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On 6 June, the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Rolandas Kriščiūnas stressed in the Joint ACP-EU Council of Ministers in Brussels that the Lithuanian Presidency of the EU Council, starting on 1 July, will continue work of the current Irish Presidency on the overarching post-2015 agenda on eradication of poverty and sustainable development. “Discussions on the Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals should in future merge into a single overarching post 2015 agenda. These goals are naturally interlinked, complementing each other and their aim, at the end, is the same: to create conditions for a decent life for all people, and at the same time to ensure that today’s growth is inclusive, sustainable and does not jeopardise the growth possibilities of future generations” Kriščiūnas said.

Speaking on the EU’s core priority of good governance, structural reforms and strengthening the private sector in the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, Kriščiūnas called on partner countries to benefit from the transition experience gained by Lithuania and other EU Member States.

The Joint ACP-EU Council of Ministers discussed post-2015 agenda, the EU’s efforts to promote private sector development in the ACP states, food and nutrition security, and the impact of trade and migration on development. The Council will adopt decisions on the accession of Somalia to the Cotonou Agreement, and on the EU financial support to the ACP group of states for the period 2014-2020.

After joining the European Union in May 2004, Lithuania became party to the ACP-EC Partnership Agreement (Cotonou Agreement), which is the most comprehensive partnership agreement between  developing countries and the EU. This partnership provides an opportunity to significantly strengthen the political dialogue between the ACP States and the EU, and to promote economic and trade cooperation.