euro|topics - Rimvydas Valatka

21/11/2008

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Valatka, Rimvydas

4 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.

Lietuvos Rytas - Lithuania | 13/10/2008

Parliamentary elections in Lithuania

After the first round of parliamentary elections in Lithuania the composition of the future government is still unclear, but the daily newspaper Lietuvos Rytas is already pessimistic about the situation: "We will have the first government to rule a country without a nuclear power station and which is completely dependent on Russian oil and gas. We never had this kind of situation either in the cold winter of 1993 or the autumn of unemployment in 2000. From its very first days in power, the new government will face a stagnating economy and a rising budgetary deficit while the dissatisfaction of the people grows. The heating and electricity bills are going up, people are taking out more loans the conditions for which are becoming more stringent as a result of the financial crisis. On top of all this we're not getting anywhere with the university reform, the public health system is only just about staying afloat and the teachers' salaries have not been raised and nor will they be if the budget is not increased."

Lietuvos Rytas - Lithuania | 15/07/2008

Dual citizenship for Lithuanians?

Lithuania's president Valdas Adamkus has presented a draft law to parliament for renegotiation. The law would allow children born to Lithuanians living abroad to hold two passports. The daily Lietuvos Rytas argues that the law would be pointless: "Will the children of emigrants save Lithuania? After all, a Lithuanian passport is just a piece of paper issued by the authorities. Can it really strengthen the bond between people with Lithuanian roots and their country? ... It is time we understood that citizenship is not the same as nationality. Lithuania is not created by emigrants, no matter how much money they send home, but by the people who live in Lithuania. And among these are Russians, Poles and in future perhaps Chinese and Turks as well. There is nothing wrong with dual citizenship in the 21st century, but we should not fool ourselves into believing it can save the nation."

Lietuvos Rytas - Lithuania | 28/01/2008

Lithuania's image problem

Lithuania is depressed about its lack of recognition abroad. The government is now considering changing the English name, which many find so hard to pronounce. Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas wants to start an image campaign to present Lithuania as a "courageous land." Rimvydas Valatka raises an eyebrow: "Just what do marketing experts have to offer? OK, we were Europe's last pagans, we were the ones to initiate the fall of the Soviet Union, we supposedly have an innovative culture and a spirit of enterprise. But isn't this somehow reminiscent of Soviet propaganda? What does the fact that we were latecomers to Christianity have to do with courage? ... It's nice to want to make an impression, but do we want it to be an idiotic one?"

Lietuvos Rytas - Lithuania | 30/04/2007

Exemplary Estonia

Rimvydas Valatka calls on Lithuanians to declare their solidarity with Estonia in the latter's dispute with Russia over the bronze statue. "The Estonians are the victims of Moscow and its followers, including former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who was bought by Gazprom for a few pieces of silver. We sometimes make fun of the Estonians, but often enough we envy them because Estonia is always one step ahead of us. ... Even after the riots that Moscow's fifth column triggered, we should still envy the Estonians. They have shown that they have an efficient state. Their prime minister has proved he is able to govern, their police force was well-prepared and dealt with the Moscow-backed vandals in a professional manner. Can we imagine this being the case in Lithuania?"

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