Market day in Ventspils
Uncategorized

Seven months with new currency, Latvians are still getting used to the euro

On 1 January this year, Latvians switched from lats and santimus, that had been the national currency for the last 20 years, to euro banknotes and cents. DELFI interviewed a couple of traders in a local market at Ventspils and asked how they were getting used to the new currency. […]

Jose Manuel Barroso, Petro Poroshenko, Herman Van Rompuy
European Union

Implementing EU trade deals in the borderlands could prove complex

Talks have begun between Russia and the pro-EU former Soviet states of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. The sides are assessing how recently signed free trade deals with the European Union will impact the countries’ trade relations with Russia. The effect will be muted for now, but the agreements could have a larger impact in the future if each country adopts them fully. Full implementation will be challenging because of Russia’s influence and political instability in the three nations.
Analysis […]

Angela Merkel
European Union

Germany’s Merkel: New sanctions against Russia enter economic sphere

European Union leaders failed to agree at a summit on Wednesday (July 16) on sharing out a package of top jobs in the 28-nation bloc, including a new foreign policy chief, and postponed the decision until late August. […]

Jon Baldvin Hannibalsson
Uncategorized

Iceland’s Jon Baldvin Hannibalsson: Euro is a currency in search of a state

DELFI observer Ramūnas Bogdanas interviews former foreign minister of Iceland Jon Baldvin Hannibalsson who was the strongest supporter of Lithuania’s independence in 1990-91 among all Western politicians. He closely continues to monitor the development of Lithuania. […]

Gediminas Kirkilas
European Union

Lithuanian deputy parliament speaker: Italian EU Council presidency will affect EU’s foreign policy

“The Italian Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) should make an impact on the EU’s foreign policy. It is the search for a new momentum in EU foreign policy that is one of the key priorities of the Italian Presidency. I am sure that this task will not pose a problem to Italy as one of the founding members of the Community that presides over the Council of the EU for the twelfth time,” said Gediminas Kirkilas, Deputy Speaker of the Seimas and Chair of the Committee on European Affairs, according to the press service of the Seimas. […]

Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant
Energy

Ignalina nuclear plant CEO: Decommissioning process under control

The chief executive officer of Lithuania’s Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (INPP), which is carrying out multi-billion-litas closure projects, says that donors are satisfied with the current pace of work and progress achieved and that the decommissioning process is now under control, following several years of delays. […]