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In a meeting with representatives of cafes, bars and restaurants organized by the Vilnius city municipality, Karolis Žukauskas, advisor to the mayor of the capital, said that to help the currently closed catering sector start operating smoothly after quarantine, rent compensation and lease extensions are eased. will be offered.
“2020 the spring quarantine was an easy road compared to what it is now. The first quarantine lasted 2.5 months, the second – almost half a year. As a result, the financial situation of us, the city and you, the restaurants , bars and cafes, it is certainly worse than last year. And consequently, our support and support actions are more limited than last year. The reality is that we can help, but we cannot solve all the problems caused by the quarantine and the total or partial suspension of activities ”, K. Žukauskas addressed the representatives of the catering establishments.
According to the advisor to the mayor of Vilnius, among the plans that the Vilnius city municipality intends to propose to the city council for consideration on Wednesday is a proposal to waive the terrace tax.
“With the new procedure, such a small terrace fee for some companies would have multiplied by 2.5. That system is basically good, (…) but realizing that even such a small tax is very painful for someone, tomorrow the city council will consider abolishing it. The council is likely to confirm this, “he said.
According to K. Žukauskas, the Municipality of Vilnius also intends to partially offset the rental costs.
“We have evaluated how much we can allocate to those who rent premises from the Vilnius city municipality. (…) I would like to remind you that the Vilnius City Council approved 3 million. to cover the costs of COVID-19 losses. This includes not only cafes and restaurants, but also other sectors. Therefore, we have calculated that the most realistic thing is that as of January 1 of this year. before July 1, regardless of the duration of the quarantine, (…) 75% of the rent ”, he emphasized.
K. Žukauskas also added that it is intended to extend the leasing contracts for companies that rent premises of the Vilnius city municipality.
In addition, the representative of the Municipality of Vilnius stated that the objective would be to find and allocate more outdoor space for the opening of catering establishments, to search for additional places in the city.
“Obviously, this year’s opening will be the same as last year: the outdoor spaces are likely to open first. Therefore, the freedom to build tables will be maintained this year, as it was last year. However, this year that freedom will exist with certain rules. We also have to take into account the interests of pedestrians, and it is planned to leave a little more space for pedestrians, ”added K. Žukauskas.
According to him, like last year, it is planned to allow the closure of the corresponding minor streets of the old town, to which the outdoor cafes would be moved, and last year the food carts will be given freedom and order.
Meanwhile, Vilnius City Mayor Remigijus Šimašius added that Vilnius City Municipality “can do a lot, but not everything.”
“We understand the seriousness of the situation, that the situation has changed since last summer, that it was promising, (…) there was both fatigue and apparently financial problems. I understand that the plans for 2021, which we made in September last year and for which I was happy at the time to coordinate so early, will have to be changed for the most part, because the situation has changed, “he said.
Monika Grigutytė (ELTA)
