The President and the leaders of parliamentary committees exchanged views on the results of last week’s European Council and preparations for negotiating the EU's multiannual budget. According to the President, it is important for Lithuania to secure a level of direct payments to its farmers as close as possible to that of the old-timers, to retain the scale of allocations from structural funds, and to receive appropriate funding for the decommissioning of the Ignalina nuclear plant and the construction of strategic interconnections. The support of the Seimas is prerequisite for obtaining such results.
National security and defense as well as the objectives of the next NATO summit scheduled for July were also reviewed. Special focus was placed on the upcoming Baltic States-U.S. Summit to be held next April in Washington.
Among the other issues on the meeting’s agenda was the official meeting with the President of Poland held on February 17 in Vilnius, strengthening of bilateral relations between the two countries, general stance towards Russia and Belarus, and other international policy matters.
The President updated committee leaders on her scheduled foreign visits aimed at advancing long-term interests of Lithuania and its people. In March, the President will attend a European Council meeting in Brussels and the Bucharest Nine meeting in Warsaw. Her travel schedule also includes France, Italy, Georgia, and other countries.
Pope Francis, the presidents of Greece and Italy, members of the Norwegian and Dutch royal families will visit Lithuania this year. In June, the Women Political Leaders Global Forum will be held in Vilnius.
