Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė visited Akmenė FEZ

On 29 May, Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė visited the Akmenė Free Economic Zone (FEZ) together with her advisory team. The meeting focused on solutions needed to support regional growth, including attention to infrastructure and attracting workforce.

The meeting with the Prime Minister was attended by the Mayor of Akmenė District Municipality Vitalijus Mitrofanovas, representatives of investors operating in the FEZ and other partners. The Deputy Minister of Environment Česlava Lisovska also joined the delegation.

The Prime Minister was presented with the development of the Akmenė FEZ and the scale of investments. The discussion covered the challenges of regional growth and the necessary solutions, as well as housing, infrastructure, taxation and other relevant issues.

“The Akmenė example shows that regions can become strong engines of economic growth when local authorities, businesses and the state work together. Such investments create jobs, strengthen regional autonomy and meaningfully change people’s daily lives. Therefore, the Government’s goal is to help regions address infrastructure, housing and workforce attraction challenges,” said the Prime Minister.

The head of the Akmenė FEZ Lina Mockutė states that the FEZ, which has attracted more than €500 million in investments and created over 900 jobs, is already one of the largest business hubs in Northern Lithuania, contributing to rising wages, decreasing unemployment and overall economic stability.

“We are always pleased by attention from the highest level of government to the regions and specifically to the Akmenė region. However, for continued sustainable growth, it is necessary to jointly address talent availability, quality of life, business conditions and a range of other issues,” says L. Mockutė.

Sigitas Paulauskas, main shareholder of VMG Group, states that over the past five years, Akmenė has become one of the most important wood industry centers in Lithuania.

“An entire value chain is being developed here: production of wood panels and furniture, as well as modern construction solutions. Alongside investments, jobs are being created, wages are rising, and people have greater opportunities to build their lives in the region. For this growth to remain sustainable, consistent state attention to infrastructure, housing and talent attraction is required,” says S. Paulauskas.

During the visit to Naujoji Akmenė, Ruginienė also visited companies operating in the FEZ: Rietuva, which is completing the construction of a prefabricated panel factory and is already actively hiring, as well as VMG Group companies – VMG Lignum construction, VMG Wood Solutions and VMG Akmenės Baldai.

Founded in 2019, the Akmenė FEZ covers almost 100 hectares. The zone specializes in wood, construction, energy, logistics and chemical industries, with a particular focus on renewable energy and the circular economy.