On October 15-18th, representatives of the National Land Service paid a working visit to the Finnish National Land Agency "Maanmittauslaitos". This is the second visit of the NLS under the international cooperation project "Exchange of knowledge and best practices related to the modernization of activities in the fields of land management, electronic registers, geodesy, cartography and spatial data sets between the National Land Service under the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania and the relevant Finnish and Norwegian authorities”

On September 17-20, representatives of the National Land Service paid a working visit to the Norwegian Mapping Authority "Kartverket". This is the first visit according to  the international cooperation project "Exchange of knowledge and best practices related to the modernization of activities in the fields of land management, electronic registers, geodesy, cartography and spatial data sets between the National Land Service under the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania and the relevant Finnish and Norwegian authorities."

On the 30th of May, on the initiative of the National Land Service a roundable meeting took place to discuss investment issues in Lithuania. The participants of the meeting were NLS administration and executives and Investors‘ Forum Association, which comprises the largest and the majority investors into the Lithuanian economy. The major topic of the meeting was developing of more effcient cooperation between the public and private sector, in order to ensure a more favourable business environment for foreign investors in the country.

Lithuanian National Atlas is a carto-graphical work of an encyclopedic character, representing political independence, territorial integrity, which objectively summarizes the natural resources of the mapped state, economics, social and cultural phenomena, education, science and history. Facing Lithuanian Statehood Restoration 100th anniversary – Volume IIII of the National Atlas was prepared and published for the occasion.

Laimonas Čiakas starts to lead the National Land Service under the Ministry of Agriculture (NLS).

According to Minister of Agriculture Bronius Markauskas, changes in the National Land Service are crucial, as more than half of the complaints received by the Ministry are related to the work of the Service. The main urgent tasks that the new leader of the Service is to implement, names the Minister, is not only to restore confidence in the institution, but also to complete the unforeseen prolongation of the restoration of property rights and, in particular, to strengthen measures to prevent corruption.

In order to ensure effective protection of state land, the National Land Service (NLS) in all cases, initiates legal proceedings for those who have committed violations and who have not eliminated them. Such actions are provided for in the updated Regulations for the State Control of Land Use. They have been updated in order to strengthen the efficiency of elimination of violations of state land use regulations.

From August 16 a new structure of the National Land Service (NLS)) departments started functioning. The structure has been changed to ensure higher quality of the NLS activities as well as make use of economical human and financial resources. The new structure was confirmed after a responsible examination and assessment of the functions of the Service departments, their performance indicators and their effectiveness.

In the first half of this year, the land reform carried out in the country has moved forward. Land reform was completed in 43 of the 103 cities and towns. As of July 1, 2017, 90,73 per cent of the ownership rights to land, forest land or water bodies in the cities were restored. In rural areas by 99.75 per cent of the area indicated in the citizens' requests was restored.

On July 13-16, 2017 the meeting of the mutual Lithuanian Republic and Russian Federation Geodesy and cartography technical working group took place. During the meeting the experts completed compilation of finalized demarcation document layouts in the Lithuanian and Russian languages.

According to the Director of the National Land Service, several years of intensive ongoing land reform are approaching culmination, the Service having set itself a new strategic goal which is to safeguard powerful state control over land usage.