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On 29 May, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Petras Vaitiekūnas received Vice-President of the European Commission Margot Wallström and discussed with her the significance of the civil society and non-governmental organisations’ participation in decision-making related to the EU’s development and policies. The Member of the Commission M.Wallström is in charge of communication to the media and citizens about the initiatives of the European Commission. Her responsibilities also include the cooperation of the European Commission and other EU institutions: European Parliament, Council of the European Union, European Economic and Social Committee, Committee of the Regions and European Ombudsman.

During the meeting, Minister of Foreign Affairs P.Vaitiekūnas indicated that the Government of Lithuania regarded the public support as one of the basic conditions of Lithuania’s participation in coherent EU policy. Therefore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs pays a lot of attention to the non-governmental organisations’, academic, youth projects and discussions, the objective of which is to find the most effective means to guarantee the interests of the citizens and the state in the European Union.

‘Our goal is to hear the opinion of the citizens, to promote the discussion in whole Lithuania. We constantly dedicate a lot of time and attention to this issue and will continue to do so in the future’, stated P.Vaitiekūnas.

Minister P.Vaitiekūnas informed Commissioner M.Wallström that since 2007, the number of citizens who support Lithuania’s EU membership had increased from 65 % to 73 %.

The interlocutors emphasized that the public support for the EU was especially important.

During the meeting, they also discussed the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, the EU Neighbourhood Policy, the EU’s relations with Russia, the EU’s enlargement and other issues on the EU agenda.

Discussing the EU’s internal and external policy tasks, globalisation, security and stability challenges, Commissioner M.Wallström highlighted the input of Lithuania. According to the Commissioner, Lithuania is one of the most constructive partners within the EU.