OREANDA-NEWS. On January 23, 2009 the President of the Republic of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus signed the Law on the Establishment of the Ministry of Energy, reported the Official website www.president.lt.

The President has made this decision as he believes Lithuania needs to have a separate institution responsible for energy policy in the face of the current energy security challenges. The Cabinet, and the Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius in person, have assured the President that the new body to be established by using the resources of the Ministry of Economy will not require more spending and will not create an additional bureaucratic apparatus.

President Adamkus had repeatedly warned the Executive Branch of being late with the implementation of energy projects that were so important for Lithuania as they could create the conditions to enter the EU energy market and to have alternatives sources of electricity and natural gas supply.

 "Lithuania is being justly criticised for not applying heat-efficient technologies domestically: for being slow in installing thermal insulation in multi-dwelling houses, for using energy inefficiently, and for creating obstacles for the development of alternative energy sources," President Adamkus underlines.

For these reasons, the President believes it is reasonable to establish the Ministry of Energy with responsibility for Lithuania's strategic objectives such as the construction of electricity bridges to Poland and Sweden and of the new nuclear power plant to be implemented as soon as possible. The new Ministry is expected to produce concrete results this year already, namely a political decision for the laying of electricity cable to Sweden, concrete works in the construction of the electricity bridge between Lithuania and Poland, and finalisation of negotiations with regional partners concerning the new modern nuclear power plant.

"I hope the Ministry of Economy will, first and foremost, direct its efforts at promoting business sunrise rather than merely discussing it as it was up to now, and will ease the bureaucratic and administrative burden for business which is particularly heavy for small businesses and restricts their initiatives," President Adamkus says.

The President also warns the Cabinet against using, at this time of global saving, the establishment of the new ministry as a cover for enlarging the officialdom, for making ministerial transfers or for renaming institutions.

President Adamkus underlines the establishment of the Ministry of Energy is an exceptional case and must be justified by closing down inefficient authorities or those with overlapping functions.
 "I sign this Law and I want to trust that the Government will responsibly implement its hardship suppression programme and keep its promises, one of which is to amend certain disputable provisions of the laws that were adopted so hastily. We will be watching closely the activities of the Ministry of Energy to see if the Government has kept its promise not to spend a single litas from the State's purse," President Adamkus says.