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At the meeting of EU Ministers responsible for European affairs on 22 April in Luxembourg, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius stressed that Lithuania supported a wish of the EU’s Irish Presidency to reach a compromise with the European Parliament on the 2014-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework.

“We believe really everything is in big pressure and in the final phase of negotiations we have to carefully assess the European Parliament’s demands and the main points of consensus raised by the European Parliament should be duly addressed with regard to revision, flexibility or own resources of the European Union,”  Linkevičius said.

The European Commission proposed to the Council and the European Parliament to agree on the extra 11.2 billion euros, as this was required for the EU budget to reimburse beneficiaries of EU-funded programs which were completed across the EU in 2012 and were expected later this year. The Minister Linkevičius called on the General Affairs Council to reach an agreement as soon as possible on the budget replenishment, which was the European Parliament’s goal before approving the EU’s multiannual financial framework 2014-2020.

“Shortage of payments is no longer a technical issue as all can see. It really has become a highly sensitive political problem and postponing the possible solution until autumn would result in additional pressure both with regard to the multiannual financial framework 2014-2020 and to the 2014 budget, and would create further uncertainty to all beneficiaries,” Lithuania’s Foreign Minister said. “We think that if someone believes that we can still live in the situation like this, in this stalemate situation, we definitely do not share this view and this feeling.”

The General Affairs Council also prepared for the European Council meeting on May 22 on the basis of a draft agenda, focusing on energy and the fight against tax fraud. The Ministers discussed an initiative to uphold core democratic values and rule of law, and the Commission’s progress reports on Serbia, Kosovo and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.