NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2013

With good news from Lithuania!

EMBASSY OF LITHUANIA, NEW DELHI

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ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL WOMEN IN INDIA INVITED TO LITHUANIA

H.E. Mr. Laimonas Talat-Kelpša, Ambassador of Lithua-nia in India, has met the Chairman and Managing Director of “Biocon” Mrs. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw during his visit to Bangalore.

He presented Lithuania’s biotech sector to the leader of “Biocon”. Opportunities of collaboration between Lithua-nian and Indian biotech companies were discussed. Kiran Majumdar-Shaw has assessed that the Lithuanian made bio-medical devices can have good future in India.

Ambassador handed over the letter of invitation by the Prime Minister of Lithuania Algirdas Butkevičius to Kiran Majumdar –Shaw to attend the conference „Life Sciences Baltics“ that would take place in September 2014 in Vilnius.

Lithuania has become a regional hub for biotech industry with a good number of local biotech companies exporting their products globally and international companies setting up their regional centres in Lithuania.

BALTIC WAY REMEMBERED

Almost every family in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia wo-uld have a story to tell about how they had joined, on 23 August 1989, a 600 kilometer long human chain across the three then soviet-occupied republics of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. This was how over one million of oppressed citizens decided to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the notorious Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany that divided Eastern Europe into spheres of influence and led to the occupation of Poland and the Baltic states in 1940.

Despite the day being a sad anniversary (August 23 has been called as the Day of Black Ribbon) people were in high spirits. Everyone was filled with hope that the time of histo-rical injustice is about to end. The wind of change was gai-ning momentum across Central and Eastern Europe, and people were embracing it with a smile and a song. The mood of that time is best represented by the hit “The Baltics Are Waking Up!” that was jointly performed in three languages by three prominent singers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

Videos capturing a continuous 600 km line of people stre-tching from Vilnius to Tallinn to date carry a strong emoti-onal charge. It is not clear by whom the idea of the human chain was conceived. But it had momentous effect on the further course of events, as it helped to consolidate solidarity among the three Baltic peoples and promoted the Baltic in-dependence cause internationally. Within seven months of this peaceful protest, Lithuania became the first of the Repu-blics of the Soviet Union to declare independence.

In 2008 the European Parliament established 23 August as “a Europe-wide Day of Remembrance for the victims of all totalitarian and authoritarian regimes, to be commemorated with dignity and impartiality.” Today 23 August is observed

Photo by Kestutis Vanagas

Lithuania’s GDP growth rate in April-June 2013, compared to the same period last year, stood at 4.1% and was matched only by neighboring Latvia, whose GDP rose by 4.3%.

No other EU member state has scored more than 1.4%, thus leaving the two Baltic nations at the forefront of the EU’s economic recovery.

On a quarterly basis, Lithuania’s GDP grew by 0.6% against the first quarter of 2013, showing the fifth best result in the EU. Portugal topped the list with 1.1%, followed by Germany (0.7%), Finland (0.7%), and the Czech Republic (0.7%).

Meanwhile, the European Union’s GDP has expanded by 0.3%, thus putting an end to the long-standing record of negative growth. Although the European Commission claims it is yet too early to say that the crisis in Europe is over, the figures themselves are encouraging.

If the growth figures in the third quarter of 2013 are again positive, the sustainability of the trend will be pro-ven. This would mean the EU is recovering from its longest economic recession since the World War II.

The Eurostat report is available at http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_PUBLIC/2-14082013-AP/EN/2-14082013-AP-EN.PDF

HIGH-TECHS DRIVE LITHUANIA’S EXPORT TO INDIA UPWARDS

During the first half of 2013, as compared to the same period last year, Lithuania’s exports to India grew by 2.9% and amounted to LTL26.4 million, Statistics Lithuania re-ports. 81.3% of the exported goods (total value LTL21.5 million) were of Lithuanian origin.

The main export commodities include: optical, measu-ring, checking, precision, medical and surgical instruments (19.2% of Lithuania’s total exports to India), iron and ste-el products (17.4%), electrical machinery and equipment (13.0%), vegetable textile fibers and paper yarn (9.6%).

Precision, measuring and medical devices emerged for the first time as a number one export commodity. The export growth in this product category, as compared to the same period last year, was 57.9%.

Rapid growth was also recorded in other commodity

annually by the European Union Member States, as well as by several other nations like Canada, Georgia and the United States.

At the end of July 2009 the Baltic Way was also added to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. Learn more about the Baltic Way on www.balticway.net. For a video story – check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML-GhvQ-iBUM.

