PoliticsPresident Dalia Grybauskaitė met with Nadiya Savchenko, member of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, who had been illegally imprisoned in Russia for two years, with her sister Vira Savchenko and Ukrainian soldiers undergoing treatment in Lithuania. New gun control rules, making it more difficult for terrorists to have access to them, are voted on by the internal market committee this week. In addition the budgets and economic committees discuss the eurozone's future development with Eurogroup president Jeroen Dijsselbloem and the finance ministers of Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Slovakia and Malta. A delegation of MEPs is also visiting refugee camps near Calais. Brexit and its consequences were discussed during a plenary debate on last week's EU summit with MEPs saying it is now time for Europe's leaders to speak up for the EU. During July's plenary session in Strasbourg MEPs also insisted on the need to protect whistle-blowers exposing scandals such as the Panama papers and approved a proposal to help better protect the EU's external borders. President Dalia Grybauskaitė is attending the NATO summit in Warsaw focused on ensuring the security of the Baltic states, Poland and the Black Sea region countries. Lithuania’s Foreign Minister meets with the outgoing Ambassadors of Sweden and of Estonia to Lithuania2016-07-08, 18:50On 5 July, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius met with the outgoing Ambassador of Sweden to Lithuania Cecilia Ruthström-Ruin. Linkevičius thanked the Swedish Ambassador for her active personal contribution to the development of close and friendly interstate relations between Lithuania and Sweden. The President met with the leadership of the Seimas Committee on European Affairs and Committee on Foreign Affairs2016-07-07, 10:53President Dalia Grybauskaitė met with the leadership of the Seimas Committee on European Affairs and Committee on Foreign Affairs. The meeting focused on preparations for the upcoming NATO summit in Warsaw, the situation following the decision of the British people to leave the European Union and the prospects of the EU’s relations with Russia. Parliament set out its recommendations for the European Commission's 2017 Work Programme in a non-legislative resolution voted on Wednesday. Before the vote, MEPs debated EU priorities with Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans. The need to reflect on what direction the EU should take in the aftermath of the UK’s EU membership referendum was the leitmotiv of this debate. EU leaders must respond to the UK's vote to leave the EU, by doing more to defend the EU project and to make it more transparent, social and responsive to citizens' concerns. This was a key message that came out of Parliament's Tuesday morning debate with European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, on last week's EU summit. On 30 June, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius met with the United States Deputy National Security Advisor Avril Haines, leaders and experts of think tanks based in Washington, D.C. On 1 July, Linkevičius also met with the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs at the United States Department of State Victoria Nuland and the Special Advisor for Europe and Eurasia at Office of the Vice President Anna Makanju. In the meetings, Lithuania’s Foreign Minister discussed strengthening transatlantic security, the upcoming NATO Summit in Warsaw, issues related to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia. The heads of Lithuania's ministries for interior and justice and the Central Electoral Commission signed on June 30th a memorandum on cooperation in combating vote-buying during elections. |
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