THE VOICE OF INTERNATIONAL LITHUANIA
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A car operating for Google Street drives through the old town in Vilnius on June 7, 2012. Lithuanian tax authorities said Thursday they would use the Baltic state's recently launched Google Street View platform to track tax cheats by identifying the real value of property holdings.
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Europe’s dependence on Russian gas.
Lithuania pays 15% more than Latvia and Estonia,
25% more than Germany for the same Russian gas.
While gas prices have tended to fall globally in recent years thanks to deposits of shale gas in places like the U.S., Lithuanian households have looked on in horror in the past seven years as the retail cost of natural gas pumped from Siberia spiked 450 percent — or from $169 to $769 per 1,000 cubic meters.
This writes the Associated Press in an article this week, where they more than suggest that Russia uses its natural gas as a pressure point against Lithuania.
Lithuanians have seen prices soar over the past several years, especially since the shuttering of its only nuclear power plant in 2009, forcing the country to import more Russian gas to keep warm. Lithuania's decision to scrap atomic power over safety concerns has put it under a new kind of threat: intimidation from Russia, which critics say shows no hesitation to use its energy dominance to bully former vassal states.
Lithuania currently pays Russia a wholesale price of about $540 per 1,000 cubic meters of natural gas piped from Siberia, roughly 15 percent more than Baltic neighbors Latvia and Estonia and 25 percent more than Germany, writes Associated Press.
In an opinion article in New York Times this week, Mr. Krugman writes:
Today I’d like to talk about the frantic effort to find some example, somewhere, of austerity policies that succeeded. For the advocates of fiscal austerity — the austerians — made promises as well as threats: austerity, they claimed, would both avert crisis and lead to prosperity.
For the advocates of fiscal austerity — the austerians — made promises as well as threats: austerity, they claimed, would both avert crisis and lead to prosperity.
And let nobody accuse the austerians of lacking a sense of romance; in fact, they’ve spent years looking for Mr. Goodpain.
The price of natural gas for Lithuania may go down if Russia’s gas company Gazprom seeks to maintain good economic relations with the Baltic country, says Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius.
Otherwise, the price of gas will not decline before the construction of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, he adds.
“If Gazprom’s executive took, if you will, a gentleman-like approach towards the maintenance of good economic relations with the neighboring countries, the price of gas applied to Lithuania could be brought in line with the prices applying to Estonia and Latvia, even in the near future,” he told the public radio by phone from Brussels on Thursday.
If the parties failed to reach a compromise, the price of gas could only go down at the end of 2014 with the completion of the LNG terminal in Klaipėda, he said.
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Russia's attitude to Lithuania lacks respect and President Vladimir Putin makes only demands, which "is not a good sign," Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė has said in an interview to the Danish media.
Grybauskaitė says Lithuania wants better relations "but only with mutual respect preserved." The Baltic country is disrespected by Moscow, the Lithuanian president says.
Asked about relations with Putin, Grybauskaitė recalled their meeting in 2010. "I met with him and talked to him once about 15 minutes in Helsinki in 2010. The fact that he only makes demands for us is not a good sign," Grybauskaitė told the Politiken daily.
"No foreign policy can ignore another country's interests. We have to renew relations with Russia but on the basis of mutual respect. We miss respect from Russia. It's like a gap between the Western and Eastern way of thinking," the president said.
The Nordic countries are inventing the new capitalism,
says the Economist editorial. The front of the magazine
shows a seemingly overweight, bearded Viking,
aptly titled "The Next Supermodel".
Politicians from other parts of the world could learn much of Scandinavia, the Economist writes in this weekend edition.
The Nordic countries are inventing the new capitalism, says the Economist editorial. The front of the magazine shows a seemingly overweight, bearded Viking, aptly titled "The Next Supermodel".
The four Nordic countries Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway do well on one international poll after another. They are often found on top of the tables in various rankings of competitiveness of purchasing power, and even happiness.
Norway, for example, has for several years been at the top in a UN ranking of the best countries to live in. The rating is calculated as part of the human development index (Human Development Index), which is an attempt to create a measure of how we are doing, that of the good life.
It encompasses not only economic indicators but also looks at health, education and income.
Politicians from other countries should learn from the Nordic model, says the Economist. It pertains to the heavily indebted countries such as in South Europe.
The Nordic countries are inventing the new capitalism,
says the Economist editorial. The front of the magazine
shows a seemingly overweight, bearded Viking,
aptly titled "The Next Supermodel".
Politicians from other parts of the world could learn much of Scandinavia, the Economist writes in this weekend edition.
The Nordic countries are inventing the new capitalism, says the Economist editorial. The front of the magazine shows a seemingly overweight, bearded Viking, aptly titled "The Next Supermodel".
The four Nordic countries Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway do well on one international poll after another. They are often found on top of the tables in various rankings of competitiveness of purchasing power, and even happiness.
Norway, for example, has for several years been at the top in a UN ranking of the best countries to live in. The rating is calculated as part of the human development index (Human Development Index), which is an attempt to create a measure of how we are doing, that of the good life.
It encompasses not only economic indicators but also looks at health, education and income.
Politicians from other countries should learn from the Nordic model, says the Economist. It pertains to the heavily indebted countries such as in southern Europe.
The Nordic countries have managed to find solutions to reform their public sectors, so that the state is far more efficient and better able to adapt to new needs, says the Economist.
The Economist devotes a large part of its special report of 14 pages to the development in Sweden, which is reaping considerable praise. The Swedish public sector accounted for 67 percent of the country's gross domestic product (the sum of goods and services) in 1993, while the proportion has now fallen to 49 percent.