LITHUANIA’S GOLDEN MONTH

This August was spectacular for the Lithuanian sports. First was the swimmer Rūta Meilutytė who, after bagging Lithuania’s first gold at London Olympics last year, now broke the women’s 50 metres breaststroke world record on August 3 and then she also broke the 100m breaststro-ke world record two days later at FINA World Aquatics Championship in Barcelona.

On August 24 two Lithuanian athletes – Laura Asa-dauskaitė and Justinas Kinderis - won gold at the the 2013 World Modern Pentathlon Championships in in Kao-shiung, Chinese Taipei.

And then Rūta Meilutytė stroke again – another gold, in the 100m breaststroke, at the 4th FINA World Junior Swi-mming Championships in Dubai. She is our “Golden Fish” for sure!

Hopes are also high for the Lithuanian national ba-sketball team, which is preparing itself for the FIBA Eu-roBasket 2013 championship, starting on September 4th. Lithuanian team had taken gold three times: in 1937, 1939 and 2003, silver in 1995 and bronze in 2007.

Lithuania has only three-million-large population but has been performing successfully in different sports – it is usual for Lithuanian olypmic teams to come back with 5-6 medals from all the Olympic Games.

LITHUANIA GROWS 4.1% IN 2Q 2013, SHOWS ONE OF THE BEST GROWTH

RATES IN THE EU

In the second quarter of 2013, Lithuania’s economy grew by more than four percentage points and showed the se-cond best performance in the European Union, latest sta-tistics published by Eurostat reveal.

Photo by Alfredas Pliadis

groups: vegetable textile fibers and paper yarn (2.9 times), chemical products (25%), plastic products (52.6%), zinc and its products (11.2 times).

During the first half of 2013, Lithuania’s export to India 37 has been registered in 37 product categories (as measu-red by EU Combined Nomenclature’s binomial classificati-on); this number was 34 last year.

Copper and articles thereof featured most distinctly in the group of ‘newcomer’ products; the total value of copper articles shipped from Lithuania to India during the last six months was LTL 1.4 million.

In 2012, Lithuanian exports to India amounted to LTL 49.46 million. India was Lithuania’s 58th largest export partner.

OECD: LITHUANIAN TAX SYSTEM COMPLIES WITH THE HIGHEST STANDARDS

OF TRANSPARENCY

On July 31st, OECD’s Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes released peer review reports assessing the tax systems of 13 jurisdic-

tions for information exchange.

11 “Phase 2” re-ports review the ex-change of information in practice in Austria, Bermuda, Brazil, Bri-tish Virgin Islands, India, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Qatar, San Marino and The Bahamas. Meanwhile, two “Phase 1” reports

provide an in-depth analysis of the legal and regulatory framework for transparency and exchange of inrmation in Israel and Lithuania.

Lithuania’s Phase 1 review notes the county’s high level of commitment to the international standard for transparen-cy and exchange of information for tax purposes. Its legal framework generally ensures that ownership, accounting and bank information is available. Lithuania has a wide ne-twork of exchange of information mechanisms including bilateral agreements, the Multilateral Convention, and EU mechanisms. Its competent authority has broad powers to obtain the information necessary to comply with requests from any of its partner jurisdictions.

“Overall, Lithuania has a legal and regulatory frame-work in place that generally supports the availability, access and exchange of all relevant information for tax purposes in accordance with the international standard,” concludes the Global Forum’s report.

See full text of the report at: http://www.eoi-tax.org/ju-risdictions/LT

DNB BANK STUDY: BASKETBALL IN LITHUANIA

MAKES ONE BILLION LITAS PER YEAR

Every litas spent on basketball in Lithuania gives at least 40% in returns, reveals a study by a Lithuanian bank DNB Bankas published this Thursday.

According to the Lithuanian Basketball Federation, the number of officially registered basketball players (profes-sionals) in Lithuania amounts to 25,000. The small nation also has 350 coaches and at least 100,000 citizens playing basketball on a regular basis, which roughly makes 4% of the country’s total population.

One basketball player spends, on average, 1,500 litas (Rs. 38,000) a year for his sportswear, court rental, and travel expenses. Only in this segment the estimate market size is 150 million litas (Rs. 360 crore).In addition, lakhs of basketball fans spend millions of litas for game tickets, snacks, drinks, and travel costs. Their estimate impact on domestic trade stands at LTL300 million (Rs. 720 crore), with some extra LTL240 million (Rs. 590 crore) generated through hotel and restaurant revenue.

