KLAIPĖDA MAYOR:

Klaipėda aims to become
an Eastern European
avant-garde city

Mayor of Klaipeda, Vytautas Grubliauskas

The Mayor of Klaipeda interviewed by Aage Myhre
aage.myhre@VilNews.com

Congratulations with the post as Mayor of Klaipeda! Anything you can share with our readers about the municipal and mayor elections where the outcome was that you took over Klaipeda's main chair this spring?

Thank you. Klaipėda was always a stable and trustful city. Recent elections proved that those adjectives are true. Democratic transition in Kaunas and Vilnius was indecisive until last night or even during the mayoral voting session. Meanwhile here in Klaipeda a prospective coalition started work planning for a 4 year term already after the municipal election night. This stability brings a lot more clarity for citizens and administration.

What can you tell our readers about today's situation and the outlooks for the economy of Klaipeda?

Recession in Klaipeda lasted much shorter than in other cities. Thus it's still present in real estate sector, we bounced quickly back in other sectors. We kept quite stable consumer demand due to Klaipeda's large workforce share (appr. 40%) employed in harbour related activities that hardly experienced recession. Positive economical outlook for local companies continued city economy running in difficult times. For future, I see much unused capacity in harbour and free economical zone activities that are already best performers in whole Baltics. On the other hand I watch with uncertainty demographic decline as most difficult macroeconomic challenge for municipal budget and consumer demand. We have to cope with a shrinking city scenario.

Klaipedos Nafta is in the process of building the first LNG import terminal on the Eastern Baltic coast, for use in Lithuania and potentially for export to its Baltic region neighbours.  Lithuania intends to become one of the first European countries to implement the European Union's Third Package of energy market reforms, which would result in the creation of a free and open energy market similar to what now exists in the U.S.  The development of the Klaipeda LNG terminal is said to be a critical component in the plan to open the energy markets in the Baltic region. What can you say about these plans?

Klaipėda is a logistical gateway for East-West corridor, therefore our participation is self-evident. The planned LNG terminal has become a national geopolitical priority and our city will help to install it. Meanwhile as a citizen and mayor I understand the potential hazards. Although we would like to apply so called NIMBY rule (‘Not In My Back Yard’) for necessary but unwanted infrastructural objects, Klaipėda will welcome this terminal and get full package of security precautions and decent compensation for it. That’s the demand from the city.

There have been plans to create ‘a waterfront oasis’ at the territory that till now has been part of Klaipeda’s port area, on both sides of the river Dane estuary. The project was showing a better connection between Klaipeda Old Town, the cruise ship port and the Baltic Sea – for multifunctional purposes with shops, offices, apartments and green outdoor areas in direct contact with the sea. What is the stage of this project now?

Eventual projects have a symbolic meaning. They are first public access points to lagoon in former access forbidden harbour. At the same time, we hope this brownfield investment will encourage other infill developments. Yet, both waterfront projects are in post recession phase with real estate sector specific issues. The supply of such quality locations is unique in Klaipėda, therefore I hope these projects will jumpstart very soon. This will introduce totally new centrality for Klaipėda.

“Klaipeda faces difficulties in attracting cruise vessels, loses to Riga and Tallinn.” These have been headlines in local newspapers this spring. Is that true and what can in case you and the Klaipeda port authorities do about it?

Yes indeed, there is a small decline for cruise vessels this year. But very proactive discount schemes, introduced by Ministry of Transport in early winter, allow me to interpret this decline more as a prolonged recession in cruise business rather than our wrong policy. At the same time, although Klaipėda is really striving to become Lithuanian Barcelona or Miami, our size and brand is weaker than neighboring capital cities Riga and Talinn.

“Lithuanian tourism sector is haunted by poor leadership.” This said a VilNews writer in an article recently (https://vilnews.com/?p=5217).Are you planning to do something about the situation, and to make the tourism sector in your region more organised and more attractive for visitors?

Already during my first month as a mayor I organized meeting with mayors of 6 neighbour regions in order to discuss common strategy to revive tourism in Western Lithuania. The first and foremost goal is to bring new flight directions to Palanga-Klaipėda airport. We also agreed to brand the region as one unit instead of fragmented marketing. Already this summer we bring all summer events in Klaipėda under one unified advertisement campaign.

