The Lithuanian government is to support a campaign aimed at persuading young emigrants to return from Ireland and other European countries.
Speaking during an official visit to Dublin yesterday, Lithuanian prime minister Gediminas Kirkilas said that while emigration would yield some benefits, he was concerned that so many young and educated Lithuanians were living abroad at a time of low unemployment in the Baltic state.
"We have some concern, because Lithuania is a fast growing country and we have only 4 per cent unemployment. We are beginning to feel a lack of labour force," Mr Kirkilas told The Irish Times.
"On the other hand, it's also very important for us because we believe many of them will return. It's going on today. For example, last year was the first time in the past few years when a few thousand more returned than emigrated.
"So there are some positive signs. Also, people are coming back with experience of the market economy and management."
According to last year's census, Lithuanian emigres make up the second largest immigrant community in Ireland, with more than 24,000 of them resident here.
However, the Lithuanian government says the figure is considerably higher. Lithuanian is also believed to be the second most commonly spoken foreign language in Ireland.
Mr Kirkilas said a government-sponsored campaign would aim to inform people of the jobs and conditions available to them at home. It is also intended to give financial help to Lithuanian schools abroad in order to encourage retention of the language.
"Our choice is to bring our people back from abroad or bring in more immigrants from neighbouring countries like Belarus or Russia," he said.
Though the Baltic state's economy is growing strongly, wages are still at 60 per cent of the EU average.
Trade between Ireland and Lithuania is worth about €100 million annually - relatively little compared to Lithuania's trade with neighbouring Latvia (€1.5 billion) and Poland (€1.7 billion) - and Mr Kirkilas said he hoped to lure more Irish investors to his country in coming years.
Lithuania's infrastructure, tax regime and educated labour force, as well as its "interesting geopolitical situation" (the country shares a border with the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, which has a free economic zone and offers entry to the Russian market), all make the country an attractive site for foreign investment, he suggested.
Pro-European Lithuania was the first EU state to ratify the constitutional treaty in 2004, and Mr Kirkilas said he hoped for a successful outcome to any future Irish referendum on the reform treaty, negotiation of which EU leaders hope to complete at a summit later this month.
He added that the bloc should speak with one voice on the issue of energy security, which is of major concern to Lithuania. Mr Kirkilas said this was one area where Ireland and Lithuania could co-operate fruitfully.
