- Born:
- March 1, 1956, Vilnyus, U.S.S.R. [now Vilnius, Lithuania] (age 70)
- Title / Office:
- president (2009-2019), Lithuania
Dalia Grybauskaitė
-
Who is Dalia Grybauskaitė?
Dalia Grybauskaitė, born on March 1, 1956, served as president of Lithuania from 2009 to 2019 and was the first woman to hold this position. Known for her toughness, she was often called Lithuania’s "Iron Lady".
Before becoming president, Grybauskaitė studied and lectured, holding posts in the Ministry of International Economic Relations and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She also served as a plenipotentiary minister in the U.S. and as a deputy finance minister.
As president, Grybauskaitė focused on improving Lithuania’s economy through stimulating exports, cutting public expenditures, and implementing EU aid. After Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, she advocated for economic sanctions against Russia. Winning reelection in May 2014, she became the first president in Lithuania’s post-Soviet history to serve two consecutive terms. Relations with Russia and military readiness dominated her second term.
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Which country did Dalia Grybauskaitė serve as president?
Dalia Grybauskaitė served as president of Lithuania from 2009 to 2019 and was the first woman to hold that office. In May 2009, running as an independent, Grybauskaitė won the presidential election with approximately 69% of the vote. After taking office in July 2009, she focused on stimulating exports, cutting public expenditures, and implementing EU aid to improve the country’s economic situation. In May 2014, she was reelected, becoming the first president in Lithuania’s post-Soviet history to serve two consecutive terms.
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When did Dalia Grybauskaitė become president of Lithuania?
Dalia Grybauskaitė won the presidential election in Lithuania in May 2009 with approximately 69% of the vote and took office in July 2009. She was the first woman to be elected president of Lithuania. In May 2014, Grybauskaitė won reelection, becoming the first president in Lithuania’s post-Soviet history to serve two consecutive terms. She remained president until July 2019.
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What were some important achievements during her presidency?
Dalia Grybauskaitė served as president of Lithuania from 2009 to 2019 and was the first woman to hold the post. After taking office in July 2009, Grybauskaitė focused on stimulating exports, cutting public expenditures, working to efficiently implement EU aid, and offering tax relief to owners of small businesses to improve the country’s economic condition. After Russia illegally annexed Crimea in March 2014, Grybauskaitė advocated for economic sanctions against Vladimir Putin's government. In May 2014, she won reelection, becoming the first president in Lithuania’s post-Soviet history to serve two consecutive terms.
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How did Dalia Grybauskaitė influence Lithuania's relationship with the European Union?
Dalia Grybauskaitė significantly shaped Lithuania's relationship with the European Union (EU). As deputy foreign affairs minister in 2000, she took a leadership role in negotiations for Lithuania's accession to the EU. Later, as the European commissioner responsible for financial programming and budget in 2004, Grybauskaitė was selected as the 2005 EU Commissioner of the Year.
During her presidency (2009-2019), Grybauskaitė focused on stimulating exports and efficiently implementing EU aid to improve Lithuania's economic situation. In 2008, the European Commission had rejected Lithuania's application to join the euro zone due to high inflation. Grybauskaitė's efforts contributed to Lithuania joining the Eurozone in 2015.
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What challenges did Dalia Grybauskaitė face as president, and how did she respond to them?
As president of Lithuania from 2009 to 2019, Dalia Grybauskaitė faced significant challenges, including an ailing economy and tense relations with Russia.
To address the economic issues, Grybauskaitė focused on stimulating exports, cutting public expenditures, efficiently implementing EU aid, and offering tax relief to small business owners.
After Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, she became a vocal proponent of economic sanctions against Russia. Emphasizing military readiness, she welcomed a NATO battle group to Lithuania as part of the alliance's enhanced forward presence.
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Dalia Grybauskaitė (born March 1, 1956, Vilnyus, U.S.S.R. [now Vilnius, Lithuania]) is a former politician who served as president of Lithuania from 2009 to 2019. She was the first woman to hold the post. Known for being tough, Grybauskaitė was sometimes called the country’s “Iron Lady.”
Grybauskaitė studied at Leningrad A.A. Zhdanov State University (now Saint Petersburg State University) and earned (1988) a doctorate in economics from the Moscow Academy of Public Sciences. From 1983 to 1990 she was a lecturer at the Communist Party’s training college in Vilnius, and after Lithuania gained full independence in 1991, she held posts in the country’s Ministry of International Economic Relations and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After serving (1996–99) as the plenipotentiary minister at the Lithuanian embassy in the United States, she returned to Vilnius to assume the office of deputy finance minister and became Lithuania’s chief negotiator with the IMF and the World Bank.
In 2000 Grybauskaitė was appointed deputy foreign affairs minister and took a leadership role within the delegation responsible for negotiating Lithuania’s accession to the European Union (EU). From 2001 to 2004 she served as finance minister, and in that post she strongly supported privatization and liberalization efforts, among other reform measures. She also developed a reputation for toughness and blunt talk; numerous media outlets began calling her Lithuania’s “Iron Lady,” a reference to former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, for whom Grybauskaitė had publicly expressed admiration.
In 2004 Grybauskaitė was tapped to serve in Brussels as the European commissioner responsible for financial programming and budget; she was later selected the 2005 EU Commissioner of the Year. However, after the deepening global economic crisis helped spark violent protests in Vilnius in January 2009, Grybauskaitė left her EU post to run as an independent candidate in Lithuania’s presidential election. Touting her extensive experience in finance and economics, she registered an overwhelming victory in May, capturing more than 69 percent of the vote to just under 12 percent for her nearest rival—the largest-ever margin of victory for a Lithuanian presidential candidate.
After taking office in July 2009, Grybauskaitė focused on lifting the country’s economic fortunes. To this end, she sought to stimulate exports, cut public expenditures, work to efficiently implement EU aid, and offer tax relief to owners of small businesses. By 2011 the economy was showing some signs of recovery, though it continued to struggle. After Russia illegally annexed the Ukrainian autonomous republic of Crimea in March 2014, Grybauskaitė was one of the most vocal proponents of economic sanctions against the government of Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin. Grybauskaitė’s approval ratings climbed as tension with Moscow increased, and in May 2014 she won reelection, becoming the first president in Lithuania’s post-Soviet history to serve two consecutive terms. Relations with Russia would dominate her second term. She emphasized Lithuanian military readiness and welcomed a NATO battle group as part of the alliance’s “enhanced forward presence” in Lithuania. Barred from seeking reelection again, due to term limits, Grybauskaitė remained widely popular with the Lithuanian public when she relinquished the presidency in July 2019.