Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The meeting is now resumed. On behalf of the committee I welcome to the meeting H.E. Mr. Vidmantas Purlys, the Lithuanian ambassador to Ireland. On 1 January next year Lithuania is scheduled to become the 19th member of the eurozone, and while membership for Lithuania is not a foregone conclusion, its likely that joining the eurozone is an indication of the country's ongoing economic stability. It is also testament to the resilience of the euro currency, which is emerging strongly from the economic crisis of recent years.

The committee looks forward to discussing with the ambassador the challenges his country faces and how it is preparing for membership of the eurozone. I understand he was in the Gallery when I read out the privilege notice earlier and will assume he has heard the notice so that we can proceed without delay to his presentation. While we have invited him to discuss Lithuania's preparations for the euro, in the context of our earlier discussion perhaps he will also give us an overview of how his country addresses the issue of voting rights for its diaspora.