„Of course, our commitment made at the time of EU accession to adopt the euro is a serious argument. Yes, we have to meet our commitments but do not need to be among the first. Currently, 11 countries in the EU do not have the euro, we can be the penultimate or the last. Furthermore, our currency, the litas, is pegged to the euro, it is a good sign of stability of our financial system,“ he told a news conference at the Seimas (parliament) on Wednesday.
Tomasevski added that Lithuania should not jump to meeting its commitments until the EU unifies direct payments to all farmers.
In his words, adoption of the euro in the coming years will lead to a price hike and lower living standards.
„We may become hostages to the economic and financial situation in countries of the eurozone. Unfortunately, the crisis in Southern Europe is not over and nobody can tell when it will be over. With the adoption of the euro, we will have to pay the countries that cannot handle their own budgets. And the countries – Greece, Portugal, Cyprus and other countries – have higher living standards,“ said the MEP.
Tomasevski stated that the majority of the Lithuanian society is against the accession to the eurozone, therefore, there is no need to hold a referendum on the matter, as proposed by the coalition partners, the Order and Justice party.
„If the public opinion changes, we can go back to the referendum idea,“ he added.
The center-left government has approved the euro adoption plan and seeks to adopt the EU currency in Lithuania in 2015.
During a meeting in Telsiai district on Saturday, the Order and Justice party's council gave a green light to a resolution on a mandatory referendum on joining the eurozone. The council also proposed lowering the threshold for a referendum – 100,000 instead of the current requirement of 300,000 signatures of eligible voters.
