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On 3- 4 September, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Sigitas Mitkus attended an informal meeting of the European Union’s General Affairs Council (GAC) in Dublin, Ireland, which focused primarily on the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and EU enlargement.

“The future EU budget must be ambitious enough to enable Europe to address geopolitical challenges, strengthen its competitiveness, and invest in security. At the same time, we must ensure that the needs and challenges of the Eastern border states are reflected throughout the MFF—not just in individual funding instruments,” said Vice-Minister Mitkus during discussions on the future EU budget.

Bilateral talks on the EU’s long-term budget took place between Mitkus and Thomas Byrne, the Minister of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, during which Lithuania outlined its key priorities for the upcoming EU budget: EU cohesion, the Common Agricultural Policy, security and defense, and competitiveness. The Vice-Minister expressed full support for Ireland’s goal of concluding the negotiations by the end of this year.
Representatives from candidate and potential candidate countries participated in the session on EU enlargement alongside EU member states. The discussions focused on the future course of the enlargement process, preparations for membership, and future accession treaties.

“The enlargement of the European Union is a strategic investment in the security, stability, and resilience of our continent. We must maintain a clear European perspective for candidate countries, and the process itself must remain merit-based and grounded in concrete progress and implemented reforms. It is particularly important to ensure that Ukraine can move forward as quickly as possible on its path to European integration,” emphasized Mitkus.

The Vice-Minister discussed issues related to Ukraine’s European integration and EU enlargement during a meeting with Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Vsevolod Chensov. At the meeting, Mitkus expressed his full support for Ukraine and its membership in the EU.
Vice-Minister Mitkus discussed with the German Minister for European Affairs Lithuania’s Presidency of the Council of the EU, scheduled for the first half of 2027, preparations for it, and issues related to the 2028–2034 MFF.

During a bilateral meeting with Fernando Sampedro Marcos, Spain’s Secretary of State for the European Union, Vice-Minister Mitkus raised the issue of the memorial in Brussels and other relevant EU matters.

Issues related to the MFF, competitiveness, and EU enlargement were also discussed during Mitkus’s bilateral meeting with Hungarian State Secretary András Bíró-Nagy.

The prospects for EU enlargement and Kosovo’s ongoing integration into the EU were also discussed during a meeting with Jeton Zulfaj, Kosovo’s chief negotiator with the European Union.

During the informal GAC meeting, participants discussed the implementation of the European Democracy Shield initiative, which aims to strengthen European democratic resilience and combat disinformation.

The next informal meeting of the EU General Affairs Council will take place in April 2027, during Lithuania’s Presidency of the Council of the EU.