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REGIONAL FOCUS: KLAIPĖDA issue No. 54, 2016

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Breakthrough in Electric Public Transport

Occasional bonuses replaced by permanent staff motivation

page 13

BCC SPONSOR MEMBERS

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Between London & Vilnius – Villon

A Man with a Plan

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25 Years of Delivering Success

In an interview with Klaipeda’s mayor, Vytautas Grubliauskas, the BCC finds out how things have gone in recent years for Lithuania’s third city and only port. We also explore what future de-velopments are in store, as well as how the city intends to market itself in the future.

How has the economic dynamism of the Bal-tic Sea affected the recent development of Klaipeda and your plans for future economic growth?

The city can be compared to a living being: it constantly changes, grows and seeks perfection. The city’s development relies strongly on eco-nomic factors. Klaipeda’s economy is being dri-ven by the port and/or sea-related businesses. Of course, as a port-city, we are dependent on the political situation in other countries, but it is our responsibility to set the right goals to develop the city, diversify its economy and create a posi-tive environment for working, doing business and living.

At this point of time, Klaipeda is an important educational, scientific, cultural and economic cen-tre for the region. Our ambition is that, by 2030, Klaipeda will become the fastest developing city in Lithuania. During this time the priorities will be: the implementation of modern technology, care for the environment, as well as progressive and socially responsible business.

In addition, Klaipeda is constantly looking for new opportunities for economic growth. Last

Vytautas Grubliauskas, Klaipėda‘s mayor supports the cycling in Klaipeda

year, six of the most important institutions of the city – Klaipėda city municipality, the university, the free economic zone, the Industrialists’ Associ-ation, Klaipeda’s Chambers of Commerce, Indus-try and Crafts, and, of course, the Port Authority – set the goal of creating an economic develop-ment strategy for the city. There is a huge amount of work ahead, but I believe that this new vision will yield positive economic results in the future.

What is it that makes Klaipeda unique from the rest of Lithuania?

Klaipeda is Lithuania’s only port-city and re-mains the second-most important economic centre in the country, surpassed only by Vilnius in terms of both the portion of GDP generated in the City and budgetary scale. Moreover, Klaipėda has upheld its position as one of the leading cit-ies in the country based on parameters such as

budget, the balance between quality and price in public services, healthcare and social support, the efficiency of the public transportation system and low taxes for business and residents. In addition, for a number of years, the city has been ranked as one of Lithuania’s best municipalities.

The city can also be proud of recent, ambitious new projects: a doubling of finance for culture over the past four years, the ambition to develop a common strategy with partners for economic development in Klaipeda, improving the living environment in the city by fostering sustainable mobility and more active cooperation with surrounding municipalities.

Klaipeda’s Free Economic Zone has notched up some successes in the past 14 years. In 2010 FDI magazine ranked it as the fifth best in terms of facilities offered, what plans are in place to improve the attractiveness of the zone? Is it filling up as quickly as originally planned?

The Klaipėda FEZ aims to attract 4-5 new cus-tomers per year. In the near future, increased efforts will be put into attracting not only manu-facturing, but R&D and services as well. This may only involve a few customers at the beginning, but it is hoped that this will expand given time. The company managing the FEZ is investing in its own real estate projects, which it seeks to lease to companies involved in light production, R&D and services. Complementary projects have also been enacted or planned, such as the first cafe, the ex-pansion of the public transport system, connect-ing the FEZ and Klaipeda City through bicycle paths, and opening a kindergarten.

Klaipeda Seaport is an encouraging example of what can be achieved when public and private sectors work toge-ther in close cooperation. The BCC talks to Arvydas Vaitkus, Managing Director, about setting new records, China and the next 25 years.

With so many countries lining the Baltic Sea, there are a number of sizeable ports. What ad-vantages does Klaipeda hold over its competi-tors?

Traditionally Klaipeda Seaport’s strengths in-clude: an ice–free port; flexible pricing and tariff policy; a number of modern specialised terminals; good turnover of railway wagons; and a railway

Arvydas Vaitkus, Managing Director of Klaipeda Seaport

gauge the same width as those of its main mar-kets. However, our partners from other countries have started emphasising one other character-istic, our transparency. Clear and consistent go-vernment policy has played an important role in developing the largest Lithuanian transport and transit hub. Such a business environment is highly appreciated by our partners seeking to transport their cargo via Klaipeda Seaport or to implement their investment projects.

Can you please provide an idea of the rela-tive importance of the port to Lithuania’s economy?

Klaipeda Seaport and the enterprises related to it provide over 6% of Lithuania’s GDP. In 2015 the seaport’s contribution to the state and mu-nicipal budgets reached EUR 685m. Compared to other large industrial operators, Klaipeda Sea-port is one of the largest employers, both in the immediate region and throughout the whole of Lithuania. More than 800 enterprises are en-gaged in port-related activities. All these figures demonstrate the significant contribution made by Klaipeda Seaport to the economy of Lithuania.

In addition to its traditional business, the opening of the strategic LNG termi-nal in 2014 propelled Klaipedos nafta into the international spotlight. We talk to the CEO, Mantas Bartuska, about this and other business streams.

Can you please tell us a little about Klaipėdos nafta, its history and major achievements of the past decade?

AB Klaipėdos nafta was founded in 1994 and was given the task of reconstructing the oil ter-minal, which had been operating since 1959 in Klaipeda Seaport. Later on the company became the operator of the new terminal. Reconstruction started in 1995 with the demolition of the old fa-

A Big Step Forwards

Mantas Bartuška, CEO, Klaipedos nafta

cilities and construction of new ones. The recon-struction, which was completed in 2002, was car-ried out without interruption of transhipment ac-tivities. Today Klaipėdos nafta is one of the most up-to-date terminals in Europe with 400 workers.

The main activities of the company are:• Oil transhipment terminal;• Liquefied Natural Gas terminal;• Subacius fuel storage.

The specialised oil terminal handles light and dark oil products, transferring crude oil from rail-way containers into tankers; provides discharge of crude oil and oil products from tankers into rail-way tanks; handles provisional storage of crude oil and oil products; and provides discharge of petrol and diesel fuel (designated for local mar-ket) from tankers to tanker-trucks. The company offers mooring services; identifies quality param-eters of oil products; collects oily water from ve-ssels, supplies vessels with fuel and water.

In 2010 Lithuania set the goal of establishing an LNG terminal at the ice-free port of Klaipėda in or-der to cut its dependency on the Russian mono-polist, Gazprom. Klaipėdos nafta was handed this task and the so-called “visible job” from the paper to construction of the FSRU (floating storage and regasification unit, i.e. the ship) started in 2012.

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Asta Grabinske, CEO of AVIVA Lietuva

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Non-bank finance remains essential service for consumers

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British Chamberof CommerceDidzioji 5, LT-01128Vilnius, Lithuania

2 3BCC paper issue No 54

The BCC paper is the official publication of the British Chamber of Commerce in Lithuania, covering a wide variety of subjects related to promoting and encouraging bilateral business relations between the UK and Lithuania. The BCC paper also provides an outlet for the chamber and its members to publish their latest news and offer their professional views on current political, economic, European and cultural topics. The paper is widely circulated: available from Lithuania’s three main airports in Vilnius, Kaunas and Palanga, business centres, hotels and the UK and Lithuanian embassies, in addition to being sent to all BCC members and business contacts, meaning it offers premium advertising space to companies wishing to engage with the Lithuanian business community. The print run of BCC paper is 4000 copies.

Next publication date: November 2016

BCC paper team:Editor in Chief – Chris ButlerEditorial support: Michael West, Alistair Day-Stirrat, Sandra Kundrotė Members section – Irma Rudelytė - Kasputienė, advertising – Sandra Kundrotė, e-mail: Sandra@bccl.lt , tel. +370 5 2690062Proofreading – Shaun Harvey, Michael WestLayout - Tautmilė StanevičiūtėPrinting – Lietuvos ryto spaustuve, UAB

Advert sizes and prices

Prices

Size Size mm BCC Member rate BCC Non member rate

Back page 1000 cm² 273x366 400 € 500 €

Full page right 1000 cm² 273x366 390 € 480 €

Full page left 1000 cm² 273x366 345 € 430 €

½ page 129 cm² 133x368 240 € 295 €

½ page 129 cm² 273x183 240 € 295 €

1/3 page 326 cm² 273x119 145 € 210 €

1/3 page 326 cm² 133x245 145 € 210 €

Small 129 cm² 273x47 70 € 105 €

Small 129 cm² 133x97 70 € 105 €

Small 129 cm² 63x200 70 € 105 €

For further information or to book your ad space, please contact the chamber:Tel. +370 (5) 269 00 62/84, e-mail: Sandra@bccl.lt

BCC NEWSBCC NEWS

From the Chairman

Our Statement on the results of the UK EU referendum

Chris Butler, Chairman of the Board, BCC Lithuania

BCC Member to Member Discount scheme

BCC Members can benefit from the discounts offered from other Members. The Membership cards are issued to member companies and individuals of BCC Lithuania.

Sponsor Members receive 5 cards, Corporate – 3 cards, Small company – 2 cards, Overseas and Social Members – 1 card. Please share these cards with colleagues in your company.The information about discounts and offers is constantly updated and can be checked on the BCC website www.bccl.lt. The card is valid until April 1, 2017.

AVIS Rent A Car & Leasing Company• 25 % for short-term rentals with-

in Lithuania and the Baltic states• special quotes for outbound and

chauffeur drive rentals• tailor-made full leasing and fleet

management offers• corporate Charge and Avis Pref-

fered cards

Baltic American Medical and Surgical Clinic

• 10% discount for all medical consultations

Baltic Surveys• 10% discount for market research services in the Baltic states

Best Western hotels in Vilnius and Druskininkai

• 15 % discount from the best available rate for accommodation

• 22% discount for stationeryBiuro Pasaulis

Bottlery • 15% on all alcohol beverages* The discount is valid for the General managers, Executives and Head of Departments of BCC Mem-ber Companies and with BOTTLERY Gold Member cards only

Calenberg Vilnius •

• 15 % discount for WATERLOGIC water purifiers

• FREE Recruitment; FREE Replace-ment (if required); ZERO Admin Fee for 1st Month (waived) for Tempo-rary Staffing Services

Delta Management Solutions

• 10 % for corporate, accounting, audit organisation, legal, financial, tax and business consulting and translation services

Growing Talent• Free introductory one to one coaching session• Free consultation meeting to explore training & development needs• 10% discount on services (e.g. executive coaching, training workshops)

Hotel VANAGUPĖ & Amber SPA

• 20% discount of rack rates for ac-commodation in the hotel• 10% discount on food and bever-ages in the hotel restaurant, terrace and bar• 10% discount for SPA procedures

• 15% discount from the best avail-able rate for accomodation

IBIS Styles Vilnius

• 15% discount for all our services• an initial promotional class or consultation for free

London International School of Languages

• 20% discount for all medical consultations

Northway Medical and Surgery Centers

• 15% off all treatment & 5% off prosthetic work

Odontika

•10% for all services and free of charge first consultation

Publicum

• 20% for green fee at „The V Golf Club“;• 10% discount for one time en-trance in the Health Club + SPA “Oasis”;• 10% discount for individual accommodation bookings from BAR;• 10% discount for food and bever-ages at the restaurant „Le Paysage“

Vilnius Grand Resort

Radisson Blu Hotel Lietuva • 10 % discount on food and non-alcoholic drinks in the Riverside restaurant, Lobby Bar and Skybar;• Special accommodation offers at Radisson BLU Hotel Lietuva, as well as CARLSON REZIDOR Hotel Group worldwide

Radisson Blu Royal Astorija Hotel10% for official accommodation rates

Shakespeare Boutique hotel• 20 % discount for accommoda-tion• 15 % discount at the “Sonnets” Restaurant and the “Globe” Bar for all regular priced menu items

Quantum Capital • 10% for all services and free of charge first consultation

Vinkleris and partners, law firm• 25 % discount for the services• no hourly charge• special priority while providing service.

