2013 to provide Belarusian investors with new investment opportunities in Lithuania

The Business Investment Forum, held in Druskininkai on 24 January  2013, brought together some fifty business
people, lawyers, real estate specialists and consultants, both local and from
Belarus, to share insights about investment and business development
opportunities in Lithuania The Forum acknowledged that an excellent geographical
location, favourable legislative framework, educated labour force, and real
estate offering a high potential return are major factors for attracting investments
and for business immigration. It is expected that the latter will be enhanced by
means of adopting measures to achieve higher efficiency at Lithuania-Belarus border,
discussed at the meeting of Lithuanian industrialists and carriers earlier this
month.

According to Maksimas Saveljevas, Managing Associate at the law offices
Raidla Lejins & Norcous, Lithuania is attractive for investors from the
neighbouring Belarus as the nearest gateway to the European Economic Area,
uniting 30 countries, the unified market, and the customs union. Registered in
Lithuania and established with investments from Belarus, a company has all
opportunities to effectively take advantage of free movement of capital, products
and services in other countries of the European Economic Area, regardless of
the origin of the capital invested in the company. “Many international
bilateral contracts between Lithuania and Belarus enable Belarusian
entrepreneurs to do business in Lithuania in a flexible manner,”- stated Mr
Saveljevas. Cooperation between Lithuania and Belarus is regulated by the
Agreement on the promotion and protection of investments, the Convention for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion
with respect to taxes on income, agreements on social
security, on legal assistance and legal relations in civil, family
and criminal matters, and other agreements.

Cooperation with Lithuania also provides Belarusian entrepreneurs  with other opportunities to manage and
increase their capital: in addition to formation of companies, they also acquire
Lithuanian companies and invest in funds and financial instruments. According
to Alius Jakubėlis, Director of Orion Securities, Belarusian investors
are facing many restrictions within their country, which impede the movement of
capital; therefore, it is becoming particularly difficult to achieve a positive
return on investment. “We offer investment opportunities for Belarusians not
only in Lithuania, but also worldwide by providing them with free access to markets
and financial instruments all over the world,” commented Alius Jakubėlis.

The Forum also discussed the recovering Lithuanian
real estate market, which offered attractive investment opportunities in 2012. According to Audrius Šešplaukis, Head of Valuation Department at
Inreal, the most promising regions of
the country are the capital city Vilnius and the resorts, where 96 per cent of Lithuania’s
new real estate projects were launched last year. “The number of purchasers in those cities is increasing.
In 2012 the number of apartments sold in Vilnius was 21 per cent higher, and in
the sea resorts – even twice as high as in 2011. The average sales prices have
remained stable so far; consequently, today customers can easily generate net
cash flows of 5-6 per cent from rent, and in a long term perspective to profit
on price increase,”- said Mr. Šešplaukis.

“Convenient, fast and simple company formation
procedures, an attractive tax system, state-of-the-art information and
communication technologies, educated, honest and diligent people mastering a
few foreign languages, world-class cultural life, and unique, beautiful nature
– these are the factors, inviting to use Lithuania as a stepping stone for expanding
business into EU Member States and also promoting business immigration,” stated
Ramona Laurinkienė, in-house lawyer at Amicorp
Baltic. 

The Forum repeatedly emphasized the benefits of Lithuania’s
excellent geographical location, economic and political stability, and investment-friendly
environment.

ABOUT THE COMPANIES

Raidla
Lejins & Norcous firms in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and
Belarus are leading providers of legal services in the Baltic region with a
total team of over 130 lawyers. The firms render comprehensive services to
local, regional and international entities, including multinational
enterprises, international banks and financial institutions. In 2011, Raidla Lejins & Norcous was awarded the title
of Legal Adviser of the Year in the Baltics by The Financial Times and
mergermarket.

Orion
Securities is the largest non-banking financial group in Lithuania providing
intermediation services in selling securities as well as corporate finance,
private banking, and financial management services to both private individuals
and legal entities. Orion Securities has been operating in the Lithuanian
market since 1993 (as financial brokerage UAB FMĮ Baltijos Vertybiniai
Popieriai [Baltic Securities]). Orion Securities is a member of Vilnius, Riga,
Tallinn and Warsaw stock exchanges. Orion Securities is a licensed brokerage
firm, supervised by the central bank of the Republic of Lithuania.

Inreal
Group, consisting of JSC Inreal Valdymas (Inreal Management), JSC Inreal, JSC
Inreal Pastatų Priežiūra (Inreal Building Maintenance) (related to companies
administering apartment houses) and JSC Inreal GEO, provides the widest
spectrum of services in Lithuania, related to real estate and building
maintenance services. Inreal group companies belong to SC Invalda. Inreal group
currently has more than 300 employees. The value of assets managed by the group
is about LTL 400 million; the group has mediated in the lease or sale of 550 000
sq. m of commercial premises and 1150 apartments;  the value of assets evaluated by Inreal Group
per year is LTL 2 billion, and the area administered by its companies operating
in the building maintenance sector is 1 million sq. m. The company operates
offices or representative offices in Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai,
Panevėžys, Mažeikiai, Alytus, Plungė, Šilalė, and Utena.

Amicorp
Baltic UAB is  a company belonging to the international
Amicorp Group with offices in 29 countries worldwide providing incorporation,
management and business
process outsourcing services (bookkeeping, accounting and salary
administration) in Lithuania, and mediating in providing services of other
company offices in Eastern Europe and Scandinavian countries.

More
information: