1 March 2012
Active regional co-operation between the Baltic States and Nordic countries is one of Lithuanian foreign policy priorities. Speaker of the Seimas, Mrs Irena Degutienė, highlighted it during her meeting with the Speaker of the Swedish Parliament, Mr Per Westerberg and the Riksdag Committee on Foreign Affairs, during her visit to the Kingdom of Sweden on 1-2 March 2012.
In the face of the protracted financial and monetary crisis, the current economic policy of Nordic and Baltic States is an alternative and an example to Southern EU member states, Mrs Degutienė noted. The Speaker of the Swedish Parliament agreed with the Speaker of the Seimas and pointed out that following the introduction of the euro, the wages in the countries of Southern Europe grew by 40 per cent compared to merely 4-5 per cent rise in the Nordic countries. According to him, this is just one of the examples witnessing wastefulness and disregard of the existing economic situation.
During the meeting the Heads of the Lithuanian and Swedish parliaments indicated that the joint power bridge project is being successfully implemented according to the schedule. Referring to the nuclear power plant projects implemented in the neighbourhood of Lithuania, it was noted that radioactive waste from the Kaliningrad power plant would be carried out by the Baltic Sea despite of Russias failure to conduct the environmental impact assessment of such transportation. This raises concern for Lithuania, Sweden and other countries of the Baltic Sea region, stated Mrs Degutienė after the meeting.
Secretariat of the Speaker of the Seimas,
Juozas Ruzgys, Adviser to the Speaker of the Seimas, tel.:+ 370 5 239 6023; +370 698 42073