BCC SPONSOR MEMBERS

BCC paper issue No 54, 2016

Dear BCC Members, Friends and Readers of our BCC paper,

On June 23rd, we have seen that the British peo-ple have voted in their referendum to leave the European Union. Whilst this was not the outcome that I personally would have supported, the result of 52% - 48% in favour of Leave was clear and un-ambiguous.

Whilst membership of the EU made trade be-tween the UK and Lithuania easy, good products and services always have and always will thrive. I have no doubt whatsoever that the potential for trade between the UK and Lithuania remains un-changed.

On behalf of the Chamber I would like to re-assure you all that we are ready as always to pro-vide full support in strengthening relations with British partners, something that in this period of heightened uncertainty maybe even more valu-able to our members.

BCC is delighted to introduce a new member of the team Irma Rudelyte - Kasputiene, who joined the office in May.

Irma has been developing her carrier in tourism sector over ten years and has got an experience in Business Strategy, Strategic Pla-nning, Sales & Marketing. Irma admits that she always seeks new opportunities and her personal motto is: “Nothing Is Impossible”.

Irma has successfully fulfilled the position as BCC Membership ser-vices manager and is looking forwards to visiting BCC members during the summer and analysing the ways to develop BCC member-ship services package.

BCC welcomes a new member of the teamNEW!!!

ADDELSE emloyee assesments 20% discount on:• 360 degree executive assessment• Employee assessment using Profile XT• DiSC Classic 2.0 profile• Free assessment of your choice (one person once a year)

MAGHRIB Moroccan Restaurant• 15% off Tuesday - Thursday on food and beverages;• 10% off Friday - Sunday on food and beverages;

NEW!!!

P R 1 M U S, Law firm• Free of charge first consultation• 10 % discount for all services

Fortconsult Cyber security Company• 10% discount for penetration test• 15% discount for MSS (managed security services)

NEW!!!

Exciting month for DofE International Award programme

On International Children’s Day which is ce-lebrated on June 1, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė visited DofE International Award participants and discussed with them about benefits of the programme. The President even demonstrated excellent knowledge how to pack a backpack since she used to go hiking in her youth. The hiking experience develops a great range of social and emotional competencies which also contribute to the leadership skills.

This was a great introduction to the Award Ce-remony which was held this June at the Brit-ish Embassy, where more than 50 participants received their Bronze badges as a recognition of their achievements in various activities of the program.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award is the world’s leading youth achievement award. The Award has three levels - Bronze, Silver & Gold - open to young people between the ages of 14-24. Through its main sections – volunteering, physi-cal recreation, skills development and adventur-ous journey, it equips young people for life.

In Lithuania there are currently 40 schools de-livering the Award. More schools are about to join in September.

For more information you are welcome to visit: www.dofe.lt, or contact Inga Čėsnaitė directly at: inga.c@lvjc.lt

On May 5th BCC Board member Iraida Zogaite has resigned from the BCC Board.

Iraida was a member of the chamber for many years with the law firm Baltic Legal Solutions and lately Tark Grunte Sutkiene. She was elected to the BCC Board in 2015 and was supporting the activities in the field of BCC Social Cor-porate Responsibility.

In her resignation letter Iraida said: “It was a pleasure to be a part of BCC during many years”.

The chamber thanks for all her support as the Board member and wishes Iraida all the best for her future.

Recent changes in BCC Board hospitality, the attention that we received, and the quality of the service – all of it made our 11 hour flight enjoyable and it even felt too short. Carslon Wagonlit Travel and Cobalt – for the stay in a charming hotel, organising a fantastic trip, offering professional advice, tips and tricks on how to survive in mega-cities, as well as a breath-taking tour to the Great Wall of China.

We appreciate your efforts to make this trip unforgettable!” - Vaida Budrienė

Sponsors of memorable trip to Asia

We are pleased to inform that Burns Night’17 will be held on January 28th, 2017 in Palace of Grand Dukes

In January 2016, at Burns Night, which is major chamber’s annual fundraising event, our guests had a unique chance to win exclusive trip to Beijing for two, which came up as Burns Night charity raf-fle Golden prize and included 2 business class re-turn tickets Vilnius – Beijing – Vilnius with Turkish Airlines, visas & excursion by COBALT law firm and accommodation in a 4 star hotel in central Beijing by Carlson Wagonlit Travel. The prize was won by Vaida Budrienė, Head of Corporate Affairs at MV Group, who has kindly agreed to share her memo-rable trip experience with the BCC paper readers:

“The trip that we won as main prize was abso-lutely incredible! It has strengthened our fascina-tion with Asia – the priority destination for our holidays from now on. We visited Beijing and Shanghai, so had an opportunity to compare two of the largest cities in the world. They are ama-zing and different from the ones we have been to in Europe and North America: millions of people; rich, unexpected, colourful food; astonishing im-perial architecture and awe-inspiring skyscrapers – all of it amazed us throughout the whole trip.

We are grateful to the British Chamber of Co-mmerce and all the sponsors of this prize. Turkish Airlines – for business class tickets. The company’s

Burns Night’16 Charity Raffle Golden Prize winner returns from China

Vaida Budrienė, winner of the prize with Sponsors Experiencing Asia

BCC Lithuania team attends COBCOE Annual Events in the UK

In June 2016, the BCC Lithuania was represented at COBCOE Annual Events in London and Liver-pool – once-a-year opportunity to share work-ing experience between the British Chambers of Commerce in Europe and the national British Chambers of Commerce in the UK.

The visit this year included 2 days of professional training programme for BCC staff, attendance of International Festival for Business and the con-ference "Make Europe work" held in Liverpool. COBCOE Annual General Meeting was crowned by COBCOE Gala Dinner and Annual Awards Ce-remony in the Underglobe, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, where BCC Lithuania team was joined by additional guests, including BCC members in the UK and close contacts of the chamber.

At the COBCOE Gala Dinner (from left to right: Dauman-tas Mockus, RBC Capital Markets (London City), Dovile Mockuviene, Lithuanian Chamber of Commerce UK, Gie-dre Jakubonyte, DMH Stallard Law Firm, Vaiva Jakelyte, Baltic Medical Centre Ltd, Irma Rudelyte-Kasputiene, and Sandra Kundrote BCC Lithuania

Mykolas Romeris University• 20% discount for facilities in the new MRU Laboratories building

4 5BCC paper issue No 54

< continued from page 1

BCC SPONSOR MEMBERS

BCC paper issue No 54, 2016

A Man with a PlanKlaipeda has long been a bastion of Liberal

rule. Has this been a factor in promoting a longer-term strategy for the region?

There is no doubt that political stability is an important factor in ensuring long-term projects - the necessary reforms, ambitions, successful implementation of agreements and developing the environment and conditions necessary to at-tract new investments.

One particular parameter that actually demon-strates the benefit of political stability is the rate of municipal budget collection and expenditure. During the past few years, tight cost controls for the city budget, efficient use of funds, careful in-vestments and reforms have all helped Klaipeda to an extent not so clearly evident in Vilnius or Kaunas, as well as other smaller municipalities. For the first time in many years, a balanced budg-et was approved in 2016 and the city’s levels of debt are significantly lower than in other major settlements.

What investment plans do you have for the city over the coming five years?

Our main investments are based on our strate-gic plan, which set the main priorities for the city until 2020. One of these is a healthy, smart and safe community, which covers projects such as the construction of a new swimming pool with wellness centre, in addition to renovating the city’s youth centre and football academy.

The sustainable development of the city un-doubtedly remains a top priority, increasing the attractiveness of the city. A major part of this is developing ‘rational’ infrastructure. Until 2020, plans are in place to build new roads and recon-struct existing ones. These projects also include taking better care of parks, squares and the water-front; helping to revive the centre of the city and residential areas; as well as reconstructing objects of heritage and adapting them for public use.

We have made plans to increase the competi-tiveness of our city: create better conditions for businesses, highlight the city’s maritime identity, promote creative industries and develop tourism services. In order to achieve such goals, we have ambitious projects prepared. These include, but

are not limited to: sea entertainment and services development; remodelling the former tobacco factory to meet the needs of the creative indus-try; taking better care of Klaipeda castle, its state musical theatre and leisure and entertainment centre in Giruliai.

You face similar demographic issues to the rest of Lithuania, as well as a slight brain drain to Vilnius. Has your administration thought of any way to stem this flow?

More than two years ago, Klaipeda started to implement an ambitious vision to become a port of studies, i.e. to attract foreign universities and colleges to establish their affiliates in Klaipeda. Although the results are not coming as fast as we would want, we see some positive signs in attract-ing colleges from Great Britain. Undoubtedly, this vision will help us to attract more young people into the city, but on the other hand, we have a task to encourage them to stay in Klaipeda after studies and not go to the capital or other coun-tries.

Having this in mind, at the end of last year, for the first time since independence, Klaipeda mu-nicipality, the port authorities, business and aca-demic representatives agreed to create the con-

ditions suitable for sustained economic develop-ment. Klaipeda became the first Lithuanian mu-nicipality to prepare such a document detailing how to share resources and human potential and aimed at attracting new investments to promote business developments, innovation and, over the long term, increase the city’s competitiveness.

The strategy will contain conclusions of an anal-ysis of Klaipeda’s international competitiveness, its development vision, action plans, strategies and measures necessary for implementation and monitoring. As of this moment, we are preparing this important document.

Moreover, Klaipeda has chosen a new course for its development, based on cultural breakthrough. Last year the city decided to double its finance for culture over the next four years. This is a highly ambitious programme and Klaipeda, perhaps, is the only city in Europe set on taking such a step. On this note, cultural funding has already increased by more than EUR 1million from last year. In 2017 Klaipeda will be Lithuania’s capital of culture and hopes are high that it could be the European Capital of Culture in 2022.

In parallel, it is important to improve the city’s living environment and complete existing pro-jects: to build a new 50-metre swimming pool,

Bastionų Street with a bridge over the River Dane, construction and reconstruction of new and exist-ing roads, upgrading the city’s public spaces and the yards of the apartment houses, etc.

