Adviser to the Minister: “Lithuania's contribution to international partnerships must be measured not only by the funding provided, but also by the impact created”
At the Annual Lithuanian International Partnerships Conference, Adviser to the Minister of Finance Julius Janulevičius, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Sigitas Mitkus and Director of the Central Project Management Agency (CPMA) Indre Šuoliene discussed the country's development cooperation priorities for 2027 and possibilities to mobilise even more international financial resources, also discussed the strengthening of further support for Ukraine.
“Lithuania's contribution to international partnerships should not be measured solely on the basis of the amount of funds allocated. Our strength lies in our ability to pool expertise, develop effective financial instruments and attract additional international funding. We must endeavour that every euro allocated by Lithuania helps mobilise much larger investments, especially for Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction”, Mr J. Janulevičius said at the discussion.
According to the Adviser, it is important for Lithuania to switch from individual support projects to broader financing models that would allow combining national resources with the capital of the European Union, international financial institutions and the private sector. To this end, various financial instruments can be used to encourage the involvement of the private sector. Such an approach would allow to increase the impact of Lithuania's development cooperation, attract private capital and, taking into account national security needs, also maintain strong support for Ukraine.
Regarding support for Ukraine, Mr J. Janulevičius emphasised that Lithuania's financial contribution already helps to attract more resources to Ukraine – the Ministry of Finance has recently committed to allocate EUR 10 million to the World Bank's Special Programme for Ukraine Recovery 2.0 (SPUR 2.0) and EUR 5 million to the European Investment Bank's EU4U Fund.
According to Mr J. Janulevičius, the SPUR 2.0 mechanism is one example of how contributions from national donors can help mobilise significantly more funding. The mechanism is expected to allow Ukraine to raise about three times more funds than donor contributions.
“Lithuania cannot compete with the largest countries in terms of the volume of funding allocated, but we can be extremely effective in mobilising resources from other partners. Our goal is not only to contribute by ourselves to Ukraine's recovery, but also to create conditions for attracting much larger investments," Mr J. Janulevičius underlined, adding that Lithuanian businesses are getting more involved in Ukraine's reconstruction projects using financial instruments of the World Bank Group.
At the end of the Conference, the winners of the International Partnerships Awards were announced. The purpose of these awards is to show the public the specific impact of Lithuanian development cooperation and to appreciate the organizations and people who are creating this impact.
The aim of the Partnerships Conference, organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for more than 10 years, is to bring together participants of Lithuania's development cooperation ecosystem and discuss in a broader context the future of international partnerships between Lithuania and the EU, their role in strengthening resilience, supporting Ukraine's recovery, and mobilising state institutions, implementing agencies, businesses and international partners for common goals. This year, a keynote speech at the Conference was delivered by European Commissioner responsible for international partnerships Jozef Síkela.
Last updated: 06-11-2026
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