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Lithuania is interested in economic stability within the euro zone and across the European Union, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis said on 21 March in Brussels at the EU General Affairs Council meeting.

The Council examined draft conclusions for the European Council meeting to be held on 24 and 25 March. This document focuses on measures to strengthen economic growth and competitiveness. One of them is the pact for the euro, which strengthens the responsibility of the EU member states for the implementation of economic reforms and financial discipline.

“The Government of Lithuania is considering the possibility to join this pact and will take the final decision on Wednesday,” Minister A.Ažubalis said.

The pact for the euro is important to Lithuania for several reasons: its provisions are essentially in line with national reforms that are already being implemented in Lithuania, and with the commitment in the future to become a full member of the euro zone, while maintaining an independent tax policy.

The EU foreign ministers also discussed the EU’s reaction to the conflict in Libya and the crisis in Japan.

When speaking about nuclear safety, Minister A.Ažubalis proposed in the conclusions of the European Council meeting to stress the importance of the highest nuclear safety standards and of the guaranteeing of compliance with them in the EU’s neighborhood.

“We are concerned with the nuclear projects that are being implemented at the state borders of Lithuania and the EU. In cooperation with partners in the EU we must ensure that these projects should meet all of the highest international safety requirements,” Minister A.Ažubalis said.