A new, extended activity field for our VilNews e-magazine, is to invite groups of people with some sort of interest in Lithuania to travel here on so-called theme-tours. We are in the process of preparing a trip for a group with interest in traditional Lithuanian food (https://vilnews.com/?p=5176), another one for people with interest in the very interesting connections between India and Lithuania (https://vilnews.com/?p=4425) , and a third one for readers of Ruta Sepetys’ bestselling novel “Between shades of gray” (https://vilnews.com/?p=2197) to come here and see and learn more about the Siberia deportations from Lithuania during WWII. Would you and the Klaipeda Municipality be interested in a cooperation?

Of course, any idea is worth to be supported. As a jazz singer I am most fond of jazz tours, which from time to time I could even guide myself. Lithuania and Klaipėda has much to offer.

One of the biggest problems that Lithuania faces today is violence against women. Statistics claims that 63% of all women in Lithuania suffered from physical and/or psychological violence, whereas world average is 33%. I have been told that Klaipeda municipality wants to be a pioneer-municipality in terms of focus on domestic violence and abuse of women. Your city has for years had a women's shelter for women, but has now taken a huge step forward and is already well underway with the planning of what is probably going to be Lithuania's most modern and advanced crisis centre for women, expected ready built in early 2012 (ref. https://vilnews.com/?p=3571). How do you see that Klaipeda can be a good example for other Lithuanian municipalities with regards to this very severe problem?

Thanks to funds from Espersen Foundation, Klaipėda becomes a pioneer in this social blind spot. What we will see with rise of this building is not a problem solution, only a shelter for severe societal problems. Although the shelter is extremely needed, Klaipėda will never be an example if violence will persist. Therefore I see immediate need for social evolution towards extermination of violence against women in general. For that we need awareness campaigns and education from early school age. Only with such package of measures I will be able to call Klaipėda as good example for other municipalities.

The Klaipeda city court has acquitted a group of ‘history enthusiasts’ for using posters with swastikas on them during the Independence Day parade on 16 February in Klaipeda.  The court on 18 May ruled to terminate the administrative case against the four youth on grounds that the Swastikas used on the posters were photographs of an archaeological finding in Lithuania and initially the swastika was the sign of the sun. “These are not Nazi symbols, but valuable symbols of the Baltic culture. The symbols of our forefathers, which were taken away, fabricated and crippled by other nations. It is not fascism, but the architecture of the universe that they represent,” Milvydas Jusakauskas, the defence counsel’s witness from Vilnius said after the court hearing. What are your comments to this?

Comments on court decisions exert political pressure and I will avoid it. But despite this legal case, I want to cheer readers of “VilNews” that Klaipėda has not had any serious racially or ethnically biased criminal actions towards non-Lithuanian guests for years. Nor do I have information about neo-nazis or gangs operating in town. On opposite, Klaipėda has very peaceful community life.

Lawmakers in Lithuania's Committee on Legal Affairs, under the leadership of MP Petras Gražulis, voted recently to make even more stringent censorship legislation against homosexuals in this country, saying that they should be able to fine people for the "propagation of homosexual relations" in public. This has earned condemnation from EU groups who say this is just another step in furthering an ultra conservative agenda in Lithuania. How gay hostile can Lithuania become before someone starts appealing to normal common sense?

Opposite to any former mayors of Vilnius and Petras Gražulis himself, Klaipėda, and I personally, welcomes gay prides and gay communities. The whole idea of censorship is based on ridiculous logics, as psychologist O. Tapinas said once correctly “if you observe birds for a while you will become bird yourself”. I think we are talking about so called “10% society” and the rest 90% can’t be “persuaded” into homosexuality. Denial will only increase frustration in society.

I have heard said that if Lithuania’s politicians and bureaucrats were half as interested in the country they are supposed to serve as in their own pockets, this would already have been a fine, prosperous country. Fraud, corruption, briberies, lack of teamwork and transparency have all too often become terms used while describing the way Lithuania is managed. Do you have any clean-up plans ready?

Clear bureaucratic rules, short deadlines, e-government, well managed outsourced functions and motivated workforce is a key to more transparent municipal services. I see lots of space for improvement in Klaipėda. Biggest expectations I have towards introduction of electronic tender system and HR department.

Finally, please let our huge, international VilNews readership know what are your visions and plans for Klaipeda and the Baltic Sea region over the years to come?

I will strive for Klaipėda to become an Eastern European avant-garde city in life quality and culture. For many years we had wrong priorities. Now it is time for pure living and jazzy souls.

Greeting to sister cities by mayor of Klaipėda Vytautas Grubliauskas.