Speech by Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB, at the Bank of Lithuania’s Annual Economics Conference on “Pillars of Resilience Amid Global Geopolitical Shifts”, on the occasion of the 10^th anniversary of euro introduction, Vilnius, Lithuania

Vilnius, 16 December 2024

It is an honour to be here today to mark 10 years of Lithuania in the euro.

“Laisvė, Vienybė, Gerovė” – freedom, unity and well-being. These are core national values in Lithuania – and accordingly, they are engraved in the edge-lettering on Lithuania’s €2 coin.

Freedom, because of the liberation from Soviet occupation. Unity, because of the need for national solidarity. And well-being, expressing hope for economic and social prosperity.

These three words capture the spirit of the Lithuanian people. And I believe that being part of the euro has strengthened each of them.

The country is now an equal partner in setting monetary policy by one of the world’s most important central banks in the third…