In his speech, the Head of the Government has pointed out that it is not only the role of the European Parliament for the European Union that should be remembered, but also that of national parliaments as representative democracy at the national level.
"It is no secret that the European integration has resulted in part of the legislative competence of national parliaments being transferred to the supranational EU level. The recent Eurobarometer data are upsetting as never before: about 66 per cent of EU citizens have no illusions that their voice counts in the European Union. The EU institutions are considered to be far away from the people, and therefore not accountable to them, and the principles of operation of these institutions are complex and difficult to understand for the people", said Prime Minister A. Butkevičius.
According to the Prime Minister, today only 4 out of 10 Lithuanians are positive about the EU, however the efforts shown by the Community should build the public confidence. "I am convinced that public confidence can be increased by Community's efforts in promoting youth employment, finding ways to address the issue of demand-supply of employment skills and qualifications, creating leverage for business competitiveness and economic growth and building a single energy market ", said the Head of Government.
Prime Minister A. Butkevičius has pointed out the need of increasing the role of national parliaments with a view to promoting closer involvement of the citizens and reducing the gap between the EU and national authorities. According to the Prime Minister, it should be remembered that decisions on the most important issues are made at the national parliaments.
"National parliaments of the Member States know best their countries' economic and social policies, therefore, efforts need to be made to promote their cooperation at the EU level. A closer cooperation between the national parliaments and the supra-national institutions authorities could ensure that the mechanisms promoting welfare in the European Union are effective. In other words, the creation of an active two-way communication would enable the national parliaments to submit proposals on economic and financial issues to the European Commission", said the Prime Minister.
As Lithuania is getting ready to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the membership of the European Union, Prime Minister A. Butkevičius has underlined the importance of the EU membership attributes such as the common currency, the free movement of people for work and studies abroad, which makes Lithuanians' everyday life easier, but, which is as yet not fully practically applied here.
In conclusion, the Prime Minister has brought to the attention of the participants the importance of having one voice as regards the events in Ukraine.
"As regards the annexation of the Crimea, we have to be strong and speak with one voice. Our standpoint must be based on our values, as it is the values, particularly those of democracy and the rule of law, that make the European Union what it is now", said the Head of Government .
