Lithuania's Akropolis Group hopes to present to the public the project for the construction of a new Akropolis shopping mall near Vingis Park in Vilnius, in the territory of the former Velga production facility.

The Government has largely supported the integrated draft National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) for the period 2021-2030, laying down Lithuania’s ambitions to combat climate change. People are invited to give their say on this plan by 4 December.

The assessment of the business environment by the chief financial officers (CFOs) of major companies has become more cautious in all the three Baltic countries compared with last year, with the highest confidence indicators seen in Lithuania, a survey taken by SEB indicates.

Lithuania's Road Administration is getting ready for the 300 mln euro worth reconstruction of the Via Baltica's section from the southern city of Marijampole until the Polish border.

The work is set to begin in 2021 after all land buying procedures are finished and contractors are selected, the Vitalijus Andrejevas, head of the road administration, says. And the reconstruction would be completed by the end of 2025.

The Transport Ministry is set to submit a special plan for the reconstruction of the 40-km section and will also ask to start the land takeover procedure.

"Once the government endorsed the special plan, we will call a tender for the design of a technical project and the preparation of the project for such a long section could take up to 18 months. But at the same time we will carry out the procedure of taking land for the public needs," Andrejevas told.

In his words, 745 land lots or part of them will have to be taken from their existing owners, with the necessary amount of money is yet to be determined.

The reconstruction is estimated to cost around 300 mln euros, Andrejevas said, but the final sum can be higher or lower.

The international four-lane highway Via Baltica will connect Tallinn, Riga, Kaunas and Warsaw. Its total section in Lithuania will stand at 274 km.

www.baltic-course.com

President Gitanas Nausėda and the First Lady met with Pope Francis during an audience in the Vatican on November 8. At this historic meeting with Pope Francis, the first one during his term of office, the President thanked the Holy Father for his continued attention to Lithuania and his prayers for our country and its people.

As a part of consistent progress of the Vilnius Airport Reconstruction Program, the procurement of aerodrome reconstruction works has been announced. It is necessary to reconstruct the aerodrome infrastructure due to its depreciation and because we aim to reduce the impact on the environment.

Transportation platform Bolt on Thursday launched the Bolt Food food delivery service in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, informed company.

The Baltic states should introduce two-year conscription in order to increase their defense potential.

There is no need to renew railway traffic from Riga to Vilnius and Tallinn because of the low passenger demand, said Transport Ministry's deputy state secretary Dins Merirands at the meeting of the parliament Baltic affairs subcommittee.

Airports in Lithuania have good news for those who plan holiday or business trips during the cold season - in cooperation with air carriers, 6 new directions have been introduced, and the timetable of some of the most popular directions has been updated.