Speaker of the Seimas: Baltic States need solidarity to deal with energy and nuclear safety issues in the region

Press release, 11 August 2017

Photo of the Office of the Saeima

On 10 August 2017, Viktoras Pranckietis, Speaker of the Seimas, met with Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia. The meeting of the Speakers took place in Jūrmala, Latvia, on the eve of the meeting of the three Baltic Prime Ministers in Inčukalns, Latvia, and Pärnu, Estonia, in the run-up to the NB8 Conference of the Speakers in Lillehammer, Norway.

The Speakers talked about Lithuania’s initiative to block the imports of electricity from the Astravyets nuclear power plant being built in an unsafe manner. The Lithuanian Speaker handed the respective legal acts adopted by the Seimas over to his Latvian counterpart and called on Latvia to join the initiative. The corresponding Law was adopted by the Seimas on 20 April 2017.

The Speakers also discussed the importance of the joint projects for the development of energy and transport infrastructure with a view to increasing the competitiveness and resilience of the Baltic economies. Special focus was placed on full exploitation of the potential of the LNG terminal in Klaipėda and the gas storage facility in Inčukalns, as well as on the regional solution to energy security issues of all the three Baltic States. The floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) of the LNG terminal in Klaipėda is currently on lease until 2024 with a right to purchase it later (The public company Klaipėdos nafta annually pays approximately EUR 65.95 million for the lease of the FSRU). The Speaker of the Seimas noted that the European Commission could give financial support (around EUR 100–150 million) for buying the FSRU if the agreement with Latvia and Estonia was reached.

“What the Baltic States currently need is solidarity to deal with energy and nuclear safety issues in the region,” said Mr Pranckietis.

He and his Latvian colleague also discussed the preparation for the Eastern Partnership Summit in Brussels, support for Ukraine and the ongoing reforms in Georgia and Moldova.

The Speakers talked about the approaching NB8 Conference of the Speakers in Lillehammer, where Lithuania would highlight the security situation in the region and the issues of Ukraine. Yet another matter in focus was the preparation of the Baltic States for marking the Centenaries of the restoration of their independence. The Lithuanian and Latvian Speakers will meet again in Palanga on 23 September 2017, the Day of Baltic Unity.

Dalia Vencevičienė, Senior Adviser to the Speaker of the Seimas, tel. +370 5 239 6016, mob. +370 698 42 071, e-mail: [email protected]