How do you combine the needs of the port with the city as a whole. The port is planning to expand in the near future, does this run up against the interests of the city in any way?

I would say that the city’s relationship with the port is sufficiently constructive and pragmatic. Klaipeda city and its port are like Siamese twins that cannot live without one other. And despite the fact that, from time to time, the views of city and port on some issues differ, generally I can say and confirm that common solutions have always been found on essential city and port develop-ments .

How is your goal of becoming European City of Culture in 2022 going?

All of the Klaipeda region has jointly applied to become European Capital of Culture in 2022. This has complemented the ambitious goals and projects mentioned above, i.e. in the next five or six years, for the Klaipeda region to become a sig-nificant Lithuanian cultural centre. I have to men-tion that the application for the European Capital of Culture was developed in collaboration with more than 100 cultural representatives from Klai-peda city and the region, with another 500 peo-ple included in the preparation through various meetings and focus groups. From the very first moments, this proposal has been a community programme and not one just suspended from above.

So far, so good. The first hearings for applicants, which took place in the Ministry of Culture in June, saw Klaipeda, together with Kaunas, chosen to continue this race. Of course, we hope for the best and think that in 2022, we will invite every-one to Klaipėda - the European Capital of Culture.

Thank you Mayor!The interview prepared by Michael West, Editor of BCC paper

FSRU Independence, a LNG carrier (photo by AB Klaipedos Nafta)

The LNG terminal was completed not only in time, but at a lower cost than expected. Before the deadline set by the government, 3 December 2014, the LNG terminal was already operational and the goal had been achieved within the tight schedule set.

In fact, probably the most important day in Lithuania’s energy history was the 27 October, when the FSRU, symbolically named Independ-ence, entered Klaipėda port. One of the most important milestones was choosing whether to build a terminal onshore or to have the FSRU tech-nology. Klaipėdos nafta, in cooperation with inter-national and local consultants, came up with the optimal decision – a 170,000 cubic metre capacity FSRU – with the capacity to meet Lithuanian, Lat-vian and Estonian annual gas demand combined (around 4 bcm/year). Therefore, from the begin-ning, the terminal was foreseen as regional.

The physical implementation of the project – the construction of the FSRU, the jetty and pipeline – took around two-and-a-half years. Despite some scepticism that the project would be delivered on time, Lithuania has shown it can make strategic decisions and implement significant energy pro-jects for the entire region.

The LNG terminal has been hailed as a major strategic asset for Lithuania, helping to reduce Lithuania’s erstwhile dependence on Russian sources of energy. Could you please outline Klaipedos Nafta’s other business concerns and revenue streams?

As already said, Klaipėdos nafta has three main business and revenue segments, all of them lo-cated in Lithuania:

Some doubts have been raised over the costs involved in bringing the LNG project online. Just to be clear, could you detail the expected costs of the project over its lifetime, and give some idea of the premium needed to be paid by consumers for this secure form of energy?

The LNG terminal in Klaipeda has already deli-vered substantial benefits for all three Baltic states in terms of increased security of supply, availab-ility of the only alternative gas source and of the correlation of natural gas prices in the region with those on the global markets. However, the costs of the terminal are covered primarily by Lithuanian gas consumers. The overall annual budget of the

A Big Step Forwards

LNG terminal for the period until 2024 is around EUR 70m. Given the substantial regional benefits, there is a strong case for obtaining an EU subsidy for the repurchase of the main facility of the ter-minal – the FSRU vessel, which would lead to the substantial reduction of the annual budget.

What future investments have you planned in the facilities at the terminal?

One project is an LNG small-scale reloading sta-tion: investments in 2016-2017 foreseen at EUR 27.7m. Upon evaluating market changes, relating to different LNG consumption possibilities and having in mind the necessity to utilise the LNG terminal’s potential, Klaipėdos nafta commenced the development of a new infrastructure project, an LNG distribution station. The planned maxi-mum capacity of the LNG distribution station is about 5,000 m3.

LNG can be used for the following purposes:As an energy source to be supplied to consum-

ers that are not connected to the natural gas dis-tribution grid;

As a fuel for heavy ground transport (trucks, buses, etc.);

As ship fuel.

Have you other business proposals in the pipeline that you can comment on?

Klaipėdos nafta’s goals for 2016 are related to the implementation of company’s strategy. The following goals are set for the upcoming year:

• To conduct safe, efficient activities at the LNG Terminal;

• To maintain high oil products transhipment and profitability levels in 2016;

the FSRU technology. Klaipėdos nafta, in cooperation with international and local consultants, came up with the optimal decision – a 170,000 cubic metre capacity FSRU – with the capacity to meet Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian annual gas demand combined (around 4 bcm/year). Therefore, from the beginning, the terminal was foreseen as regional.

The physical implementation of the project – the construction of the FSRU, the jetty and pipeline – took around two-and-a-half years. Despite some scepticism that the project would be delivered on time, Lithuania has shown it can make strategic decisions and implement significant energy projects for the entire region.

The LNG terminal has been hailed as a major strategic asset for Lithuania, helping to reduce Lithuania's erstwhile dependence on Russian sources of energy. Could you please outline Klaipedos Nafta's other business concerns and revenue streams?

As already said, Klaipėdos nafta has three main business and revenue segments, all of them located in Lithuania:

EUR, thousands 2015 2014

LNG terminal exploitation revenue 69,882 5,793

Oil products transhipment and related services revenue 37,259 31,815

Oil products long term storage and related services at Subacius fuel storage base 2,561 2,167

Total revenue 109,702 39,775

Some doubts have been raised over the costs involved in bringing the LNG project online. Just to be clear, could you detail the expected costs of the project over its lifetime, and give some idea of the premium needed to be paid by consumers for this secure form of energy?

The LNG terminal in Klaipeda has already delivered substantial benefits for all three Baltic states in terms of increased security of supply, availability of the only alternative gas source and of the correlation of natural gas prices in the region with those on the global markets.

• To seek to operate in a safe and proper man-ner, ensuring maximum compliance with the en-vironmental requirements set for the operation of terminals;

• To accelerate implementation of the LNG small scale distribution station project in 2016;

• To perform a significant part of the oil termi-nal’s LFO transhipment capacities development projects;

• Searching for opportunities to participate in other LNG terminal projects, seeking beneficial cooperation;

• To continue investing in the company’s tech-nological flexibility and efficiency, as well as safe operations of the terminals.

BCC Factbook: A Selection of Economic Indicators for Klaipeda County. All Data from Lithuanian Statistics.

0

100

200

300

400

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Average Monthly Disposable Income per Capita, EUR

100

102

104

106

108

110

112

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Regional GDP per Capita Compared to National Average

= 100

02468

101214161820

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Unemployment Rate, %

0

50

100

150

200

250

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Population Composition, thousands

Under 15 Working Age Pension Age

FSRU Independence, a LNG carrier by AB Klaipedos nafta

REGIONAL FOCUS: KLAIPĖDA REGIONAL FOCUS: KLAIPĖDA

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6 7BCC paper issue No 54

BCC SPONSOR MEMBERS

BCC paper issue No 54, 2016

Your organisation is currently celebrating 25 years of operating Klaipeda port. What invest-ments are planned to secure its position for the next 25 years?

We have a strategic plan that covers the next four years and the total sum of investments scheduled for this period reach EUR 342m. Fur-thermore, we are preparing a long-term master plan, which, if approved, will contain investments of approximately EUR 2bn.

Last year saw record levels of cargo being handled at the port. What was the reason for this?

Last year Klaipeda Seaport set a new record for cargo handling, 38.5m tonnes. Klaipeda Seaport wins the competition with its neighbouring sea-ports as it constantly enhances its competitive-ness. Increasing cargo handling volumes is the result of combined activity from the Klaipeda Seaport Authority and cargo handling compa-nies, and jointly implemented state and private capital investments. Private business gets the op-portunity to make investments alongside those of Klaipeda Seaport Authority, achieving good results together. It is worthwhile noting the assis-tance and support of the Ministry of Transport and Communications in fostering investment and international cooperation, among other issues. I am sure that the Lithuanian Seaport is one of the best examples anywhere of streamlined coopera-tion between public and private sectors.

4 questions to Amber Staff, temporary staffing and employee leasing specialists:

What is the current situation of the labour market in the Klaipeda region?

There is a lot of demand for staff and it is still growing in the Klaipeda region. As in Vilnius, there is a shortage of unskilled labour (eg. production and auxiliary workers, cleaners, kitchen porters,

Finding staff in Klaipeda

Personnel search and selectionTemporary staffing Employee leasing

Vivulskio Str. 7, Vilnius, LithuaniaTel. +370 687 62811Dubysos Str. 21, Klaipėda, LithuaniaTel. +370 671 17467E-mail: info@amberstaff.comwww.amberstaff.com

25 Years of Delivering Success

Klaipeda is being considered by the Chinese government as a part of its ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative, whereby a series of overland trading routes are being upgraded to meet future cargo demands. Can you elaborate on what is being proposed?

China considers the Seaport of Klaipeda as an extremely significant part of the logistics chain in the western part of the Silk Road, especially in connecting the Far East, Scandinavian and British markets. Lithuania has well-developed transport

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Taking a well-established product and impro-ving it using innovative, potentially ground brea-king, technology is something that an emerging economy like Lithuania should be looking to do, if it is to make headway into higher value industrial sectors. Below we have news of one such venture.

Due to growing concerns over pollution in towns and cities, the European bus market is on the edge of electrification. JSC Vėjo projek-tai and its project, Dancer Bus, is working to fill this emerging niche. A new company has been formed in Klaipeda (Lithuania), situated in a new-ly-built business incubator on Klaipeda Univer-sity’s campus.

Technically speaking, the biggest challenges in public transportation are dealing with energy and cost efficiency, along with sustainability. To achieve the best possible balance, a composite material is used when building the upper part of the bus, decreasing its weight. Additionally, our unique electrical bus has innovative wheels with an integrated powertrain and suspension sys-tem. The four-wheel independent drive system was created by the Vejo Projektai engineering team. These, and other, advanced technological solutions have allowed us to reduce the Dancer’s weight to 5.5 tonnes, a dramatic change for the industry as a whole. The lighter weight should re-sult in lower energy consumption and costs.

Breakthrough in Electric Public Transport

infrastructure and network of logistics centres. We offer diverse, safe and time saving cargo transpor-tation options to and from European countries through Lithuania. Klaipeda Seaport has modern infrastructure and terminals, and is the most rap-idly developing and competitive seaport in the entire Baltic region. Therefore we hope that our partners from China will benefit from that. Let me draw your attention to the fact that Klaipeda Sea-port has been acknowledged as one of the key seaports in the EU’s trans-European network.

To what degree do Lithuania’s strained rela-tions with Russia dampen demand for Klai-peda’s facilities? If so, what is being done to secure alternative business, say with Belarus, Ukraine and onwards?

