Lithuania: the euro will replace the litas to 1 January

Lithuania is preparing to say goodbye to its national currency, the litas. The country will become the 19th member of the euro area on January first. A majority of Lithuanians support this major step in the rapprochement with Western Europe. But many are also concerned about a possible rise in prices. An increase that will remain very limited promises the government. It is true that the Lithuanian currency is welded for 12 years already the euro.

For Visvaldas Matijosaitis, an entrepreneur, the arrival of the euro will not change much. "Already the litas, the national currency is firmly linked to the euro," he says, "for business nothing will change. It's just good to have new tickets in hand, and the figures will be lower for transactions. "

After a painful austerity cure, Lithuania has returned in recent years with the growth, and the government hopes the euro, more cheaper investments and credits.

Algirdas Butkevicius, Lithuanian Prime Minister believes that "the spirit of entrepreneurs changes. They understand that we should be better employed on less risky markets. Use a stable currency like the euro may reduce profits but provide stability for the long term business. "

Lithuania was the last of the three Baltic states to join the euro. It borders the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. The Ukrainian crisis and fear of Russian expansionism has strengthened the country's desire to anchor its rapprochement with the West.