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On 10 February, the European Commission (EC) announced a Communication, setting out the European Union’s (EU) future budget plans for the period 2007-2013. The EC suggests determining three main priorities of the EU policy in the prospective budget: sustainable development, the interests of the citizens and strengthening the Union’s voice as a global partner. The EC proposes to ensure the sustainable development through encouragement of competitiveness and cohesion. In the budget, the citizens of Europe are also suggested to pay more attention towards creating the area of freedom, security and justice. “Negotiations on the future EU budget are important to Lithuania, as their results may determine the directions of our participation in the EU policy during the seven upcoming years. The successful participation in the negotiations will depend exclusively on us. We must take concerted efforts and be united, and in order to achieve that, a political consensus is needed in Lithuania,” the Minister of Foreign Affairs Antanas Valionis indicated after the announcement of the EC Communication. The Minister also underlined that the future of the EU regional policy and structural support, good neighbourly cooperation, financing the decommissioning of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant, safeguarding the EU external border, creating the Schengen area and regional cooperation were among the most important issues for Lithuania in negotiations over the EU budget.