In terms of Klaipeda Seaport’s cargo, Russian shipments occupy a very small part, approximate-ly 6%. Klaipeda Seaport has diversified its cargoes and therefore it does not depend on any one par-ticular country and the share of national cargoes accounts for about 60% of overall turnover. This makes it easier to survive economic and geopo-litical fluctuations. We are constantly increasing the competitiveness and attractiveness of Klai-peda Seaport to our largest partners in Belarus. We also endeavour to be an important part of the Silk Road.

How closely do you work with the city in pro-moting Klaipeda as a transit corridor between Eastern and Western Europe?

The Government of Lithuania has recognised Klaipeda Seaport and the East-West transport corridor that goes via Klaipeda Seaport as an ex-tremely important project for the national econo-my. Realising that, Klaipeda and we are doing our best to implement this project successfully.

Thank you!

The interview prepared by Michael West, Editor of BCC paper

cashiers etc.). We have also noticed that it is ge-tting more difficult to find qualified personnel (eg. sales managers, engineers).

Is the labour market in the Klaipeda region strongly influenced by the season?

During the summer time we feel that there are more problems in the service sector (eg. catering). But, of course, we believe that many cities in

Lithuania face the same difficulties in the su-mmer season.

Is the worsening situation in the labour market affecting your customers? Have you noticed any changes in customer behaviour?

We receive a number of enquiries and have noticed that more and more companies are tur-ning to recruitment agencies.

Nowadays, it is not enough to place a job adver-tisement. It is necessary for companies to be cre-ative, to promote their work place, to show their culture and their values. We consult companies, we spend hours talking with our customers and getting core information about their company’s culture and their unique selling points. Only ba-sed on this do we make an attractive job adverti-sement, which catches the attention of motivated candidates.

Furthermore, the Dancer Bus uses lightweight Lithium Titanate batteries in combination with an ultra-fast plug-in charging system, which enables the bus to be charged in less than 8 minutes and gives it a range of 50kms. The charging method used has the added benefit of not requiring ex-pensive infrastructure in the city’s public spaces.

Vejo Projektai has invested a large amount of capital to bring together a number of highly

qualified engineers with international experi-ence in aerodynamics, mechanical, electrical and structural engineering, as well as architecture. Our employees, together in partnership with lo-cal and international universities, have delivered high quality results, promising a bright future for public transportation.

In Lithuania, Dancer Bus has garnered enormous attention. This project is a one of a kind: Vejo pro-

jektai seeks to bring the automotive industry to Lithuania. By the end of 2016, the first prototype of a Dancer Bus will be driving on Lithuania’s roads. In the near future, the company aims to manufacture 30 Dancer Buses in 2017, with 50 more in 2018. As for the long term, Vejo Projek-tai is planning to build a factory in Klaipeda’s Free Economic Zone in 2018 to launch a fleet manu-facturing line. Over time this will create more em-ployment opportunities and open new markets.

All in all, the Dancer Bus project provides a new way forward for bus services. Buses will continue to play a vital role in regard to public transport, es-pecially already congested and populated cities, both in the developed world and poorer emerg-ing markets. Dancer Bus seeks to bring a feeling of freedom back to the city, with a clean and quiet solution that can employ renewable energy sources. This means that investing in the public transport system can directly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Dancer Bus project is not only about a bus. It brings a whole new idea of an alternative trans-port system. It is an inspiring example that widens the scope of improvements and positive impact on all of our lives.

On May 17th, BCC Members spent an excit-ing day in Klaipeda, where they had a chance to visit Klaipėda Free Economic Zone, the British investor Albright Lithuania.

During the visit members also were introduced to the unique project of an electric bus Dancer created by a group of young scientists, were taken to the LNG terminal and were invited to attend the UKTI Business Reception on the HMS Iron Duke - the British War ship kindly hosted by the British Ambassador Claire Lawrence.

The BCC Lithuania expresses a warm thanks to its members operating in Klaipeda for such a warm welcome and hospitality during the visit.

On April 18th, the Political Debate between the leaders of Conservative, Social democratic, Liberal and Order & Justice took part in Kempinski Hotel Cathedral Square on the occasion of the upcoming national election to the Lithuanian Parliament (Seimas).

The debate was organised by the British, German, Danish, Norwegian and Finnish chambers of commerce on the occasion of the upcoming Lithuanian Parliamentary election, and was moderated by Edmundas Jakilaitis, famous Lithuanian political observer and journalist. The leaders of political parties introduced their views on how to improve business environment in Lithuania by bringing for the dis-cussion the important areas such as education, Labour code, healthcare and corruption.

The foreign chambers of commerce express their sincere appreciation to Kempinski Hotel Cathedral Square for hosting and sponsoring this Debate.

REGIONAL FOCUS: KLAIPĖDA

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CHRONICLE OF BCC EVENTS

8 9BCC paper issue No 54

CHRONICLE OF BCC EVENTSCHRONICLE OF BCC EVENTS

BCC SPONSOR MEMBERS

BCC paper issue No 54, 2016

On March 15th, the British Chamber of Commerce held its 17th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Forum Cinema Vingis. The AGM this year was followed by special event to mark 400th death anniversary of William Shakespeare and launch the “Shakespeare Lives” retrospective of Vilnius Film Festival “Kino pavasaris”.

As this year there were no elections to the Board, members attending the AGM were presented with Annual Activities and Financial Reports for 2015, followed by a short hand out ceremony of Burns Night’16 charitable donations to NGO “Vaiko labui” and SOS Vaikų kaimų Lietuvoje Draugija.

After the AGM, BCC members enjoyed the networking and mingling together with guests by the British Embassy, British Council, Barclays Group Operations Limited and Vilnius film festival “Kino pavasaris”. After the reception all were invited to see one of the “Shakespeare Lives” film Richard Lon-craine’s drama “Richard III” (1995). 

On April 24th, St George’s Day Sunday Brunch took part in Novotel Vilnius Centre as a joint initiative with the British Chamber of Commerce.

An impressive 3 course buffet included traditional English food, supplemented by Adnams craft beer from Adnams brewery in England and specially decorated donuts by Holy Donuts shop. The children enjoyed the supervised Kids corner and entertainment. The mention of St George in Vilnius attracted over 50 participants including the BCC chamber members with families.

The organisers express their appreciation to the Sponsors

On May 12th Members of British Chamber of Commerce were invited to New Member’s Evening at Krasta Auto premises.

New Members KRASTA AUTO, ADDELSE, HOLIDAY INN/TRIANGLE, VILNIUS INTERNATIONAL FRECH LYCEUM, LINDORFF, JYSKE BANK and BEN LUNN were kindly welcomed by Chris Butler, Chairman BCC and made short presentations to introduce their business fields and general interest in the chamber.

After presentations, new BCC members had the opportunity mingle with existing BCC members over a glass of wine and snacks, this time kindly sponsored by BCC new member Krasta auto

BCC traditional monthly Breakfast Technical Briefing in March covered the topic “Breach of the Competiton Law: how to mitigate the risks” presented by Dr. Darius Miniotas and Aurimas Pauliukevičius, Senior associates at Tark Grunte Sutkiene. The presentations covered the pow-ers of Competition authority and other possible negative consequences of the infringements, as well as the measures that could be taken by the company in order to mitigate the risks of compe-tition law infringements. The event was held at Shakespeare hotel, where business networking was enriched by morning coffee and excellent English breakfast.

In the end of April David Clarke, Special Ad-visor for Translation Security at Today Transla-tions (London), presented the topic “How lan-guage services are used to combat corruption, money laundering and data theft”.

One of the key messages was that businesses must introduce the robust due diligence checks for foreign suppliers and customers. Regulators in the US and Europe are increasingly clamping down on firms that fail to procure responsibly.  Translators – with their language, sector and cul-tural expertise - play a key role in helping firms recognise the risks they face from foreign markets.

Breakfast Technical Briefing in May hosted Jurgita Biceika, Head of Sales Department at Euromo-nitor International, who presented the findings of “The consumer in 2016”.

The speaker provided interesting facts based on changes in todays consumer landscape, predic-tions for the digital consumer in 2016, also migra-tion to remain as a demographic megatrend.

June BCC Breakfast Technical Briefing offered a “Rock’n’ roll philosophy in service”, delivered by Ruta Pulkauninkaite Macike, Manager of Comfort Hotel LT.

The speaker attracted BCC members operating in the tourism & hotel industry by covering the importance and need to have a philosophy or a strategy in business, which could make it unique and exceptional from others. The success story of Comfort hotel in Vilnius was shared with BCC members attending the event.

 

On May 11th the BCC New overseas member Jyske Bank invited members to the Business Breakfast in Ramada Hotel.

Presentation about opportunities with Jyske Bank Private Banking were presented by Lars Mikkels-en, Jyske Bank General Manager, Mr Sean Stray, Senior Relatioship Manager and Soren Langkjaer, International Wealth Management Adviser at Jyske Bank.The Breakfast was continued with “Global Out-look in turbulent times: “Central bank divorce and growth challenges” presentation delivered by Ib Fredslund Madsen, Vice-president, Strategy Re-searh, Jyske Markets.

The chamber expresses thanks to Green cafe and Shakespeare boutique hotel for kindly establishing excellent prizes during the season

On May 20th the BCC organised an interactive workshop “Perfect pitch: presenting in English” with Michael Pennock, London International School of Languages.

During half day workshop members had an opportunity to test their presentation skills in English and learn some practical techniques with useful English expressions and constructions to help engage the audience and get the presented message across.

Monthly Breakfast Technical Briefings

The Breakfast Technical Briefings in March, April and May were moderated by Robert Juodka, Manag-ing Partner and Attorney-at-Law at Pr1mus and BCC Board member.

10 11BCC paper issue No 54

BCC SPONSOR MEMBERS

BCC paper issue No 54, 2016

The Vilnius Grand Resort & Spa has at-tracted increasing numbers of interna-tional visitors (especially golfers and conference guests) to the Vilnius region from all over Europe. BCC recently spoke with Mila Taneva, Deputy General Man-ager, to gain an insight into their latest business developments and future plans.

What is the reason for the increasing number of visitors?

Vilnius is rated as one of the most charming ci-ties in the Baltic countries, a vibrant metropolis with a picturesque old town, which has become a popular destinations for city breaks, particularly since Vilnius is served by different airlines from many European airports. For golfers, however, it was still relatively unknown until recently. We have worked very hard in key European markets to promote the Vilnius Grand Resort & Spa as the only true golf resort in Lithuania, offering golfers one of the best 18-hole-championship courses in all of the Baltic countries and are now attracting more visitors, especially from the British German, Dutch and Nordic markets. We have appointed representatives in various markets and are also concentrating on developing the meeting and incentive market segment by attending major shows in Europe.

Can you tell us a little more about what you can offer golfers?

The V-Club, built to USGA specifications, is the centerpiece of the resort. This 18-hole course (Par 72) is always immaculately maintained and can be played from four different tee boxes measuring be-tween 6312 m (Championship black) and 5175 m (Ladies red) offering the right challenge for golf-ers of all capabilities. Water comes into play on 17 of the18 holes, at least when you veer off course too far. Golfers who dump too many balls in the hazards can always book a lesson with Swede Karl Grundin, the only PGA Professional in Lithuania. A spacious driving range, a short game area, a put-ting and pitching green are ideal for practice and/or warm-up before the round. A new luxurious clubhouse is just being built and will be finished soon. We are also working together with the two other golf clubs in the region, Capitals Golf Club as well as Europos Centro Golfo Klubas (Centre of Europe Golf Course) which is not only a nice mix but also brings more business to the region as well.

Between London & Vilnius – Villon

Mila Taneva, Deputy General Manager at Vilnius Grand Resort & Spa

What other features does the resort offer?Due to our location, only 20 minutes away from

downtown Vilnius in a wooded area, our 5-star resort is a haven of tranquility right next to a pic-turesque lake. With 184 spacious and luxuriously appointed rooms of different categories, two res-taurants, the OASIS spa offering Amber and Thai massages, a fitness centre plus a huge 20-meter swimming pool and 25 meeting rooms, we are the perfect location for all visitors, business and lei-sure travelers alike. There is also an ample choice of food available throughout the day. For example the well known Le Paysege Gourmet Restaurant, also featuring outside seating on a large terrace overlooking the lake, is very popular with guests. Or our Bora Bora summer restaurant built in true Tahitian style directly by the lake which offers lovely barbeque style menus and cocktails with the perfect setting for wonderful summer nights.

Are you also offering lots of sports activities at the resort?

There are spacious beach facilities by the lake with water bikes and boats, plus we offer volley-ball, tennis, basketball, etc. really something for every taste. And for guests who want to explore the city of Vilnius for a change, we also operate regular shuttle services to downtown Vilnius at various times of day.

We also offer frequently changing activities at the hotel, such as food festivals, entertainment evenings, etc. which are very popular with guests from the city and the region.

You also sell real estate?We have a selection of luxurious and modern

style apartments, townhouses and villas built around the golf course. Darling Associates Lon-don are the architects and master planners be-hind the project named ‘Best architectural prac-tice of the year 2009’ by the UK’s Architect Journal. Anouska Hempel Design Studio in London has done the interiors and furnishings. The properties are all furnished to the highest five star standards with fully fitted kitchens and bathroom(s), air-conditioning, under floor heating, air recupera-tion systems, smart housing control panels, alarm systems, triple glazing, broadband internet, smart TV(s) and music centres. There is also 24/7 security for the resident community.

What are the plans for the future? We are constantly aiming not only to provide

excellent service and a great holiday or business experience, but are also actively promoting the resort and the region by bringing important me-dia and travel trade as well as corporate decision makers to Vilnius. This will put the resort, Vilnius and the region at the top of the list when choo-

International Personal Finance plc (IPF) group conducted a “Financial Wellbeing Survey’16” sur-vey in markets, in which the group is operating. Survey was implemented in order to better un-derstand the views of customers across a range of financial topics including how satisfied they are with their standard of living, their primary con-cerns, economic confidence, views on retirement planning, as well as their trust in the financial sec-tor.

The survey, conducted by GFK UK on behalf of IPF, polled 9,220 of IPF’s customers across eight emerging markets with populations exceeding 280 million in total: Lithuania, Czech Republic,

NON-BANK FINANCE REMAINS ESSENTIAL SERVICE FOR CONSUMERS

Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Mexico.

The ability to access credit provided by non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) remains an es-sential service for consumers, according to the results. Against a backdrop of rising living costs driven by higher rent and utilities, ordinary con-sumers that are underserved by the mainstream banking sector continue to rely on the services of NBFIs when faced with unexpected costs or emer-gency bills.

The key findings are commented by Laura Ligute, Head of Corporate Affairs department at “Provident Finansai”:

In July, 2016, Barclays Group Operations Lithuania is launching Rise Vilnius – a new home for FinTech businesses in Lithuania and the wider region. Vilnius is joining the New York, London, Manchester, Cape Town, Tel Aviv & Mumbai network, creating a global community for start-ups, corporates & innovators.

Baltics now will have a trendy network of physical spaces and a virtual global community designed to pioneer the future of financial technologies. Rise Vilnius will provide a physical site and virtual network for innovative FinTech companies and startups, offering world class mentorship,

Trendy hub for fintech startups to be launched in July

hackathons, various events, co-working space, a trendy auditorium, meeting rooms, etc.

Most of 50 working places at Rise Vilnius will be dedicated to FinTech startups that work with artificial intelligence, virtual reality, cyber security, big data, blockchain technology, biometrical data, etc.

Through Rise, Vilnius will join a global community of FinTech start-ups, corporates and innovators, where they can connect, co-create and scale up their ideas. You are always more than welcome to visit us at Gynėjų str. 14, Vilnius.

Economic outlook Rising living costs remain the biggest concern

for respondents across emerging European coun-tries, with over 36% citing it as the most concern-ing factor. This is especially the case for Lithuania and Romania, at 44% and 42% respectively. The cost of food has contributed more to the increase in the cost of living this year for Lithuanian re-spondents. Also Lithuanian respondents are not as optimistic about the economy this year, and are more in line with the European total.

Standard of livingThe majority of Europeans are satisfied or indif-

ferent about their standard of living, a slight im-provement on last year. Almost half feels that they

are more cautious with their spending, particu-larly women and older people. 47% are satisfied with their standard of living, an increase of 5% since last year, with males more satisfied than fe-males in all countries. Europeans are slightly more satisfied with their standard of living this year (47% of respondents). Respondents are still cau-tious with the money they spend, with nearly half saying that they have been more cautious than usual over the past year. Lithuania, Bulgaria and Hungary have the most cautious spenders within the sample with Lithuanian respondents being the least satisfied with their standard of living this year (37% of respondents). Across Europe, the majority of IPF customers feels that if they were faced with an emergency expense or unexpected bill, they would find it difficult to raise the money without borrowing.

sing the perfect location or venue, whether for a golf holiday or tournament, a conference, a city break or a family holiday. We have already seen very good results which we will continue to try and improve in the future.

In order to satisfy the most demanding of our business clients, Comfort Hotel LT Rock‘n‘Roll Vil-

Comfort Hotel LT Rock‘n‘Roll Announces Partnership With K29 Business Centre

nius has a new partner – the K29 business centre. From now on, we will offer the possibility to ac-commodate huge groups in the hotel and to have all kinds of events on the K29 premises.

K29 is an absolutely outstanding and modern venue that can host a variety of classy events. It‘s not a boring business space with offices, it‘s much more – K29 has enough space for great forums, conferences and rock‘n‘roll parties. At the mo-ment it’s the hottest and most desirable venue for a successful event. The conference room can accommodate up to 150 people and the atrium is suitable for a 500 person get-together.

Nearly 300 VIS children aged 3 to 16 raised 3,600 Euro in the fourth annual Fun Run for Charity held at Bernadinas Garden on June 1st. The funds raised will support access to education in Nepal following the earthquake that killed over 8,000 in April 2015. It is estimated that over 32,000 class-rooms were destroyed by the earthquakes affect-ing up to 1 million children.

Through their service learning partner, Street Child, the VIS community will contribute to the construction of temporary schools in Okhald-hunga, one of the hardest to reach districts. “Forty schools have been set up serving over 3,200 chil-dren and we hope to build the forty-first” shared a VIS student.

Vilnius International School Supports Global Education

The VIS Fun Run for Charity was originally initi-ated by a parent, Ben Harvey, who introduced VIS to his organization Running for Change and to the UK based NGO, Street Child. In past years, VIS has supported the construction of a school in Kotor, Sierra Leone and the expansion of Ebola educa-tion efforts across West Africa.

The long-term relationship with Street Child continues to inspire children of all ages to think beyond themselves. “The issue of access to edu-cation is one that resonates with our youngest learners because it is easy to connect to. In the up-per grades, it provides an opportunity to exercise our shared commitment to international-minded-ness,” explained VIS Director, Rebecca Juras.

PR leader Publicum marks its 15th anniversary

Publicum , one of the biggest public relations (PR) companies in Lithuania marks its 15th an-niversary this year. Established in 2001, Publicum has rapidly emerged as a leader in the Lithuanian PR sector and consistently sustains its position among the TOP 3 PR companies in the country.

Turnover increased by 23% in 2015, reaching 1,98 million Euros and Net Income increased by 11% reaching 1.085 million Euros. Publicum re-tained their position in second place amongst the PR leaders in the country.

“Publicum is particularly valued as an expert in managing and implementing creative mar-keting communication campaigns, results-ori-ented corporate communication projects, and ensuring good media relations” – says Ričardas Jarmalavičius, Chairman of the Board of Publicum.

Publicum boasts a team of almost 20 expe-rienced professionals drawn from a variety of backgrounds. Publicum offers complex commu-nication services working in partnership with the other companies in the Publicum Group and part-ners of the international network of Public Rela-tions companies PROI Worldwide.

12 13BCC paper issue No 54

BCC SPONSOR MEMBERS

BCC paper issue No 54, 2016

In April two influential legal directories Cham-bers Europe and The International Financial Law Review granted COBALT the prestigious award and confirmed its leading position in the Baltic market.

Chambers Europe’s winners are determined by the rigorous work of 150 independent research-ers who scrutinize firms’ track records, interview

COBALT awarded the title of ‘Baltic Law Firm of the Year’ by two prestigious directories

clients and competitors, and analyse firms’ perfor-mance and client service over the past year. The awards are perceived as one of the most prestig-ious in Europe.

COBALT has also been recognized for its work in the field of finance and corporate as the winner of IFLR’s Baltic Law Firm of the Year award. 

“This is a true recognition of our team’s efforts in building up an integrated world-class legal prac-tice. Given our core strategic focus, our reputation for innovation is very important to us,” said CO-BALT’s Chairman of the Board Dr Irmantas Norkus.

COBALT’s team of lawyers regularly handles the biggest and most complex financial transactions in the Baltic region, assisting leading banks and other financial institutions, as well as corporate on all aspects of buying and selling companies and businesses, often involving a cross-border element.

By Euromonitor International, www.euromonitor.com

Despite being third in the country by GDP and population, Klaipeda records the second highest disposable income per household among the five major Lithuanian cities of US$23,300 in 2015. Expenditure in Klaipeda reached US$21,100 per household in 2015 with the biggest share of almost US$5,000 spent on food and non-alcoholic beverages.

Among the five, Klaipeda has the most balanced female to male composition. The city’s female to male ratio of 116 in 2015 is the lowest among the five cities. However, the population of

Klaipeda in numbers

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2005 2010 2015 2020 2030

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Possession of Mobile Telephone, PC and access to Internet

Access to Internet Possession of Mobile Telephone

Possession of Personal Computer

metropolitan Klaipeda (Klaipeda city + Klaipeda district) decreased from 238,0 thousand people to 208,0 over the last 10 years from 2005 to 2015. According to forecasts, it will continue declining further and in 2030 will reach 198,8. The forecasted population annual decrease rate is reaching 0.3%, in comparison to 0.7% for the whole Lithuania.

