Lithuania has chances to secure more EU funding in post-2020 budget – PM

Skvernelis met with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and other European Commissioners in Brussels on Wednesday to present Lithuania’s position on the bloc’s new multiannual financial framework.

“I see prospects and hopes for improving our situation. We stated our positions, said what is unacceptable for us, what our priorities are. (…) Now everything depends on member states’ negotiations, on the search for allies, on how me manage to rally them and protect our interests,” he told BNS later in the day.

The prime minister underlined the Commission’ support for Lithuania’s energy and other projects.

“There is the right approach and support for our strategic energy, infrastructure projects, which is very important. I am speaking about the synchronization, the Ignalina decommissioning, Rail Baltica and other infrastructure projects,” he said, adding that the government is working to secure an increase in EU funding for the nuclear power plant closure.

EU Climate Action and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete expressed full support for the immediate synchronization of the Baltic electricity grids with the Continental European network and affirmed the Commission’s commitment to ensure funding for the Ignalina plant decommissioning, the government said in a press release.

“The European Commission has put forward the financing proposal of 552 million euros for 2021-2027, and the Lithuanian government’s commitment to contribute from the national funds to the closure of the power plant is highly appreciated,” it said.

The Commission last week proposed to allocate 6.359 billion euros, at current prices and adjusted for inflation, for Lithuania’s regional development in the EU budget for 2021 to 2027, down 12.9 percent from 7.3 billion euros in the 2014-2020 budget.