Speaking about the response to the pandemic, the Prime Minister has emphasised that Lithuania strongly supports the joint vaccine supply mechanism coordinated by the European Commission as well as the role of the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
‘Vaccine borrowing shows that any Member State may need such assistance at any time. We would suggest creating a clear borrowing mechanism, which would prevent stockpiling of vaccines and assist countries that need help and are capable to vaccinate faster,’ said the Head of Government.
It has been underlined that countries are looking forward to the Commission’s more detailed proposal on a green certificate for COVID-19. Lithuania agrees that the certificate should include information not only on vaccination, but also on testing and recovery from COVID-19.
When discussing the economic recovery from the pandemic, it has been stressed that the toughest challenge is to move to a higher value economy while meeting the ambitious commitments of the Green Deal.
Lithuania is grateful to the European Commission for its support in implementing the strategic infrastructure projects in the fields of energy and transport. The participants of the meeting have welcomed the key agreement on the financing of Rail Baltica from CEF, reached through the joint efforts of the Baltic states and the European Commission yesterday. ‘I am pleased that the common position of the Baltic states has resulted in upholding the European Council conclusions and preventing the efforts to significantly reduce Rail Baltica’s funding opportunities,’ said the Prime Minister.
It has been emphasised that Lithuania is not satisfied with the progress of the implementation of the stress test recommendations for the Astravets Nuclear Power Plant, and the European Council conclusions on the non-entry of electricity produced in unsafe nuclear power plants into the European Union market have been recalled.
The BCM has discussed the situation in Belarus and stressed the need to continue to support the Belarusian people not only in words but also in deeds, and to keep the priority on the EU’s agenda. The EU’s unity has to be preserved by jointly countering Russia’s aggressive policies. Russia’s pro-democratic forces, civil society, and human rights defenders need to be supported.
In the second part of the meeting, the Baltic Prime Ministers have discussed the details of synchronisation, nuclear safety, regional security, defence, and the Eastern Partnership.
According to the Prime Minister, the year 2020 has been of special importance for the synchronisation project: 3 out of 14 projects have been completed, and EUR 720 millions in EU’s financial support have been secured for the second phase of the synchronisation. The year 2021 will be no less significant. It is planned to complete two more projects and to ensure contingency preparation – the national emergency connection to Poland’s power grid. Lithuania will continue preparations for independent frequency management together with Latvian and Estonian operators.
Yesterday, the Government of Sweden took a decision on allowing exploration of the Baltic seabed, required to start work on the Harmony Link project. The expansion of the LitPol Link connection is planned to be completed this year.
It has been noted that the situation created in the region by the Astravets NPP is detrimental to the sustainability of the synchronisation project, development of local energy production capacities, and the clean energy and climate-neutral economy transition objectives.
The Head of Government has underlined that Lithuania appreciates the political commitment of the Baltic states to stop importing electricity from Belarus, but the current analysis of the data clearly shows that the applied bilateral methodology is not working. The principles of the new tripartite methodology have been drafted, and the new electricity methodology vis-a-vis third countries proposed by Lithuania would create maximum barriers for the electricity generated by the Astravets NPP to enter the Baltic market.
On regional security and defence, the Prime Minister has noted that Lithuania is honouring its commitment to allocate 2% of the GDP to the country’s defence. Lithuania’s objective is to increase defence funding to 2.5% of the GDP by 2030.
The Baltic cooperation is visible in larger formats, such as NATO, the EU, and cooperation with the US. By speaking with one voice, we can achieve better and more favourable results for us. It is important to pay more attention to air defence, maritime surveillance, and the early warning system.
According to Prime Minister Šimonytė, we have to strive that the Eastern Partnership becomes the EU’s strategic priority again, and does not remain an instrument of technocratic cooperation. The Prime Minister has proposed to draft a joint declaration of the three Baltic states on support for democracy.