Proximity to markets: Scandinavia, Western Europe, Russia and the CIS

Lithuania is located on the very crossroads of 3 huge markets. It’s a springboard to the EU markets (Western Europe and Scandinavian countries), and Eastern markets (Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)) are also just at Lithuania’s side. Lithuania is a part of the Baltic Sea Region (BSR), and has always been an active business partner with its neighbours – other BSR countries – the Scandinavian states and Germany, as well as Poland, Latvia and Estonia. Lithuania’s trade with BSR countries makes up almost 70% of all Lithuania’s foreign trade, and about 70% of FDI in Lithuania comes also from BSR countries.

EU’s prime transport centre: hub and interconnection of international transport corridors, air, rail, sea and highway routes

2 Pan-European transport corridorsOn 21 December 2007, Lithuania became a member of the Schengen area, the European territory without internal borders, allowing free movement of persons without internal border checks.The European Union has recognised Lithuania as a prime transport centre linking the EU with the East with an advanced infrastructure of:

• 4 international airports
• Northernmost ice-free seaport on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea
• Transcontinental railway network (trains ”Saulė” and "Viking") linking Lithuania with markets in the Middle and Far East
• Regionally best network of roads and highways
• 4 multimodal logistic centres: Klaipėda (seaport–rail–highway), Kaunas (rail–airport–highway), Vilnius (rail–airport–highway), and Šiauliai (rail–airport–highway)