During her visit to Germany on 24-26 April 2012, Mrs Irena Degutienė, Speaker of the Seimas, met with Prof. Dr. Norbert Lammert, President of the German Bundestag, and the Parliamentary Friendship Group for Relations with the Baltic States. The visit was organised at the invitation of the President of the Bundestag of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The meeting focussed on common positions of Lithuania and Germany in relation to the EU financial perspective, the funding of the decommissioning of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (INPP), and the priorities of Lithuanias presidency of the EU.
The Speaker of the Seimas observed that Lithuania was concerned about the EU decisions to narrow the financial support for the decommissioning of the INPP and asked Germany to give greater consideration to this issue. Lithuania has fulfilled its EU accession commitment and shut down the Plant. Now, the EU has to demonstrate that it is not only Lithuania that honours its commitments, Mrs Degutienė said.
The President of the German Bundestag admitted that the information about reduced funding for the INPP was new to him and promised to attend the matter.
While discussing the perspectives of the energy sector, the Heads of the Lithuanian Seimas and German Bundestag agreed that each country could independently choose the model for the development of its energy sector and jointly underlined the necessity to enhance the coordination of the common energy policy on the EU level.
Mrs Degutienė and Prof. Lammert stressed that the EU must agree on the implementation of the EU policy of fiscal discipline. The Speaker of the Seimas pointed out that Lithuania supported the policy of fiscal discipline and hoped that all the member states would adhere to the agreements reached.
The President of the Bundestag indicted that Germany felt great respect towards Lithuania, which is pursuing a responsible fiscal, budgetary, and economic policy and which can be considered as an example to other member states.
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During her visit to Germany, the Speaker of the Seimas also met with Mr Hans-Ulrich Klose, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Bundestag, and Dr. Cornelia Pieper, Minister of State at the Foreign Office. On 26 April 2012, Mrs Irena Degutienė attended the opening ceremony of the new building at the Lithuanian 16 February Secondary School in Hüttenfeld and met with Mr Norbert Kartmann, President of the Landtag of Hessen.
Juozas Ruzgys, Adviser to the Speaker of the Seimas, Tel (+370 5) 239 6023; 698 42073
