Energy, EU – Baltic States, Investments, Latvia, Lithuania

Angelina Merkel and Dalia Grybauskaite. Vilnius, 06.09.2010.

"The situation with the energy sector in Lithuania is not good, because the Baltic States are still isolated; they are outside the EU's energy market. The European Council will discuss ways to integrate Latvia and Lithuania into the internal energy market, and we are glad to say that Germany's EU Commissioner Guenther Oettinger from Germany highly supports the development of the internal market," Merkel said at a joint news conference on her visit to Lithuania on Monday.

The German chancellor said that she understood Lithuania's will to diversify its own energy suppliers to create a solid basis for energy supply, writes LETA/ELTA.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has expressed her political support for the construction of a new nuclear power plant (AE) in Lithuania and vowed to put her every effort to ensure that such a project would draw the attention of investors. "In Germany, we have always, including the period of shutting down the Ignalina AE, said that we support Lithuania's plans to have a new modern nuclear power plant, if it is what the country wants. (...) We will do everything in our power to make sure that this building which has our support would be presented to certain investors," Merkel said at a joint news conference with President Dalia Grybauskaite on Monday. The president said willing that Germany would be interested in the construction of the new nuclear power plant.

Grybauskaite also expressed her appreciation of the political support. "We would wait for European investors very much, and the very fact that the new nuclear power plant is viewed politically as a very favourable step for Lithuania and the entire region means very serious support from such a country as Germany," Grybauskaite said.