Energy bridge

During his visit to Lithuania President Lech Kaczyński urged other Baltic states to cooperate with Poland in the EU to defend their interests. He also called on other CEE states to join the alliance. "It's better to work in a group," he said.

Several concrete steps were taken in furthering bilateral relations. Kaczyński said that Poland would not give up on the proposed 'energy bridge', which would connect Lithuania's energy grid to the Polish one. "The bridge will be built, it's just a matter of time," the President said.

The issue is of great importance to Lithuania as it would link the country's system to the European network and enable it to import energy from the West thereby decreasing its dependence on energy supplies from Russia. That dependence could increase in the coming years as Lithuania is obligated to close the existing Ignalina power plant in 2009 as part of the terms on which it joined the EU.