News

On 26 August at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas and members of the Government’s EU Commission, which starts its work in the middle of September, discussed the most important issues for Lithuania on the EU agenda during the Swedish EU presidency.

Vice-Ministers responsible for the EU issues, officials from the Chancellery of the Government of Lithuania and the European Law Department, representatives from the Office of the President and the Seimas (Parliament), heads of Lithuania’s diplomatic representations in the EU member states took part in the meeting.

Minister V.Ušackas stressed that the Government’s EU Commission headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs would dedicate the main attention to the issues, related to recovering of the economy and strengthening of the supervision of financial institutions, ensuring energy security, climate change, implementation of the Baltic Sea strategy, the EU growth and renewal of the employment strategy, evaluation of the crimes of totalitarian regimes on the EU level, closer relations with the EU’s neighbours in the East.

According to the Minister, a smooth implementation of the Baltic energy links constitutes an important part of the economy recovery plan. The first results of the implementation of the Baltic energy links are expected to be evaluated already in December, during the forthcoming meeting of the European heads of state and government in Brussels.

V.Ušackas emphasized that the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region was important for cooperation and the competitivety of Lithuania and other countries in the region. This strategy will be endorsed already in October, therefore, the Minister encouraged the officials of the Ministries and ambassadors to get actively and co-ordinately involved into the implementation of model regional projects in the areas of transport, energy, environment protection, innovations and other.

“We shall aim at the retaining the continuation of the evaluation process of the crimes of totalitarian regimes on the European Union level. In this respect, the conference Europe 70 Years After the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact that is organised in cooperation with the European Parliament, the Commission and the Swedish EU presidency on 14 October in Brussels, will be of great significance,” said V.Ušackas.

During the meeting, Lithuania’s coordination of the EU affairs and Lithuania’s preparedness to hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2013 was discussed. The fact that Lithuania’s EU policy embraced the internal and foreign policy was highlighted, therefore, its successful implementation is based on an intensive, well planned and coordinated work in Lithuania, Brussels and the capitals of all the EU member states.

According to Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Asta Skaisgirytė Liauškienė, the Commission that begins its work on 15 September will carry out an important mission in the consolidation of various institutions, working groups, commissions, committees, activities of social and economic partners in the area of the implementation of Lithuania’s EU policy and ensuring proper Lithuania’s preparation to hold the EU Presidency.

The Government’s EU Commission was established with a goal to optimize the national model of coordination of the EU affairs, with regard to the future Lithuania’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, tendencies of the EU development, the importance of a united and effective implementation of Lithuania’s EU policy.