In 2015, 69% of households in Klaipeda had access to the internet, 74% had a possession of a personal computer, 98% had a possession of a mobile telephone, and the numbers are forecasted to grow to 83%, 86% and 99% respectively.

*Data for 2020-2030 is a forecast

Source: Euromonitor International

The total exports of all companies operating in the Klaipeda Free Economic Zone (FEZ) reached 584 million Euros in 2015. This constituted nearly 28% of Klaipeda’s regional exports and 2,5% of Lithuania’s exports. GDP for all companies operat-ing in the economic zone reached 826,4 million Euros last year.

Klaipeda FEZ companies created more than a quarter of the total regional exports

These results are based on the key performance indicators of 26 companies operating in Klaipeda FEZ that have created almost 2500 jobs. Based on this data, Klaipeda FEZ is considered to be the sec-ond most important driver of economic develop-ment in the region.

In 2015 Klaipeda FEZ signed 3 new contracts with Vejo Projektai, Adrem LEZ, and Advantec turtas, which are planning on commencing and developing their activities in 2016–2017.

The economic zone experienced total invest-ment of more than 31 million Euros in 2015 and paid over 36 million Euros in taxes to the national government; it also purchased various goods and services from local businesses for the amount of 197 million Euros. Since the start of their op-erations in 2002, foreign-owned companies have invested more than 546 million Euros in the eco-nomic zone.

 

Debtor profile. According to a survey conduct-ed by the credit management company Lindorff Lithuania, the most typical person trapped in debt in Lithuania is a 43-year-old with 1.4 debts totalling660 Euros. The average debt, together with the expenses incurred by violating the pay-ment obligation, (the fine for delay, credit inter-est, contractual penalties, etc.) is 460 Euros, which totals more than 660 Euros of debt per person. The average size of the debt differs by more than 200 hundred Euros in different counties. In the Vilniaus region, the average amount of debt is 780 Euros, whereas in the Panevėžio region, it is more than 200 Euros less, just 530 Euros.

 The majority of debtors live in the Kauno region,

which is also the most populous county . 57% of the debtors are men and 43% are women. There are more men in debt than women, but men are 2 years younger than women on average. 4% of all the debtors are less than25 years old.

 Lindorff has been operating in Lithuania for 14

years, offering credit management services most-ly for the telecommunication, financial, and utility sectors. Today Lindorff has 3700 employees in 13 countries with headquarters in Oslo, Norway.

  

Debtor’s profile survey and payment behaviour in Lithuania by Lindorff

Northway Holding is strengthening its position in the field of health provision in the western re-gion. The fourth Northway Medical Centre was opened in Klaipeda at the end of the last year.

Northway Medical Centre is located in a strate-gically convenient place for the citizens of Klai-peda – next to the city hospitals in the “Dragūnai” quarter. The centre now offers the services of physicians, gynaecologists, urologists, endocri-nologists, allergists, neurologists, and specialists in other fields, various medical procedures, and instrumental and laboratory examinations.

According to Northway’s General Manager Di-ana Bumelyte, medical specialists who work at Northway Medical Centre in Klaipeda maintain close relationships with colleagues from other centres. Thus, if needed, a patient can be sent to Vilnius for further treatment or surgery, or to

Northway Medical Centre is now open in Klaipeda

Northway Medical and Surgical Centre in Kretinga in case of a less complicated surgery.

In the words of the centre’s manager, patients will be encouraged to take care of their health through the chance to obtain the necessary medical services on site without wasting time in a queue of people, or receiving a referral to see a specialist, as well as to receive painful or unpleas-ant tests in more comfortable conditions.

As is the case with other Northway Medical in-stitutions, the medical centre in Klaipeda has con-cluded cooperation contracts with most Lithuani-an and foreign health insurance companies.

Medical Centres of Northway Holding also oper-ate in Vilnius, Kretinga, and London.

The biggest Western Union Site in the world (EUROC located in Lithuania) has a new leader Sarunas Suipis. S. Suipis will take over posts of Operations Vice President and Leader of EUROC. Since 2010 as he joined WU Operations team, he led a team which was responsible for Western Union chain development in Europe, Middle East and Africa regions.

WU Lithuania has a new Site leader: Sarunas Suipis“Just in five years EUROC has become the largest

Western Union Site in the world. Now EUROC employs more than 1500 people of 34 nationalities talking 30 different languages. High competences of Lithuanian colleagues were accomplished and we attracted new functions e.g. Digital business development, Big data, Customer experience management and Marketing. As we operate in global market, we contribute to strengthen bonds between Lithaunia‘s and world economy.  Our commitment to follow corporate social responsibility principles makes visible impact on the wellbeing of Lithuanian communities. I have a huge responsibility to contribute to the accomplishments and trust we gained from the clients and partners, as well to create additional value for the shareholders. Also, I will continue strengthening Best employer image in Lithuania”, said S. Suipis.

In 2015 Lithuanian Labour Exchange (LLE) awarded EUROC for the integration of young people into the Lithuanian labour market. In 2016, Western Union in Lithuania was acknowledged as No1 and most wanted employer in the Absolute category. In 2015 Lithuanian Investors’ Forum announced EUROC the Investor of the Year.

A year-end bonus is no longer understood to be the only way to improve employee motivation.. Such one-off incentives only increase employee motivation for a short time, and in some cases they are comprehended as a matter of course not an incentive. When looking for loyal employees, employers are pushed to find ways to retain con-tinuous motivation.

“Salary size and its growth is an important in-centive for every specialist. Some professionals are in great demand, so over the years companies have begun to compete in offering more comfort-able working conditions. However, when games rooms and sports clubs became commonplace in offices, employers began to look into more mean-ingful concerns for their employees – life insur-ance and pension accumulation. This is an excel-lent way to continuously boost their motivation and loyalty”, says Asta Grabinskė, the CEO of life insurance and pension company Aviva Lietuva.

International cargo transportation company Agrologistika adopted a special employee mo-

Occasional bonuses replaced by permanent staff motivation

tivation scheme nine years ago. The Klaipėda based company contributes to their employees’ pensions, offering Aviva VIP pension insurance to those drivers who have worked in the company for more than two years. The amount of contribu-tion rises the longer an employee has worked at the company.

“Drivers form the major part of our staff, so we decided to create an incentive scheme and help long-term employees to accumulate money for their future retirement. We wanted to approach the staff with more care, to let them feel that they are an important part of the company, to express our interest in retaining them. Most of our long-term employees appreciate this decision”, says Saulius Petravičius, director of Agrologistika.

S. Petravičius adds that those who are just will-ing to have bigger banknotes today do not fully evaluate the system, but loyal and dedicated people appreciate a fair and meaningful return. The latter workers are more valuable for the com-pany than those who are prone to short-term contracts.

“We are talking about the future of a person. Al-though young employees often do not want to think about the autumn of their life, but the time to talk about retirement comes anyway. Priorities change when having a family and building up a career, so a person starts to look for stability. One-off incentives are not sufficient for his or her moti-vation anymore”, says A. Grabinskė.

In many cases now, yearly bonuses for em-ployees are taken for granted – as an evaluation of employee achievements for the year. “Our scheme lets us reward our most efficient employ-ees every month”, S. Petravičius smiles and adds that in order to give his employees something valuable, long-term and meaningful – life insur-ance or pension accumulation are exactly what people need for their lifetime.

FOTO: Asta Grabinskė, CEO of Aviva Lietuva

Because of demand from the parents’ commu-nity Vilnius Montessori pre-School is opening a Montessori toddler environment. We are very ex-cited to invite children of 18-36 months of age to enjoy a Montessori Prepared Environment.

In it the children will develop their abilities ac-cording to the inner needs, which are manifest in this particular period of development. The Mon-tessori toddler prepared environment features a gross-motor area, a sensorial area, a practical life area, including a real-life- child-sized kitchen and a safe outdoors space designed with safety and activity in mind.

Vilnius Montessori pre-School is expanding!

PRIMUS, Attorneys at Law, are highly recognised by influential global legal directories IFLR1000, The Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners in a vari-ety of business law practice areas including bank-ing and finance, corporate, dispute resolution and real estate.

PRIMUS has serious ambitions to expand their current network, to keep active cooperation with foreign partners, create specific legal products for the dynamic business market, startups and niche clients.

The Lithuanian VARUL team recently strength-ened by merging with law firms PRIMUS in Esto-nia and Latvia thus expanding PRIMUS’ network to Lithuania and creating a full service , pan-Baltic law firm with a strong international practice. The new partnership agreement will allow all parties to achieve their strategic goals more actively.

“Recent changes in the legal market are influ-enced by the dynamic competitive environment. In recent years we have observed the steady and

VARUL’s Lithuanian office joins forces with Estonian-Latvian law firm PRIMUS creating a new pan-Baltic firm

sustainable growth of our office in Lithuania. We believe that in combining our forces with new partners in Estonia and Latvia, we are strengthen-ing our positions in the Baltic region and have the possibility to create an innovative and ambitious network of legal services, which will be able to offer cutting edge legal solutions not only in the Baltic countries, but for clients in other European jurisdictions as well,”- says Robert Juodka, manag-ing partner at PRIMUS Lithuania.

Moreover, Vilnius Montessori pre – School is de-lighted to welcome a new teacher Emilie La Roux: “I am very excited to be joining Vilnius Montessori pre-School as the Assistant to Infancy in the new toddler program. I am a former music teacher who has taught in public, private, and parochial schools in the U.S., but became passionate about Montessori education when I worked as a teacher in a Montessori toddler program in Missouri in 2000.”

Robert Juodka, Owner, Managing Partner Emilie La RouxAMS Assistant to Infancy

14 15

automation technology

PROVIDENT FINANSAI (www.provident.lt) / Personal credits

provider and responsible lender

PUBLICUM, UAB (www.publicum.lt) / Public Relations, Public

Affairs, Management consulting and training

RADISSON BLU LIETUVA HOTEL (www.radissonblu.

com/lietuvahotel-vilnius)/ Hotel, biggest centre located

Conference and Event centre, Riverside restaurant, Skybar,

Lobby bar, fitness centre and sauna

RADISSON BLU ROYAL ASTORIJA HOTEL

(www.radissonblu.com/hotel-vilnius) / Hotel, French

restaurant „Brasserie de Verres en Vers“, Astorija Bar,

Meetings & Events center, Catering services, Health club with

swimming pool

RAMADA Hotel & Suites Vilnius (www.ramadavilnius.lt) /

Luxury hotel

SCHAGE Real Estate (www.schage.lt) / Real estate

development company. Investing in, renting and selling

premises for office, residential and commercial use

SHAKESPEARE Boutique Hotel (www.shakespeare.lt) /

Boutique hotel, Sonnets restaurant, Globe bar, conference

halls

SORAINEN (www.sorainen.com) / Legal services in all fields

of business law in the three Baltic countries and Belarus

STOREBRAND BALTIC, UAB (www.storebrand.com ) / Shared

service center for Storebrand ASA in Norway and SPP in

Sweden. Financial services within life- and health insurance,

banking and asset management.

