SOUTH AND EAST LITHUANIA

The South and Eastern region of Lithuania is home to 1,365,000 inhabitants and has a very diverse socio-economic structure. It comprises old industrial areas mainly in the south; agricultural and weakly industrialised areas in the east; and relatively well-developed areas in the centre and near Kaunas. A strength of the region is the well-developed communication and transport infrastructure. In 2004, the agricultural sector employed about 22% of the regional workforce, while 23% was employed in manufacturing. The unemployment rate was 7%.

The region covers five counties:
- Kaunas
- Alytus
- Marijampole
- Taurage
- Utena.

Kaunas County is situated in the very centre of Lithuania and is the third largest county. It is a geographical and educational, as well as an industrial and transport centre of Lithuania. Being situated at the transport route Via Baltica, Kaunas is well-connected to Western, Northern and Eastern Europe.

Industry and agriculture have been intensively promoted in Kaunas county. The county has a long-standing tradition in the textile, electronics, wood processing and furniture industries. Rising are also medical, optical and precision instruments, and chemical industries. Among others, the food industry is well developed in the county. Today, food processing makes up 17% of the production sector.

The main economic activities of firms in Alytus county are clothes manufacturing, textiles, construction and timber processing, trade, transport, refrigerator manufacturing, and food and drink production. The capital of Lithuania, Vilnius, is situated here. Over 50,000 big, small and medium-sized enterprises, involved in economic activities, are registered in Vilnius and Alytus region. These two regions, covering 23% of the territory of the country, have a population of over 1.1 million people, which equals one third of Lithuania’s population.