Adamkus says Lithuania’s EU and NATO membership brought his greatest joy
Tuesday 3rd November 2026 on 07:45 in
Lithuania
Former Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus says Lithuania’s accession to the European Union and NATO was the greatest joy of his life. In an interview with the news portal Bernardinai.lt, reported by LRT, Adamkus said the path to membership had been difficult but that Lithuania can now take pride in its achievements. He is marking his 100th birthday.
“One of the main goals of my life was to see Lithuania in the European Union, protected by NATO forces, and I devoted a great deal of effort to that work,” Adamkus said. He recalled visiting many European countries and meeting their leaders. Some warmly supported Lithuania’s membership, while others had doubts and offered no assurances.
“Today, after many years, we can be pleased with what we have achieved: we are seen, heard and active. NATO is a guarantee that we will not be sacrificed to any new regime,” he said.
Adamkus, who served two terms as president, actively supported Lithuania’s integration into Western institutions. After the country joined the EU and NATO, he sought to establish it as a full member of both organisations.
He said Lithuania’s main goals remain unchanged: to preserve its freedom and independence, decide its own future and take an active part in the community of free nations. He also said Lithuania can express and defend its views within the EU, even when they differ from a common decision.
Marking his centenary, Adamkus described the milestone as one of the most significant events of his life. He said he was grateful to have lived through a difficult but meaningful period marked by world war and occupations.
Adamkus said his active life began in his final years of secondary school, when he became involved in underground activities. During the Soviet, Nazi and renewed Soviet occupations, he and others were determined to see Lithuania become free and independent, he said.
He recalled being in Chicago on March 11, when Lithuania declared its independence. Adamkus said he was moved that efforts to bring Lithuania back into the free world had succeeded, and called the date a major occasion for a nation that had fought for self-determination for 50 years.