Lithuania: Eurozone Member 19

Lithuania formally joined the eurozone on Thursday, January 1, becoming its 19th member.

Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius believes his nation will be positively affected by joining the currency bloc. The country’s economy is based on exports.

Lithuania is a small, developing, Baltic nation of 3 million people. It is wedged between Poland and Latvia and borders Belarus. The nation has worked for years to draw closer to Europe for protection as Russia grows increasingly imperialistic. Lithuania’s military was on high alert for five days in December in response to Russia’s increased military activity close to its border. nato interceptions of Russian military planes over the Baltic Sea tripled in 2014. Lithuania has been a member of nato since 2004.

Lithuania is joining the eurozone during a rough time for the currency. Greece is likely to elect a new president opposed to the economic restrictions handed down during the euro crisis. The political unrest puts Greece’s eurozone membership in doubt, which could reignite the crisis.

To understand why Lithuania is concerned about Russia’s aggressive policies and where its integration with Europe is leading, read our article “The Baltics Dilemma.”