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Success of Lithuania’s foreign policy efforts to achieve the objectives set in the European Union depends on important factors of external and domestic policy - the preparation for the Presidency of the Council of the EU, developments in the international environment and the forthcoming elections to the Seimas (Parliament), said Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis at the discussion on 13 December.

The Minister stressed that in the second half of 2013, Lithuania’s upcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union was a unique opportunity to be more often heard and to see key priorities of Lithuania’s EU policy on the agenda of the European Union.

According to A.Ažubalis, when observing international developments, there is a need to particularly closely keep track of developments in transatlantic relations, the EU’s Eastern neighborhood policy and the development of relations with Russia, because this can have a significant impact on the success of the European Union and Lithuania’s foreign policy.

In the Minister’s opinion, domestically it is most important to ensure the continuity of foreign policy after the regular elections to the Seimas (Parliament) that are due next year.

“Lithuania’s most important objective is the following: we have to become an integral, successful, politically and economically consolidated part of the Nordic-Baltic region, consisting of five Nordic and three Baltic States,” said A.Ažubalis.

Discussion “The European Union Today and Tomorrow: Lithuania’s new challenges” at the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was attended by political scientist Klaudijus Maniokas, economist Jonas Čičinskas, philosopher Gintautas Mažeikis, advisers to the President, representatives from the Office of the Prime Minister and from ministries, journalists and diplomats.

The discussion focused on possible EU development alternatives.

“We are always grasping the pulse of international developments and adjust our actions and the EU strategy accordingly,” stressed the Minister.

During the discussion, J.Čičinskas emphasized the impact of the eurozone crisis and reforms in the peripheries on the agenda of Lithuania’s Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2013. The Minister also highlighted the importance of one of Lithuania’s priorities for the EU – the shaping of a common energy policy.

G.Mažeikis stressed the need to talk about possible alternative scenarios for the future of the EU and emphasized the importance of the change of old thinking for the vitality of institutions.