Home

Lithuania and Romania share common goals in EU and NATO

President Dalia GrybauskaitÄ—, currently on a reciprocal official visit in Romania, met with the Romanian President of the Senate Crin Antonescu and Prime Minister Victor Ponta to discuss the bilateral relations, the negotiations on EU’s new financial framework, the economic situation in Europe, the energy security issues and cooperation within NATO.

«Romania is Lithuania’s important partner in the EU and NATO. We share common goals in negotiating the EU’s new financial perspective. We face the same challenges in the sphere of energy. Acting together, cooperating and coordinating our positions we will better protect the interests of our countries,» the President said.

In the negotiations for the EU financial perspective, Lithuania and Romania will seek jointly to achieve a fairer allocation of direct payments to the farmers of new and old member states as well as non-application of discriminating reduction of structural support.

The meetings with the heads of the Romanian Government and Senate also focused on the significance of financial discipline, responsible fiscal policy and political stability in combating the recession and ensuring the countries’ sustainable development.

 
> Lithuania Map
 
According to the President, energy security is a common challenge for both countries. Being dependent on a single supplier of gas, Lithuania and Romania seek the ending of the energy isolation of EU regions, ensuring an alternative energy supply and creating the common EU energy market. The discussions also touched on the opportunities to ensure cheaper gas supply — the prospects for constructing the LNG terminals, Europe’s southern gas corridor via Romania and the Nabucco gas pipeline which will connect the South Caucasus with the European Union. Nuclear energy projects of Lithuania and Romania were also on the agenda of the meetings.

The fact that even countries with limited financial possibilities are developing nuclear energy shows that this form of energy will remain one of the cheapest in the future, the President noted.

Dalia GrybauskaitÄ— thanked Romania for its political support to extending NATO’s air policing mission in the Baltic States and invited a Romanian expert to participate in the activities of the Lithuania-based NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence.
 
 
Office of the President of the Republic of Lithuania
 
 
14.09.2012