On 31 May, the Bank of Lithuania and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will hold an open international seminar “Macroeconomic Challenges in Lithuania: Strengthening Competitiveness and Building Resilience”, hosted by Vilnius University Institute of International Relations and Political Science. The event is intended for anyone interested in the economic and political realities of Lithuania.
During the event, Borja Gracia, Head of the IMF Mission to Lithuania, Gediminas Šimkus, Chairman of the Board of the Bank of Lithuania, and Gintarė Skaistė, Minister of Finance, will review recent Lithuanian export performance in the context of russia’s war against Ukraine and increased production costs, and discuss long-term economic productivity prospects. Economists from the IMF and the Bank of Lithuania will present the latest research on Lithuania’s macroeconomic challenges.
The IMF team will share their wealth of experience working on the competitiveness of the Lithuanian economy and present a comparative analysis of the development of productivity and competitiveness of the Baltic States. They will pay particular attention to how and why Lithuanian exporters have managed to adapt to various external shocks over the past two years.
The Bank of Lithuania researchers will present an analysis of the competition of companies in Lithuania and its impact on companies’ profits and employees’ salaries.
At the close of the event, IMF economists will present recommendations on how Lithuania could finance the growing need for investment in national defence and, in the long term, costs which will increase significantly due to an ageing population.
- The first part of the seminar will be broadcast.
PROGRAMME
| 08:30–09:00 | Welcome coffee |
| 09:00–09:40 |
Lithuania and World Economy (1.4 MB download icon) by Borja Gracia, Head of IMF Mission Live broadcast |
| 09:45–10:45 |
Panel discussion on Lithuania’s competitiveness Moderated by Vaiva Šečkutė, Head of the Macroeconomics and Forecasting Division at the Bank of Lithuania Live broadcast |
| 10:45–11:00 | Coffee break |
| 11:00–11:55 |
Towards a New Normal? Productivity and Competitiveness in Lithuania by Saioa Armendariz, IMF Presentation and Q&A |
| 12:00–13:00 | Lunch break |
| 13:00–13:55 | The Dynamics of Product and Labor Market Power: Evidence from Lithuania by Ziran Ding, Bank of Lithuania Presentation and Q&A |
| 14:00–14:55 | Navigating Minefields and Headwinds: National Security, Climate Change, Demographic Shifts and Fiscal Policy by Serhan Cevik, IMF Presentation and Q&A |