Klaipėda Free Economic Zone
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Klaipėda Free Economic Zone or Klaipėda FEZ ( lt, Klaipėdos laisvoji ekonominė zona) is the first free economic zone in
the Baltics The Baltic states, et, Balti riigid or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term, which currently is used to group three countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, ...
. It was established in 1996, officially launched in 2002. Klaipėda FEZ consists of 412 ha of land dedicated to manufacturing plants, logistics, and business park development. Klaipėda FEZ is located in Klaipėda (Lithuania), at the heart of Europe, and offers easy access to markets in the EU, Scandinavia via an extensive rail, road, AIRPORT and sea network. Klaipeda FEZ plays a key role in the regional and national economy, creating value amounting to around 2% of Lithuania’s annual GDP. It has a strong track record for providing extra care and service to multinational clients such as Indorama Ventures, Albright and others.


History

The first steps for the establishment of the zone were undertaken in 1996. In 1997, a management company was selected after reviewing five proposals. The Klaipėda FEZ is managed by Klaipėda FEZ Management Company (Lithuanian: ''Klaipėdos LEZ Valdymo Bendrovė''), a
private limited liability company A private limited company is any type of business entity in "private" ownership used in many jurisdictions, in contrast to a publicly listed company, with some differences from country to country. Examples include the '' LLC'' in the United Sta ...
. The Baltic Fund, an
investment fund An investment fund is a way of investing money alongside other investors in order to benefit from the inherent advantages of working as part of a group such as reducing the risks of the investment by a significant percentage. These advantages inc ...
, financed by the Rockefeller and Company, Lazard, and investors from
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
, owned about 60% of the management company. The remaining shares are owned by city enterprises, municipalities and the government of the Lithuanian Republic. Since 2001 the Rockefeller Foundation sold its shares to Pierre J. Everaert Family Trust based in Demarest New Jersey, thereby becoming the largest private shareholder of the KFEZ. KFEZAnother set of obstacles was raised during Lithuania's negotiations for accession to the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
. Klaipėda FEZ began its activities in December 2001. In 2003, Thailand-based Indorama announced an investment of 80M euros into a plastic production factory. To further attract investors to FEZ, Lithuanian-based companies were allowed to participate since 2004. A year later, the FEZ began plans for expansion and further development of its land, requesting assistance from structural funds of the European Union. By the end of 2007, FEZ attracted some 600M
litas The Lithuanian litas (ISO currency code LTL, symbolized as Lt; plural ''litai'' (nominative) or ''litų'' (genitive) was the currency of Lithuania, until 1 January 2015, when it was replaced by the euro. It was divided into 100 centų (genit ...
(174M euros) of investments. Total attracted investments since 2002 is 783M Eur. Currently, more than 5000 employees work at FEZ investor and supporting companies.


Location

Klaipėda FEZ is located in the south-eastern part of the city of Klaipėda, near the main transport Klaipėda-Vilnius highway. The distance to the Port of Klaipėda is 8 km, while to Klaipeda-Palanga International Airport it is 35 km, to
Kaunas Airport Kaunas Fluxus Airport ( lt, Kauno tarptautinis oro uostas), is the second-busiest civil airport in Lithuania after Vilnius Airport and the fourth-busiest in the Baltic states. The airport is located in the central part of the country, north ...
it is 218 km, and to Vilnius Airport it is 304 km.


Operations within FEZ

Klaipėda FEZ community currently connects over 5000 employees working in more than 100 industrial businesses focused in the Plastics & PET, food processing, offshore & large metal structures, electric vehicles & components, value added logistics and other industries. Klaipėda FEZ has 45 clients which are foreign and Lithuanian companies. In total, 18 countries are represented. Total investments are approx. 726M Euros. In total, the companies based in Klaipėda FEZ account for 2.7% of national exports in 2017 and nearly 60% of Klaipėda’s foreign direct investment is accumulated at the Klaipėda FEZ. Klaipėda FEZ is a recognised economic project of national significance.


Companies

Major companies operating within Klaipėda FEZ: * Orion Global PET * Neo Group * Retal Baltic * Glassbel Baltic * Espersen * Mestilla * Be-Ge Baltic * Pack Klaipėda * Skuba Lietuva * Klaipėda Business Park * Albright Lietuva * Gren Klaipėda * Dancer Bus * Klaipėdos metalo konstrukcijų gamykla * ANI Plast * HeidelbergCement Group * Vingės logistika * AD REM LEZ * AD REM PORT * Gera mėsa * Lavango Engineering LT * Lindström * Focus Fabrication Group *
Philip Morris International Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational tobacco company, with products sold in over 180 countries. The most recognized and best selling product of the company is Marlboro. Philip Morris I ...
(operating outside the official Klaipėda FEZ territory) * Baltijos Eukutecas


Achievements

* Main Award for Digitization and Red Tape Reduction, Honourable Mention for Industry 4.0 and Positive Impact at Economic Zone Sustainable Recovery Strategies Awards 2021 * Honourable Mention for EU Compliance, 5G connectivity at Global Free Economic Zone of the Year Awards 2021 * Bespoke Award for Sustainability at Global Free Economic Zone of the Year Awards 2020 * Honourable Mention for Investor Expansions, Local transport, Workforce Amenities, FlexStart at Global Free Economic Zone of the Year Awards 2019 * Bespoke Award for Investor Expansions, Investor Incentives, Economic Impact and Flexible Space at Global Free Economic Zone of the Year Awards 2018https://www.fdiintelligence.com/content/locations/global/fdi-s-global-free-zones-of-the-year-2018-the-winners-78016. 2018-10-08. * In 2017 Klaipeda FEZ was recognised within the categories of “Quick Launch award” (Editor’s choice), Expansion, Energy Efficiency, Specialism (for Plastics industry) and Contribution to the National economy. Investors wishing to establish operations in Lithuania’s Klaipeda FEZ can use the zone’s Fast Factory Launch scheme. The scheme offers companies ready for use sites that come complete with all the required construction permits, as well as the ability to make minor adjustments to customise the site to fit the investor’s needs. Outside of Klaipeda, construction permits in Lithuania can take up to six months. Additionally, the Flexstart programme aims to allow investors to commence operations in less than one month, with customisable pre-built manufacturing facilities. New offices are currently under construction that will be offered to SMEs as part of the programme.


General Facts & Information

* Address – Pramonės Str. 8, LT-94102, Klaipėda, Lithuania. * Official website: www.fez.lt * Klaipeda FEZ is managed and administered by the Klaipeda FEZ Management Company, CEO Eimantas Kiudulas. * Start of operations: 2002 * Total area: 412 ha * Number of operating companies: 100+, Klaipėda FEZ clients: 45+. * No. of countries represented by companies: 18 * Jobs created: 5000+ * Total attracted investments: 783M Eur. * State investment: 6,4M Eur. * Revenue generated by investors in 2021: about 1,22bn Eur. * Export in 2021: 594M Eur.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Klaipeda Free Economic Zone Economy of Klaipėda Free economic zones of Lithuania