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On 10 November in Madrid, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas and his Belgian, Estonian, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Italian and Spanish counterparts discussed European policy priorities during forthcoming Spain’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union.  Lithuania’s head of diplomacy also met with Chairman of the Committee on European Union Affairs of Spain’s Congress of Deputies Miguel Arias Cañete as well as with foreign and European policy experts of nongovernmental organisations.

The meeting of EU foreign ministers was organised at the initiative of Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain Miguel Ángel Moratinos, as Spain is preparing to hold the EU Presidency from 1 January 2010.

Minister V.Ušackas acquainted Spain, which will hold the Presidency in the first half-year of 2010, with the issues that are most important to Lithuania. The Minister stressed that Lithuania expected the Spanish Presidency and other EU countries to take consistent steps towards the creation of a competitive and wealthy Europe, the implementation of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, the provision of assistance to countries with democratic values and the development of the EU diplomatic service.

According to Minister V.Ušackas, people hope that the EU will launch specific programmes and projects, which will help to revive the economy, will create places to work, and will improve the provision of services. The Minister stressed that the EU declared 2010 the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion. Therefore, Lithuania expects that the EU Presidencies in 2010 will come up with creative proposals and will take actions to join the efforts of governments and the private sector to reduce social exclusion and to combat poverty.

During the meeting, the Minister highlighted that the construction of power and transport links, which the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region foresees, would become a precondition for the free movement of persons, services and capital between the EU and non-EU countries.

“This Strategy could become an example also to other EU regions. Therefore, , taking into consideration the interest of other regions, in 2010 the Lithuanian  Presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) intends to organise regional meetings of CBSS representatives with the representatives from the Danube region and the Adriatic Sea and the Ionian Sea region in order to share its best practice with them,” Minister V.Ušackas said.

According to the Minister, the EU diplomatic service that is being created has to represent interests of all EU citizens, especially when providing consular assistance and effectively implementing the common EU foreign policy.

While speaking about the EU Eastern Neighbourhood, the Minister stressed that it was important to continue and actively develop bilateral, as well as multilateral relations with the six Eastern EU partner countries. The Minister regretted that even though twenty years had passed since the fall of the Berlin wall, still not every one in Europe could take advantage of freedom and democracy.

During the meeting with M.Arias Cañete, key matters on the EU agenda and bilateral issues were discussed. The Minister welcomed good relations between Lithuania and Spain, and drew attention to the fact that there was a need to promote direct investments of Spain in Lithuania, took interest in Spain’s experience in the areas of liquid gas import and renewable energy sources.

In the first half-year of 2010, Spain will hold the EU Presidency and Belgium will hold the Presidency in the second half-year. Hungary will hold the Presidency in the first half-year of 2011. Spain will hold the EU Presidency already after the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon.