The Lithuanian Government has approved the Ministry of the Economy and Innovation’s proposal to grant the German military industry leader Rheinmetall the status of a project that meets the security and defence needs of the country, Ednews informs referring to Invest Lithuania.

This allows the company’s Lithuanian Centre of Excellence for Ammunition to benefit from special investment and commercial conditions related to the fast-track set-up of the plant.

"The plant is expected to produce tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition per year, which will help Lithuania to become less dependent on foreign suppliers and to supply our own weapons and ammunition. This is one of our priorities to help ensure the country's security," said the minister of the economy and innovation, Aušrinė Armonaitė.

Back in June, the Ministry signed an agreement with Rheinmetall for its expansion in Lithuania – the project has been granted the status of a large-scale project. With an investment of more than 180 million euros, the new plant is expected to create at least 150 new jobs.