Lithuania has been working intensively to attract foreign investments to the country. A more business-friendly legal base is being prepared, free economic zones that are particularly favourable to foreign investments have been created, and the state is involved in implementing an investment promotion policy. Lithuania is attractive to investors because it provides the ideal environment for the set up of service and data centres. In recent years, Lithuania has managed to attract global giants such as Barclays and Western Union. Lithuania also promotes foreign investments in the industry. Representatives of the Ministry of the Economy and Innovation often meet with the major global companies abroad and invite them to set up in Lithuania. Lithuania aims to appear on the business investment map and strengthen its positions in international markets.
The package of investment and corporate income tax laws offering a new instrument for attracting large-scale investment projects has been adopted by the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania. The initiative aka the ‘green corridor for large-scale investment’, provides a much faster and simpler establishment for investors as well as incentives for investor-hosting municipalities. It is a regional development-oriented initiative aimed at creating jobs for citizens and increasing regional competitiveness.
The new package of laws offers tax incentives and cuts the red-tape. Large-scale investment project that meets the requirements of investing at least €20 million CAPEX (€30 million when investing in Vilnius) and creating at least 150 new full-time jobs (200 when investing in Vilnius) in manufacturing or data processing, internet server hosting services will enjoy 0% corporate income tax for up to 20 years. The developer of a project has to sign a mandatory contract with the Government which grants the project the status of national significance, ensuring fast decision-making, simplified procedures and all-round reduction of bureaucracy.
Under the new package of laws, the investors will be incentivised to invest in more remote localities of Lithuania. In these localities, the threshold for becoming a large-scale investment project will be lower than in capital Vilnius. The municipalities will be incentivised to prepare territories in advance because they‘ll be subject to Government grants up to 5% from the investment projects CAPEX value. It is expected to help reduce income inequality and social exclusion.
Incentives for Large-Scale Projects
Legislation
An industrial park
is a territory defined in territory planning documents, which is intended for the implementation of more than one project of green field investments, has engineering networks and transport communications, is controlled by a single operator and is the location of the implementation of production development investment projects.
Free economic zone
is a territory designated for the purpose of economic – commercial and financial activities within which economic entities are provided with special economic and legal conditions of operation as established by the Law on the Fundamentals of Free Economic Zones of Republic of Lithuania. The territory must have no permanent residents.
Investment Promotion Programme