During a Meeting with EBRD Vice President Jurgen Rigterink, Minister G. Skaistė: "In the Face of War, We Must Focus Investments on Increasing Energy Independence"
Today, Minister of Finance Gintarė Skaistė had a meeting with Jurgen Rigterink, Vice President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). During the meeting, the perspectives of the Lithuanian economy were discussed, as well as the aim to increase the EBRD investments by contributing to the strengthening of the country's energy independence and the development of capital markets. The role of the bank in providing financial support to Ukraine was also underlined.
"In the face of Russia's war against Ukraine, we must expand the scope of investments in increasing the energy independence of Lithuania and the entire region, thereby strengthening economic resilience to future shocks. In order to achieve these goals, the EBRD is an important and reliable partner. Also, the role of the bank is important in contributing to the development of the Lithuanian capital markets and in developing the area of green finance, which has a lot of potential," said Minister of Finance G. Skaistė.
The Minister and J. Rigterink also discussed the financing provided by the EBRD to Ukraine so far and the priority directions for further investments in Ukraine, supplementing other sources of support agreed at the EU and international levels. In addition, the role of involving the private sector, including Lithuanian companies, in the reconstruction of Ukraine was emphasized.
"We appreciate the EBRD's involvement in Ukraine and investments in priority sectors – trade, food and energy security, contribution to the reconstruction and maintenance of critical infrastructure. Together we must continue to provide support and mobilize funds to help Ukraine stand up. The bank specializes in working with the private sector, which is extremely important both in maintaining the vitality of the Ukrainian economy during the war and in preparing for the country's reconstruction processes, in which Lithuanian business could also play a role," emphasized G. Skaistė.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (hereinafter – the EBRD) is an international financial institution established in 1991. The members of the bank include 69 countries and two international institutions – the European Commission (EC) and the European Investment Bank, which operates in 37 countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean region.
The objective of the EBRD activities is to promote economic reforms that accelerate the transition of countries to an open and democratic market economy. The bank finances projects in agriculture, energy efficiency, financial institutions, manufacturing, local environmental infrastructure, natural resources, energy, property, tourism, small and medium enterprises, telecommunications, information technology, media and transport.
Last updated: 20-02-2023
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