*** Dear Prime Minister Butkevičius, Dear Vice President Katainen, Dear Finance Minister Šadžius, Dear Chairman Vasiliauskas, Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, You might be aware of the timer above the door of Lietuvos bankas, Lithuania’s central bank, which is counting down to the euro changeover – less than 100 days [98 days] remain until Lithuania adopts the euro.
I am confident that like in the past, this year again complete transparency and secrecy will be maintained and all nominations would be made exclusively on merit. This is the essence of building credibility of these awards.