SUE’S INDIAN RAJA (www.suesindianraja.com) / Indian

Restaurant

VALIUNAS ELLEX (http://www.valiunasellex.lt/) / A leading

and internationally highest ranked business law firm in the

Baltics.

VANAGUPĖ HOTEL (www.vanagupe.lt) / 5* Hotel, Modern

Conference centre and luxury GOLDEN Spa centre, gourmet

cuisine restaurant L’Ambra Rossa

VILNIUS GRAND RESORT www.vilniusgrandresort.com /

5 star Hotel, 8.000m2 Conference Centre, Catering Services,

Spa, Fitness Centre, Leisure, PGA design Golf course, Over the

water restaurant, Real Estate

WESTERN UNION Processing Lithuania UAB (www.westernunion.com) - Financial Services

ZABOLIS PARTNERS (www.zabolis.com) / Finance and Real

Estate

WEST EXPRESS (http://www.westexpress.lt/) / Travel agency,

providing and organising professional business and leisure

travel services

A HOSTEL ( www.hostelsvilnius.lt) / Accommodation

Services ADDELSE (www.adduco.lt) / Employee assessment

AMBER STAFF (www.amberstaff. com) / Temporary

staffing and employee leasing 

BALTIC FILM SERVICES (http://bfs.eu.com) / Film and

television production

BALTIC HOLIDAYS (www.balticholidays.com) / Tour operator

in the UK specializing in Lithuania, Latvia & Estonia

BCS INTERNATIONAL (www.bcsinternational.net) / The

Behaviour Change Specialists, are an international people

development organisation, dedicated to the practical use

of emotional intelligence to improve individual and team

performance.

DEKONA, Evaldo Darškaus IĮ (www.dekona.lt) /

Management Consulting: Operational efficiency, Lean, Six

Sigma, process improvement

D & T Global - Developer of real eastate

EUROCONTINENTAL Limited / Textiles

FINREDA, UAB (www.finreda.net) / Corporate services

provider. Legal, financial and business consulting & services

including translations to Lithuanian and foreign companiesFRENCH INTERNATIONAL LYCEUM OF VILNIUS (www.efv.lt) / School GENCS VALTERS, Law Firm (www.gencs.eu ) / full service, general practice international business law firm with offices in Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius focused on tax, litigation, M&A, corporate, immigration, finance and intellectual property law

GROWING TALENT (www.growingtalent.eu) / Providing

executive coaching, and delivering training for leadership

and talent development

LONDON INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF LANGUAGES (www.londonisl.com) / Business courses, specialized training

for both IELTS and TOEFL university admission exams

LitCapital Asset Management (www.litcapital.lt) /

independent professional private equity fund management

MYKOLO ROMERIO UNIVERSITETAS (http://www.mruni.eu)

/ higher education MAGHRIB, Moroccan Restaurant (www.facebook.com/

MaghribLT/) Food & Beverage(NEW!)

VILNIUS MONTESSORI PRE-SCHOOL (www.vms.lt)

/ International Montessori environments based on Dr.

List of BCC MembersBCC Sponsor Members

BCC PR Partner

BCC Board 2015-2017

Carlson Wagonlit TravelCorporate travel management

www.carlsonwagonlit.lt www.kalevatravel.lt

GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals

www.gsk.lt

BCC Accounting Partner

Presenting New BCC MembersBCC paper issue No 54

AIG (www.aig.com) – Insurance

ARIJUS (www.arijus.lt ) / Transport and Logistic services

AVIS Rent a Car & Leasing Company (www.avis.lt) / Car rental

and leasing

BALTIC AMERICAN MEDICAL & SURGICAL CLINIC (www.bak.lt )/ Health Care

BALTIC SURVEYS (Baltijos Tyrimai, UAB) (www.gallup.com) /

Market research

BANKSERVIS, UAB (www.bankservis.lt) / Bank and office

equipment, security products and solutions

BARCLAYS GROUP OPERATIONS LIMITED (http://www.

lifeintechnology.co.uk/global-locations/vilnius-lithuania/) /

one of strategic IT engineering centres providing support for

Barclays business activity worldwide.

BEST WESTERN HOTEL VILNIUS (Naujasis Vilnius, UAB) (www.vilniushotel.eu) / Centrally located Hotel, restaurant,

conference centre, fitness centre, swimming pool and sauna

BITĖ LIETUVA, UAB (www.bite.lt) / Telecommunications

BIURO PASAULIS, UAB (www.biuropasaulis.lt) (www.elektromedia.lt)/ /Office supplies, printing

management and IT solutions

BNTP, UAB (www.bntp.lt) / Private equity investment; real

estate development and investment; asset management;

project management; facilities management.

BRITISH COUNCIL (www.britishcouncil.lt) / the United

Kingdom’s international organisation for cultural relations

and educational opportunities.

CALENBERG Vilnius | STEELCASE (www.calenberg.lt) /

International moving/ relocation and dealership of the office

furniture- STEELCASE

CALLCREDIT OPERATIONS, UAB (www.callcreditgroup.

com) / Experts in the fields of credit referencing, marketing

services, consumer information, interactive solutions and

consultative analytics. CAMIRA FABRICS Ltd (www.camirafabrics.com) / Contract

seating & transportation fabric manufacturer

COBALT (www.cobalt.legal) - Legal services in all fields of

business law in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Belarus

COMFORT HOTEL (www.comforthotel.lt) / Hotel COLEMONT (www.colemont.lt) / Insurance broker, an

authorised Lloyd‘s coverholder

CSC Baltic, UAB (www.csc.com/lt) / IT services and

outsourcing

DELTA MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS, UAB (www.deltamanagement.lt )/ Recruitment, Executive Search,

Temporary Staffing, Employment Services, Personnel Testing

& Assessment, Greenfield Staffing Support

DOMINAS & partners (www.dominas.lt) / Law firm

EKO RIVI, UAB (www.ekorivi.lt) / Consultancy in municipal

and environmental infrastructure

EUROMONITOR INTERNATIONAL (www.euromonitor.com ) /

Provider of strategic market research on countries, consumers

and industries

EVERSHEDS SALADŽIUS (www.evershedssaladzius.lt) / Legal

servicesFORTCONSULT(wwwfortconcult.net) Cyber security and incident response services (NEW!)G4S Lietuva, UAB (www.g4s.lt) / Security Solutions covering cash handling, guarding, electronic security, system maintenance, installation, courier service.GINSTATA (www.ginstata.lt) / Construction and repair workGJENSIDIGE (www.gjensidige.lt) / InsuranceGLIMSTEDT (www.glimstedt.lt) / Legal services

GRANT THORNTON (www.grantthornton.lt ) / Assurance,

internal audit, tax advisory, legal advisory, corporate finance,

and accounting services

HIGHLIFE, UAB / Manufacturing for export timber

components for the furniture and construction industries.   HOLIDAY INN (www.holidayinnvilnius.lt) / Hotel IBIS Styles Vilnius (www.ibis.com)/ Hotel, Restaurant „The Lemon Tree“, Lounge bar, Conference center

KLAIPĖDA FREE ECONOMIC ZONE MANAGEMENT COMPANY (www.fez.lt) / Management and development of

Klaipėda Free Economic Zone

KPMG Baltics, UAB (www.kpmg.lt ) /Audit, Tax, and Advisory

services KRASTA AUTO (www.krasta-auto.lt) / automotive

LEINONEN, UAB (www.leinonen.eu) / Accounting services

LLOYD’S (www.lloyds.com) / Insurance and reinsuranceMG Trade  (www.mgtrade.lt) - Producers and sellers of high quality windows and doors

NEWSEC (www.newsec.com) / Real EstateNORDGAIN  (www.nordgain.com) - Financial, tax, asset, transaction, management consulting, finance and accounting

services

NORTHWAY (www.nmc.lt) / Private medical centre

NOVOTEL VILNIUS CENTRE (www.accor.com) / Hotel

services

ODONTIKA (www.odontika.com) / Dental surgery

OMNITEL (www.omnitel.lt) / Telecommunications

PRIMUS Attorneys at Law (www.primus.legal) / A pan-Baltic

full service law firm with offices in Lithuania, Latvia and

Estonia

PHOENIX CONTACT (www.phoenixcontact.com) /

manufacturer of electric connection and industrial

Small company/NGO Members

Bunnahabhain rep. by Mineraliniai vandenys, UAB Production of single islay malt Scotch Whisky

www.bunnahabhain.com

AVIVA LietuvaLife insurance and pension funds

www.aviva.lt

Strategic Staffing Solutions International Provider of information technology solutions.

Recruitment Serviceswww.strategicstaff.com

PricewaterhouseCoopers  Assurance, Actuarial, Advisory,

Tax and Legal serviceswww.pwc.com/lt

Tark Grunte SutkieneFull-service business law firm in the Baltic region and Belarus

www.tarkgruntesutkiene.com

Honorary PresidentClaire Lawrence,HM Ambassador to Lithuania

ChairmanChris ButlerBCC Social MemberField of interest in the Board – Events & Membership

Alistair Day-StirratOdontika Field of interest in the Board – BCC Paper

Asta GrabinskėAVIVA LietuvaField of interest in the Board – Financial Services

Ben HarveyGrowing TalentField of interest in the Board – CSR

Mantautas PaškevičiusStrategic Staffing Solutions InternationalField of interest in the Board - Trade & Investment

Milda DargužaitėBCC Social MemberField of interest in the Board - Trade & Investment, Financial services

Robert JuodkaPRIMUSField of interest in the Board - Trade & Investment

Toma VevelstadAmber StaffField of interest in the Board - Events & Membership

Tomas KontautasLloyd’s of LondonField of interest in the Board - Financial services

Vaineta BarevičiūtėDNB BankField of interest in the Board - Financial services

Viktorija TrimbelQuantum CapitalField of interest in the Board - Trade & Investment

Kempinski Hotel Cathedral Square

5 star luxury hotel in Vilniuswww.kempinski.com/vilnius

Maria Montessori’s humanistic philosophy and approach,

specializing in Early Childhood Education and Parent

Education

QUANTUM CAPITAL (www.qcapital.eu ) / Investment

banking & strategic advisory boutique

RAIMDA Auditas (www.raudit.lt) / Audit

STAY (www.stay.lt) / Business & leisure concierge TAURAGĖ INDUSTRIAL PARK (www.tip.lt)/ Industrial

premises for rent in Southwest Lithuania

V. Paulius & Associates (www.vpa.lt/) - Real Estate VILNIUS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL (www.vischool.lt) /

International Baccalaureate World School. Early childhood

education, primary and middle school.

