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2018-04-10

Klaipeda is on the way to making 2030 development strategy a reality

10 Apr 2018

Klaipeda only released its ambitious 2030 development strategy last month and is already on the way to making it a reality.

A panel of strategic partners from Klaipeda City Municipality, Klaipeda State Seaport Authority, Klaipeda University, and Klaipeda Free Economic Zone (LEZ) met this week and agreed on 100 separate initiatives that will propel city and business growth.

Top of the agenda was the development of flights to nearby Palanga Airport. By adding extra routes and providers, and by improving existing transport links to and from the airport, international business will have a more direct route into Klaipeda. Also discussed were the plans for a foreign university in Klaipeda, the negotiations for which are already underway. This will bring more foreign students to the city, students, who will, in turn, augment the local talent pool. The formation of a dynamic new city development agency, Klaipeda ID, was also at the forefront of the discussions. This newly rebranded agency has been tasked with promoting the brand of Klaipeda for foreign and domestic investment.

Present at the discussions, the Mayor of Klaipeda, Vytautas Grubliauskas, showed his city’s commitment to making Klaipeda 2030 a resounding success: “We and our partners are ready for a marathon to ensure we make Klaipeda 2030 a reality. I believe we have chosen the right tactics, and now is the best time for us to achieve the best possible result.”

Head of Ernst & Young Baltic, Linas Dičpetris, drew attention to the value of having the broader community of Klaipeda stakeholders – from local government to business owners – galvanized behind achieving a unified vision: “10% is strategy and 90% is implementation. The fact that all of the stakeholders involved in Klaipeda 2030 are working towards a common goal, and that they have a concrete plan in place, maximizes the probability that the strategy will be successful.”

Meanwhile, Vaidas Velykis, Klaipėda FEZ business Development Manager, drew attention to the importance that building a growing and talented labor pool will have on achieving the city’s strategic goals: “It’s not cheap labor costs that are attracting investment; rather it’s the size and competence level of the workforce that matters. This means that having the right amount of people with the skills the market needs is essential going forward.”

Mr Velykis went on to highlight a new fast track program that the FEZ will put in place to make establishment a much simpler process for foreign investors, “At Klaipeda FEZ we are also implementing a new scheme that will have companies operational in 2 months.” It is incentives like this that will allow Klaipeda to become one of the Baltic’s foremost business destinations.

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