Sweden’s Finance Minister Anders Borg has also managed to present a state budget actually goes into balance.
Focus on the largest Nordic country is undoubtedly a feather in the cap of the conservative Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, who has gradually gained considerable authority also within the EU during the discussions on economic and political reforms.
Norway's unique position as a major energy exporter contributes to the country’s position slightly to the side of the three other Nordic countries. But also Norway has started to reform the public sector, says the Economist.
“Russia can turn the lights out on Lithuania and the other two Baltic states any time it pleases. And they can't turn them back on without Russia’s permission. Not only does this small, central European nation, as well as its neighbors Latvia and Estonia, not have access to the Russian owned-switch, but, to a large extent, it also depends on energy supplies from Russia to power its electricity generating plants; power that is needed for energy and economic independence. Lithuania as well as the other Baltic countries, being poor in energy resources, are facing a tough future and are seeking solutions.”
This was what Dr. Stan Backaitis wrote here in VilNews in 2011. We have also published articles stating that Lithuania’s dependence on Russia, to a certain degree also EU, should be reduced. We have stated that the neighbours to the north in many cases would be much more attractive partners.
“Russia can turn the lights out on Lithuania and the other two Baltic states any time it pleases. And they can't turn them back on without Russia’s permission. Not only does this small, central European nation, as well as its neighbors Latvia and Estonia, not have access to the Russian owned-switch, but, to a large extent, it also depends on energy supplies from Russia to power its electricity generating plants; power that is needed for energy and economic independence. Lithuania as well as the other Baltic countries, being poor in energy resources, are facing a tough future and are seeking solutions.”
This was what Dr. Stan Backaitis wrote here in VilNews in 2011. We have also published articles stating that Lithuania’s dependence on Russia, to a certain degree also EU, should be reduced. We have stated that the neighbours to the north in many cases would be much more attractive partners.
Lithuania has powerful Nordic neighbours, all with AAA credit rating.. These countries, however, are successful in many different ways, not least with regard to social welfare, health care, education, rule of law, transparency, press freedom and a very good balance between government, business, education, science, and more.
What the three Baltic States now face is that being members of the EU is not enough. The economic crisis, and partly also questions on defence and security, have led to new forms of cooperation, and our small nations far north in Europe are not always invited to become active participants.
It is therefore my opinion that a tight collaboration with the other Nordic countries is the way to go. Together we are large enough to be heard and our common identity and cultural background is a good basis for cooperation.
In the 13th century, an alliance of Northern European towns called the Hanseatic League created what historian Fernand Braudel called a “common civilization created by trading.” Today’s expanded list of Hansa states share Germanic and Scandinavian cultural roots. Germany and the Scandinavian countries have found their niches by selling high-value goods to developed nations, as well as to burgeoning markets in Russia, China, and India.
Widely admired for their generous welfare systems, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Germany have liberalized their economies in recent years. They account for six of the top eight countries on the Legatum Prosperity Index and boast some of the world’s highest savings rates (25 percent or more), as well as impressive levels of employment, education, and technological innovation.
“In strategies that we are developing for the next twenty years emphasize that it is important for the Baltic States to become more harmonized and catch up with Scandinavian countries. Integration with Nordic countries is an important objective,” said Andrius Kubilius, Lithuania’s former prime minister, in a meeting in Tallinn last year.
I think he is right.
Aage Myhre, Editor-in-Chief
Did you know that throughout the Renaissance period, when Italy was a trading centre and a melting pot for the world’s greatest civilisations, Vilnius also became a Renaissance centre, competing with Florence and Milan?
The two great nations merged when Grand Duke Sigismund the Old (1467-1548) married the Princess of the Italian city of Milan, Bona Sforza, and returned to reign in and from Vilnius as the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The royal couple created an Italian community within the court and, under the influence of the new Grand Duchess, Italian culture became the preoccupation of the city’s elite….
The final integration of the European Union’s three Baltic states to the Nordic power exchange may be delayed past June as Estonia and Latvia disagree over whether Russia should be given import preference.
Estonia opposes Latvia’s plan to reserve part of the power transmission capacity for trade with Russia, Taavi Veskimagi, head of the grid operator Elering AS, said by e-mail yesterday. That would worsen summer overloads on the Estonian-Latvian border and lead to more Russian imports of power by Latvia and Lithuania, he said. Lithuanian grid operator Litgrid AB (LGD1L) agrees, its chief executive said today in Vilnius.
Qatar Airways has turned to Baltic Aviation Academy for the recruitment of new cabin crew members from the Baltic States.
The initial assessment, gathering participants from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, during which 100 finalists will be selected, is to be conducted on February 9-10 2013, in Vilnius, Lithuania. An additional selection for Belarus residents (due to time needed to acquire the visas) will be conducted on the February 24.
One hundred selected candidates will be invited to the second round, conducted by the airline on February 24-25 2013 in Vilnius. The airline will offer three year open-ended contract for the cabin crew positions based in Doha.
This is the second campaign of Qatar Airways admission in the Baltic States and Poland, conducted by Baltic Aviation Academy. On October 2012, the aviation personnel training centre scanned more than 500 applicants and led 83 of them to the airlines‘ interview, more than 10 of which were proposed with job opportunities.
VilNews e-magazine is published in Vilnius, Lithuania. Editor-in-Chief: Mr. Aage Myhre. Inquires to the editors: editor@VilNews.com.
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