News

On 30 November in Brussels, the Permanent Representation of Lithuania to the European Union held a meeting of the Trio of the Presidencies of the Council of the European Union. The meeting mainly focused on the discussion of cooperation with the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union.The event was attended by heads of the Permanent Representations of Ireland, Lithuania and Greece, and by others diplomats, responsible for preparations to hold the Presidency.

“The success of the Presidency of Lithuania and of the entire Trio will depend on close and effective cooperation with the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union,” Permanent Representative of Lithuania to the EU, Ambassador Raimundas Karoblis said at the meeting.

Director-General of General Political Questions and Interinstitutional Relations at the General Secretariat Jim Cloos and head of the Cabinet of the Secretary-General Marek Mora presented key aspects of the upcoming eighteen-month long Trio Presidency and important issues that were foreseen on the EU agenda for  2013-2014.

During the second session, Lithuanian, Irish and Greek diplomats together with the staff of the General Secretariat discussed the working methods that were applied, ways of communication with EU institutions and other issues of practical preparation to hold the EU presidency under the eighteen-month programme.

Meetings of the Permanent Representations of Lithuania, Ireland, and Greece to the EU in Brussels are scheduled also in 2011. It is expected that in the second half of 2011, the Trio countries will start to draft a common work programme that cover a period of eighteen months of their presidency.

Lithuania will hold the EU presidency from 1 July 2013 until 1 January 2014.

As provided by the EU Treaties, the Presidency of the Council of the European Union is held by every three-member states for their combined eighteen months. The Presidency rotates between the so-called “Trios” in a predefined order, allowing each state to preside over the Council in various configurations for a six-month period. The exception however is the foreign affairs council.