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On 6 November, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kęstutis Budrys met with representatives of the Greens political group in the European Parliament, who are paying an official visit to Lithuania from 4 to 6 November.

The meeting focused primarily on the priorities of Lithuania’s Presidency of the Council of the EU. The Minister also presented Lithuania’s position on key issues on the EU agenda to the Members of the European Parliament.

“Strengthening European security is a key priority of Lithuania’s Presidency. We will seek to strengthen Member States’ defence and deterrence, ensure long-term support for Ukraine, reinforce the EU defence industry and strengthen the protection of the EU’s eastern border. We will also seek to ensure a credible EU enlargement process based on progress achieved and objective criteria, while placing strong emphasis on European competitiveness and strengthening internal and social security,” Budrys said.

Lithuania’s Foreign Minister stressed that European security is inseparable from energy independence and reducing strategic dependencies. According to Budrys, the transition to renewable energy must not only contribute to achieving climate objectives, but also strengthen Europe’s resilience and security.

The meeting also covered the priorities of the future EU Multiannual Financial Framework for 2028–2034. The Minister stressed that investment in defence, critical infrastructure, the protection of the EU’s external borders and support for Ukraine must reflect today’s geopolitical realities and be secured without reducing funding for traditional EU policies.

Lithuania will hold the Presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2027, from 1 January to 30 June. It will take over the Presidency from Ireland and subsequently hand it over to Greece. This will be Lithuania’s second Presidency of the Council of the EU, having first held the Presidency from 1 July to 31 December 2013.