convention Bureau reported in a statement.

In the international food industry exhibition in Moscow PRODEXPO 2014 which took place on February 10-14, 2014, a new product of the Lithuania-based milk processing company Rokiskio Suris – the hard grating cheese Rokiskio GRAND – was nominated as the best product in the International Competition THE BEST PRODUCT 2014.

In early February 2014, the retail price for 95 octane gas in Latvia was EUR 1,304.25 per 1,000 liters – the sixth lowest price in the European Union, according to the European Commission's data on fuel prices in the EU. In Lithuania, 95 octane gasoline cost EUR 1,332.45 per 1,000 liters, the ninth lowest price in the EU, whereas in Estonia – EUR 1,284 per 1,000 liters, the third lowest price.

European Regional Operations Centre (EUROC) of Western Union located in Vilnius, Lithuania, received an award of the Best Employer of the Year 2013 by the jury of CEE Outsourcing and Shared Services Awards.

On February 10 Defence Policy Director of the Ministry of National Defence Dr. Vaidotas Urbelis took part in a Baltic Defence Policy Directors’ meeting where joint Baltic States’ defence projects and challenges in developing further cooperation were addressed ahead of the upcoming Baltic Defence Ministers meeting.