Lithuania prepares for euro

VILNIUS - Lithuania is interested in economic stability within the eurozone and across the European Union, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Azubalis said on March 21 in Brussels at the EU General Affairs Council meeting, reports news agency ELTA. The Council examined draft conclusions for the European Council meeting, to be held on March 24-25. This document focuses on measures to strengthen economic growth and competitiveness. One of them is the pact for the euro, which strengthens the responsibility of the EU member states for the implementation of economic reforms and financial discipline.
“The government of Lithuania is considering the possibility to join this pact,” Minister Azubalis said.

The pact for the euro is important to Lithuania for several reasons: its provisions are essentially in line with national reforms that are already being implemented in Lithuania, and with the commitment in the future to become a full member of the eurozone, while maintaining an independent tax policy.

The EU foreign ministers also discussed the EU’s reaction to the conflict in Libya and the crisis in Japan.
When speaking about nuclear safety, Azubalis proposed in the conclusions of the European Council meeting to stress the importance of the highest nuclear safety standards and of the guaranteeing of compliance with them in the EU’s neighborhood. “We are concerned with the nuclear projects that are being implemented at the state borders of Lithuania and the EU. In cooperation with partners in the EU, we must ensure that these projects should meet all of the highest international safety requirements,” Minister Azubalis said.