VINKLERIS and partners (www.legalconsulting.lt/) / international law firm providing legal advice regarding taxes,

company establishment and competition, as well as family

and labor law issues

OVERSEAS MEMBERS

CHANGING CULTURES (changingcultures.wordpress.com) /

Business consultancy in creativity and engagement

EUROBALTIKA (eurobaltika.co.uk) / Financial and accounting

services to individuals, small or medium-sized business and

international companies

JYSKE BANK Private Banking (www.jyskebank.dk) / Private

banking

NORMA FOSTER LTD / business consultancy on export

communications, sales and reputation in international markets

SENATE PUBLISHING LTD (www.senatepublishing.co.uk/) / Full-spectrum publishing and communications solutions  TODAY TRANSLATIONS (http://www.todaytranslations.com)

/ translation, interpreting services

Adrian North Andrius KončiusBen Lunn Bryan David Wallace Chris Butler Christian RanftDaniel Dolan (NEW!)Geoffrey Cohn (Life Member)Hugh Miles Thomas OBE, FCA (Life Member)Dr Helene Ryding Jūratė Rusteikaitė – BakšienėKevin BadgeryMark Whittle Mervyn Richardson (Life Member)Milda Dargužaitė Michael WestNick PriceRon Sheppard Sigitas Žutautas

Linutė Miknevičiūtė Cohn (NEW!)

BCC SPONSOR MEMBERS

Overseas members

BCC Social Members

DNB bankas Banking

www.dnb.lt

BCC Corporate & Group Members

BCC paper issue No 54, 2016

As a social member, I look forward to opportunities to learn, connect and benefit from access to the BCCL community through a variety of activities. My academic background and occupation are closely related to the English language, culture and international business. I

would welcome the chance to help members of the Chamber in finding language solutions.

I provide translation, revision, proofreading, transcription, language capability screening and outbound calling services and have a proven track record of successfully completed translation projects since 2000. Many of my clients benefit from my expertise in the following areas: economics, financial

BCC Social Member

Linutė Miknevičiūtė-Cohn

affairs, legal matters, technical and scientific fields. I have the required qualifications and am committed to delivery of quality translations to meet your objectives.

Suitable if you need a trustworthy professional translator only in one language combination. Direct communication will help you avoid unnecessary duplication of effort and wasted energy. I would say that the translator’s job is well captured in these words by an anonymous author: “Translators are like wine, it takes time for them to become good, and the cheap ones only give you a headache.”

My personal interests include human rights and history. I am a great lover of English gardens.

Contact details:

Linutė Miknevičiūtė-Cohn Freelance translatorSource/target language combination: Lithuanian- Englishwww.lmctranslate.comlmc.translate@gmail.com

KRASTA AUTO is one of the original automotive businesses in Lithuania. We have represen-ted BMW for more than 20 years and have been leading premium segment sales in the market for the last 5 years. With dealerships in Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipėda, our team of

skilled and professionally trained experts provides full customer service for BMW and MINI. We deliver excep-tional user experience and continuously provide value to our clients, partners, stakeholders and society:

• Commitment to customers. In line with global standards we tailor to our clients’

needs and help them to choose the perfect car and, of course – we make sure that owning a car is sheer driv-ing pleasure with personal attention and a professional after sales services. Our clients are welcome to partici-pate in our special events or simply to stop by to have a chat at any time.

• Relationship with partners. We cherish our partnerships and tend to provide the

best possible benefits in return. Flexible solutions and

BCC Corporate Member KRASTA AUTO

FortConsult, part of the NCC group, are experts in providing deep technical cyber security assessments and end-to-end information assurance.

We are the world’s largest team within security testing and we are true to our unbi-ased beliefs. We are passion-ate about security and dedi-cated to making our custom-ers secure without selling them licenses or boxes.

We are proud to consider ourselves borderless, un-biased and innovative, working with areas like mobile security, web-app testing and network security, as well as hardware hacking and forensics. Our consultants are experts in niche info-sec areas, such as SCADA, embed-ded systems and reverse engineering. We make it our business to always be ahead of the threat by investing in interesting research projects and using the NCC Group’s valuable pool of info-sec knowledge.

As an international IT security company, we have cli-ents in Europe, Asia, Russia, Africa and North America.

BCC Corporate MemberFORTCONSULT

Annually, we are bringing more than 300 companies to a higher level of security maturity.

We offer thorough business oriented security tests, security assessments and consulting, as well as a range of solutions related to credit card security ad-hering to the international PCI standard, developed by VISA, MasterCard and other payment brands.

We are the largest PCI certified Qualified Security Assessor in the Nordic region and the second larg-est in Europe. We regularly provide security assess-ments and advanced penetration testing for many of the world¹s leading banks, financial institutions and other large enterprises.

Company contact details:

CEO, Zoja AntuchevicJSC, FORTCONSULT Kareiviu str. 19-188Vilnius, LTtel. +370 5 26 20 370www.fortconsult.net

An oasis of calm in the center of Užupis

At our cozy Moroccan Restaurant

we offer fine dining, catering and events to bring

friends and family together.

Working hours:

closed

II-IV 18.00-22.00 V 17.00-23.00 VI 12.00-23.00 VII 12.00-21:00

For reservations please contact +370 614 98283 Email: info@maghrib.lt

I

Daniel Dolan

a range of services are set to grant top quality automo-tive services.

• Responsibility for society. With an already strong track record of sponsorships,

we are always open for meaningful projects and are will-ing to support national sports organisations, as well as art and culture.

Being part of the MODUS GROUP, this input is granted – the company leverages a range of resources, in terms of business expertise and knowledge, driving partner-ship and customer experience beyond the expected top quality service in the premium automotive market. The group is an international organisation with more than 500 employees developing its business in the automo-tive, renewable energy, real estate, car sharing and car parking services sectors.

Company contact details:

JSC Krasta Autotel. +370 5 2740440office@bmw.ltwww.bmw.lt www.mini.lt www.krasta-auto.lt Ozo g. 10A, Vilnius

I am a British male dancer currently working with the Lithuanian National Ballet. Graduate of the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow. Aiming to help grow the art collaborations between Lithuania and Britain mainly focusing on promoting ballet and dance here in Vilnius.

Contact details:

Twitter: @danieldolanInsta: dolan.danielEmail: danieldolan@icloud.com

BCC Social Member

Vanagupe str. 31, LT-00169 Palanga, tel. +370 460 41199, reservation@vanagupe.lt, www.vanagupe.lt

Check it out what is waiting for you:

98 comfortable rooms and apartments

Outdoor grill dishes or a la carte menu at the Hotel terrace or restaurant

Splendid SPA center with more than 100 SPA procedures for your choice

Outdoor heated swimming pool

Design Champagne Bar near the outdoor pool with the big choice of snacks and drinks

Live music performances every summer weekend

Professional childcare service

Outdoor tennis courts, basketball playground and bicycles for rent

Have a wonderful time and unforgettable experience at the Hotel Vanagupe!

summer hoLidaysby the Baltic Sea!

Spend your

This spring Palanga Airport was ranked one of the fastest growing air gateways in Europe – the good news arrived with the release of the air-port traffic statistics for April 2016 calculated by Airports Council International Europe (ACI EU-ROPE). In April 2016, 19,400 passengers travelled through Palanga Airport, 87.3% more than the previous year.

According to Lithuanian Airport data, the pas-senger traffic statistics for June are even more impressive - the number of travellers choos-ing Palanga Airport skyrocketed from 10,700 to 21,200 in one year, marking an increase of 98% or essentially doubling.

“The merger of Lithuanian airports and their joint development strategy proved to be a su-ccess - the team, which is driven by common objectives, can work faster and more effectively. Consequently, this year Palanga has more than doubled the number of airlines operating at Palanga Airport compared with last year, which has also resulted in a considerable growth in pas-senger traffic. Despite that, we are not going to stop and we are continuously in the search for de-velopment opportunities,” noted Marius Gelžinis, Director of Palanga Airport.

Long-awaited flights to LondonThis year Palanga Airport was discovered by

low-cost airlines – both Wizz Air and Ryanair launched flights from the Lithuanian seaside town to London.

Wizz Air operates flights to London Luton Air-port three times a week - on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Ryanair flies to another airport in the capital of the UK - London Stansted Airport. Flights are available twice a week - on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Convenient flights for holidaymakersThis summer as many as three airlines will op-

erate seasonal flights to the Lithuanian seaside - Rusline, making a return to Palanga Airport for the fifth consecutive year, and the newcomers in Palanga - Belavia and Ukraine International Air-lines.

The airline Belavia helps Belarusian residents save time spent on the trip between Minsk and Palanga. From 19th June to 4th September, it will provide air service connecting the two cities every Sunday. The flight lasts a bit longer than one hour.

Palanga Airport: one of Europe’s fastest

growing airports

Ukraine International Airlines operating from Palanga to Kiev improves the Lithuania-Ukraine air connection. Flights operate twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays, until 21 September.

Rusline operates from Palanga to Moscow. Sea-sonal flights are available on Sundays until 28th August.

New and long-standing partnersLOT Polish Airlines also launched operations at

Palanga Airport at the beginning of the summer season. The airline operates three weekly flights to Warsaw Airport which started on 12th June; during the summer season the number of flights increased to five flights per week.

Due to a convenient schedule and early flights, passengers travelling from Palanga through War-saw will have a chance to reach their desired desti-nations all across the world.

Other long-standing partners of Palanga Airport - Latvian airline AirBaltic, which provides air ser-vice to Riga; Norwegian flies to Gardermoen, the major Oslo Airport; SAS operates to Copenhagen.

Passenger convenienceThe growing passenger flows necessitated cer-

tain changes - modern solutions improved the speed of the free wireless connection “Invest Lithuania FREE Wifi”; car parking lots were mod-ernised; the online parking reservation system was introduced at Palanga Airport. Those who prefer to travel to the airport by public transport can now conveniently reach the centre of Palanga or Klaipėda by taking a bus, which runs according to the flight schedule.

After the parking lots were modernised, an au-tomatic number plate recognition system with automatic cash-desks, additional video surveil-lance systems and LED lights were set up next to the Passenger Terminal of Palanga Airport. In addition, the car parking procedure was also changed in the parking lots. One of the new im-provements for passengers is free parking. The parking lot near the Passenger Terminal provides the opportunity of 10 minute free parking per day for a convenient seeing-off or greeting of your rel-atives and friends.

Besides, travellers can pre-book a car parking space and pay for it before arriving at the airport in order to avoid any parking related troubles upon arrival. Thanks to the online system, passen-gers may plan in which parking lot and for how long they will park their car. In order to do the booking, it is necessary to enter the registration plate number, the expected parking duration and one’s name and surname on the website of Palan-ga Airport. Should the plans change, the registra-tion plate number as well as the booking can be corrected or cancelled.

You can pre-book a parking space for your car online in Palanga Airport’s long-term parking lots. The parking space booking period ranges from one day to several months. Discounts are applied to advance reservations, i.e. a month or more in advance. Loyal clients can expect discounts as well.