„I'm very happy that the Lithuanian government has clearly showed its commitment to join. I can say that there are only pros, only positive things. I can only congratulate our neighbors, that it is a right thing,“ Estonian Finance Minister Jurgen Ligi said during a joint news conference.
„The negative aspects to joining the eurozone are almost completely emotional,“ the Estonian minister said. He said that there is „no good or bad time“ for joining the euro.
„It should have been done earlier. There is no choice for timing for small countries, it's just normal things to be a member of big currencies,“ he added.
Latvian Finance Minister Andris Vilks supported this view.
„As a small country, we cannot just wait for some very very good year. We cannot be selective, we're not Scandinavian countries, very wealthy countries“, he said at the news conference.
Lithuanian Finance Minister Rimantas Sadzius said that eurozone membership „is a privilege“.
„Becoming a member of the eurozone is not only a necessity, but it is also a privilege. I believe that the eurozone has learned much from the recent financial crisis. (The Cyprus problem) has also shown that the eurozone can cope with troubles,“ he said at the same news conference.
The Baltic finance ministers discussed euro adoption and Lithuania's upcoming EU presidency in Vilnius on Thursday.
