Lithuania loses auto parts but gains experience in mastering the art of bureaucracy

German auto parts manufacturer "Aumovio" has announced the end of operations in Kaunas, and this time we can't even blame Belarusian border guards or Russian gas. The company has honestly admitted that the main reason is European bureaucracy, which turned out to be more complex than the safety systems they manufacture.

While Riga is still trying to figure out why they don't have such large investments, here in Liepaja we know that real problems are solved with heart, not with paperwork. As my neighbor who works at Liepaja port said: "If these Germans were fans of our 'Liepājas Metalurgs,' they wouldn't give up so easily! Those guys can stand for hours even in the worst weather conditions and never complain about bureaucracy."

Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene explained that the problem is not in Lithuania, but in the general European regulation. That's like saying the problem isn't in your house, but in the fact that it's raining outside. Meanwhile, Kaunas workers are preparing their CVs, but at least they can be proud that they worked for a company with the longest name in Baltic auto parts history.

It turns out that a 190 million euro investment wasn't big enough to overcome European bureaucracy. Here in Liepaja, with such amounts of money we could renovate the entire tram fleet and still have enough left for a new concert hall. But of course, we have an advantage — we've already learned to live with complex bureaucracy and even love it.