Vilnius is a nice, green place to live—and it’s turning that into a competitive advantage for its economy

Vilnius doesn’t need Olympic fanfare to make its waters swimmable. While Paris spent billions cleaning up the Seine for a splashy opening, the rivers and lakes in Lithuania’s capital have long been open for a dip whenever the weather allows.

Permitting urban swimming is just one way that the Baltics’ largest city has sought to become more sustainable, helping it earn the title of European Green Capital of the Year 2025 .

Now Vilnius authorities want to use these green credentials to boost their global economic competitiveness too.

“One of the biggest challenges we need to fight is the [lack of] awareness of Lithuania and of Vilnius,” says Mangirdas Sapranauskas, a senior department head at the city’s development agency, Go Vilnius , which oversees foreign direct investment (FDI) and