1 Litas Presidency of the European Union Council

Lithuania assumed the rotating presidency of the EU Council in the second half of 2013 — its first time holding the position since joining the bloc in 2004. The timing carried particular weight domestically, arriving just months before the country's euro adoption target date of January 2015, which meant this litas-denominated issue was effectively minted in the knowledge that the currency itself had a hard expiration date.

The 1 litas circulating commemorative was struck for general release rather than collector sets alone, making worn survivors a realistic expectation within a decade.