The study shows that the average spending of basketball fans has doubled since 2000 and was growing despite a si-gnificant economic slowdown in 2009-2010.

The government has also played an important role. The construction of new multi-purpose arenas in the last deca-de cost more than LTL600 million (Rs. 1,500 crore) from the national budget and EU funds. As a result, 59,000 new seats for spectators were created.

“These investments will definitely yield revenue in the future,” says chief analyst Jekaterina Rojaka of DNB Ban-kas. She also counts that the basketball-driven value added accrued in Lithuania during the past decade was 9 billion litas (Rs. 22,000 crore). In this regard, the most successful year was 2012, during which more than a billion litas (Rs. 2,500 crore) of income was generated.

Rojaka also underscores the social aspect of basketball: “The game attracts huge crowds of young people, keeps them engaged and thus helps to reduce crime”.

The study insists that all government funds allocated for basketball have already paid off. Now it is turn of private companies to follow up with investment in hotel and res-taurant business.

THE PRESIDENT OF LITHUANIA‘S “FRIENDS OF INDIA SOCIETY“

RECEIVES LITHUANIAN STATE AWARD On July 6th, the Day of Lithuanian Statehood, the Pre-

sident of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaite presented National awards to Lithuanian and foreign citizens for their contri-butions to their country and the nation. Among those ho-noured was Jonas Trinkūnas, the Krivis (Highest Priest) of the Romuva, the indigenous religion of the Lithuanians. He is also the pioneer of the Lithuanian ethno-cultural movement, and the most prominent proponent of the ancient Baltic faith. The Pre-sident decorated the Krivis with the medal of the Or-der of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas.

Born in 1939 Jonas Trin-kūnas studied Lithuanian philology at the University of Vilnius from 1960 to 1965. During this time, he had alre-ady co-founded the organi-zation, The Friends of India Society at the University. The tradition of Indian Vedas be-aring striking resemblance to the Pre-Christian spiri-tual traditions of Lithuania encouraged him to search in depth for the source of Li-thuanian folk religion and its fundamental spirit.

Through folklore studies, hiking through Lithuanian villages with hundreds of students, and taking notes of the living culture—its songs, carols, and customs—led to a great sense of renewal in the hearts of followers who refer to them-selves as Romuviai and Zygeiviai.

In 1967, the celebration of Rasos (Summer Solstice or Midsummer Night) was renewed in Kernavė, the ancient capital of Lithuania, a first step toward igniting the great “Singing Revolution” which eventually led to Lithuanian in-dependence from the Soviet Union. This was the first such massive non-violent resistance, based on the example of Ma-

Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in the Republic of IndiaC-93, Anand Niketan, New Delhi 110021

Tel. (+91 11) 43132200, Fax. (+91 11) 43132222, http://in.mfa.lt

hatma Gandhi’s peaceful fight against the British Empire. It took time for KGB to realize the dangers of re-awakening the nation, so they banned Kernavės Rasos. But every corner of Lithuania was already ringing with folk songs, the lighting of Summer Solstice bonfires and candles on All Soul’s Day among other signs of an emerging vitality in the oppressed nation.

The folklore movement was considered dangerous to the Soviet government, so all organizers and participants in these gatherings were persecuted by the KGB as the enemies of the

Soviet Empire.In 1973 Jonas Trinkūnas

was removed from his post in the University, and prohibi-ted from doing any research or other academic activity. It was not until 1988 that he was able to return to his pro-fessional work. The full force of Jonas Trinkūnas’s scientific and ethno-cultural activities were deployed after 1988 in the era of the Lithuanian Re-vival or Atgimimas as he lead the Ministry of Education and the Department of Eth-nic Culture of the Lithuanian Republic. In 1992, together with the followers Jonas-Trinkūnas, registered the Ro-muva religious community with the government. This community later extended to all Lithuanian commu-nities, eventually becoming the Ancient Baltic Religious Community, or Lithuanian Romuva.

In 1998 the World Congress of Ethnic Religions (WCER) was convened in Vilnius presided over by Chair-man Jonas Trinkūnas. After the meeting, as President of the Congress and the spiritual leader of Lithuanian Romuva, he was invited by representatives of various ethnic religions to visit India, Australia and the United States.

In 2012, The University of the Ancient World Traditions and Cultural Heritage, USA, awarded J.Trinkūnas the Honora-ry Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph. D.) for his work on the revival of the ancient traditions and cultural heritage of Lithuania.

Photo by Jonas Trinkūnas