Next up: building a more resilient Nordic–Baltic region
On 6 May, in Vilnius, we celebrated 20 years since Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania became members of NIB. Watch the recordings of our stakeholder event “Next up: building a more resilient Nordic–Baltic region”.
Former President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė was Lithuania’s Finance Minister at the time when the Baltic countries joined Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden as NIB’s full-fledged members.
“I have very much personal touch and personal reasoning with the membership at NIB,” said President Dalia Grybauskaitė in her welcome address. She remembered a meeting with Henry Kissinger that had happened long before the membership negotiations had started, when she was working as a diplomat in the United States.
“He said to me—and this was around ’95-’99, when we were only thinking and dreaming about becoming members of the European Union, for example—that only via the Nordic countries we would become members. That only the Nordic countries would help us without any calculation to be what we want to be.”
Catch up: mission complete?
The first part of the event aimed at finding the reasons behind the Baltic economic success as well as discussing whether Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have closed the gap to their Nordic neighbours. What was the background for NIB membership? How far have the Baltics progressed since 2005? Are the lessons still to be learned? Is there anything the Nordics can learn from the Baltics too?
Watch the discussion featuring Lithuania’s Minister of Finance Rimantas Šadžius, former President and CEO of NIB Johnny Åkerholm and Member of the European Court of Auditors Keit Pentus-Rosimannus.
Keeping course on sustainable future
The second part discussed the tools to make the region more resilient. How do we tackle the most urgent needs without losing sight on the long-term goals? What role can NIB play in addressing these needs of its owner countries? How we do cooperate on climate and nature, productivity and innovation and security and resilience?
Watch the discussion with Member of the Supervisory Board at Citadele Daiga Auziņa-Melalksne, Chairman of the Management Board at Ignitis Renewables Jonas Rimavičius, CEO and Chairman of the Management Board at Elering Kalle Kilk.
Stronger together
In his closing remarks, NIB President & CEO André Küüsvek summarised the desire for the Baltic countries to join NIB based on the event’s discussions: “This desire came from the need for resilience. For the need to preserve what we have, to achieve more, and then to preserve and defend that from that point onwards.”
According to him, there is a reason why it took a while from regaining independence in 1990 to joining NIB in 2005. “I think the Baltics had to prove themselves. And they did: to the European Union, to NATO and finally… to the Nordic Investment Bank.”
“I think it was this Nordic consideration and carefulness about ‘who do we want to be members of our club’. I am glad that now, 20 years later, we can say that it is no longer five countries, but eight countries that are in the same club, that share the same values and very much the same mentality.”