Estonian and Lithuanian prime ministers discuss joint energy and transport projects

Photo: Government Communication Unit

At a meeting the prime ministers of Estonia and Lithuania discussed cooperation between their countries, energy and transport projects and the future of the European Union. The heads of government agreed that Estonia and Lithuania continue to work well together, reported Government Communication Unit.

Speaking of the future of the Visaginas nuclear power plant project, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip said that Estonia awaits the official position of Lithuania’s new government and parliament. He said that Estonia has shown its political support for the project for the last six years.

“We’ve shown that support on condition that an Estonian energy company will only invest in its construction if the project is financially viable and its management transparent,” he explained.

Lithuania’s new prime minister Algirdas Butkevičius informed his Estonian colleague of the parliament-appointed task his government had been given to review Lithuania’s energy strategy. The review is designed to determine whether the country will pursue plans to construct the Visaginas plant or continue without it.

“We’ll respect whatever decision Lithuania makes,” Prime Minister Ansip said. “Where we go from here depends on it.”

Before meeting his Estonian colleague, Prime Minister Butkevičius visited the Port of Muuga, where he was given an outline of the planned LNG terminal. Prime Minister Ansip confirmed during the meeting that in terms of the regional LNG terminal Estonia is being guided by the results of the analysis ordered by the European Commission. The analysis deemed the best location for the terminal, including from a financial point of view, to be the northern and southern shores of the Gulf of Finland.

“Estonia supports a location for the terminal which will provide us with gas at the most competitive price,” Ansip said.

Speaking of the Rail Baltic project, Prime Minister Ansip described it as a key political and economic project for all three Baltic States.

“I’m glad that it remains a priority for Lithuania despite its change of government,” he said.

Ansip said that issues related to funding designed to bring Europe together – which will make it possible for the project to be given the green light – are of paramount importance to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

“The main thing for us is that we protect the transfer of the ten billion euros from the Cohesion Fund and the principle of its distribution,” Ansip explained, recognising Lithuania for its action plan, approved by the previous government, to instigate preparations for the project.

Prime Minister Butkevičius, who was sworn in last December, is making his first official visit to Estonia. From 1996-2008 he was a member of the Lithuanian parliament before serving as the country’s Minister of Finance in 2004 and 2005 and as its Minister for Transport and Communications from 2006-2008.