PoliticsThis month, the Embassy of Lithuania in China extended its network of the VFS Lithuania Visa Application Centres to another five cities in China. From now on, Schengen visa applications can be submitted directly at the VFS Lithuania Visa Application Centres in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Jinan and Shenzhen. MEPs debate the EU-Turkey deal on migration and vote on an agreement to improve European railways during the plenary in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday. Meanwhile the civil liberties committee discusses March's terrorist attacks in Brussels and an EU-wide list of safe countries of origin where migrants can be returned to. In addition a conference on how to tackle radicalisation in Europe takes place on Tuesday afternoon. Foreign Ministers of Nordic, Baltic and Visegrad Group countries discuss security challenges and priority items on EU agenda2016-04-25, 12:10On 21-22 April, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius participated in a meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Nordic, Baltic and Visegrad Group countries in Jūrmala, Latvia. Foreign Ministers of Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary discussed the region’s security situation, energy security, migration, the EU’s policy towards its eastern neighbours and other issues. The NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government to be held in Warsaw on 8–9 July 20162016-04-24, 12:12At its closed meeting on 20 April 2016, the Seimas Committee on Foreign Affairs and representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defence discussed the preparation for the NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government to be held in Warsaw on 8–9 July 2016. Minister J.Olekas expressed Lithuania’s support to Moldova’s aspirations for European integration and stronger cooperation with NATO2016-04-23, 16:02On April 21 Minister of National Defence J.Olekas underscored Lithuania’s support to Moldova’s aspirations for European integration and stronger cooperation with NATO at a meeting with Minister of Defence of Moldova Anatolie Salaru on a formal visit in Lithuania. President Dalia Grybauskaitė, currently on a state visit to Germany, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed relevant bilateral, EU and NATO issues. The meeting placed special emphasis on the threat posed by Russia to the security of Europe and on NATO’s defense and deterrence measures to counter it, as well as on EU actions to tackle the migration crisis in the EU. Committee on European Affairs adopted an opinion on the proposal to reform the system for conducting European elections2016-04-21, 10:22The Committee on European Affairs adopted a political opinion on the Proposal of the European Parliament for a Council decision adopting the provisions amending the Act concerning the election of the members of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage (further referred to as the Proposal). Links between organised crime and terrorism, how to handle people returning from conflict zones, de-radicalisation and the need for a common definition of terrorism and means to prove terrorist intent were among the issues raised in the Civil Liberties Committee’s “foreign fighters” debate with Eurojust President Michèle Coninsx on Wednesday. On Thursday MEPs will debate plans for external border checks on EU citizens. On 15 April 2016, Loreta Graužinienė, Speaker of the Seimas, met with Marek Kuchciński, Marshal of the Sejm of Poland, as part of her visit to Poland. At the meeting, they discussed strengthening of bilateral parliamentary cooperation, preparation for the Conference of Speakers of EU Parliaments to be held in Luxembourg this May, and issues pertaining to the Assembly of Members of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, the Sejm and Senate of the Republic of Poland, and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to be held in Kiev on 30–31 May 2016. Parliamentary committees deal this week with the steps Turkey needs to take in order to qualify for visa-free travel in the EU as well as the thousands of migrant children that have disappeared in Europe. In addition they discuss for the first time draft amendments to gun control plans to prevent weapons falling into the hands of terrorists. |
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