During the debate – “The happiness of nations springs from righteous laws, the effectiveness of which hinges upon their execution” (citation from the Constitution of May 3) – the Presidents shared their insights about the foundations of statehood and the values to be followed by politicians in decision-making.
The Lithuanian President focused on the concept of a welfare state and the fundamental principle defining it – justice.
“The vision for our country is a strong, fair, green and innovative Lithuania based on justice. If citizens see no justice, the State will not be strong. If citizens see no justice today, we will not create tomorrow. If states are not strong internally, there will be no strong Europe,” the President said.
Gitanas Nausėda noted that 230 years ago, in the face of a growing power in the East, there were people in Poland and Lithuania, who did not give up in even in the darkest of hours and continued to pursue the traditions of the West – not only for the benefit of their country, but also for Europe. “Recent events in the eastern neighborhood have once again demonstrated the need for a clear strategic EU political vision that would shape the future of Eastern Partnership, taking into account the sovereign choices and European aspirations of partner countries,” the President said.
He underlined that a fair state was built on dialogue with citizens, their empowerment and engagement in the decision-making process. “We will have a strong state and European Union only if we have a strong civil society,” the President said.
