The Lithuanian Government is in talks with 66 foreign companies that are considering investing in the Baltic country.

“I hope quite a few of them will decide to invest in Lithuania,” Minister of Economy Dainius Kreivys said at a briefing ahead of a Government meeting with advisers such as Ernst & Young, Microsoft Corp. and Nordea AB on attracting foreign direct investment to the country, organized by Invest Lithuania in Vilnius last week.

 “Lithuania is very well positioned to take advantage of the next wave of investment,” said Marc Lhermitte, an associate at Ernst & Young and a member of an advisory committee to the Government to help attract investment.

“The Government “is really up to its task” of doubling foreign direct investment in five years if it continues improvements in infrastructure, education and property legal framework. We think that double is probably a minimum,” Lhermitte said. “It will do more certainly from what we hear from investors. The word is good.”

“Lithuania’s geographical position helps market itself as a hub between the west and the east”, Microsoft Chairman for Europe Jan Muehlfeit said. “Lithuania can play the bridge between the EU, Russia and maybe even Asia”.

Lithuania has secured foreign investment projects this year from Barclays PLC, Western Union Co., IBM Corp., Moog Medical Devices and Systemair AB.