The President and the British Prime Minister discussed the United Kingdom's proposals aimed at making the EU more effective. David Cameron proposes measures to strengthen the EU internal market, increase economic integration and make the UK welfare system less open to abuse.
Dalia Grybauskaitė underlined that the European Union had to adapt to the changing environment. However, even though reforms were necessary, the EU's core values and principles had to remain fixed. The free movement of people, goods, services and capital, the President pointed out, were the underlying foundation of the Union and nothing should undermine it.
Lithuania supports the UK's position that the EU internal market should work more effectively. A better functioning of the single market for services, digital technologies and energy is on top of Lithuania's list of priorities, too.
Among the other issues discussed during the meeting was the European security environment. The Lithuanian President and the British Prime Minister share the same position on the situation in Ukraine and on Russia's role in this conflict.
They also exchanged views about the EU's joint actions to counter disinformation, incitement of war and hostile propaganda.
At the initiative of Lithuania and the United Kingdom, a joint EU action plan on strategic communication has been worked out to counter disinformation in the European Union. It provides for measures to build up European citizens' resistance to the lies spread by hostile propaganda, strengthen the civil society and support media freedom in the Eastern neighborhood region.
According to the President, the geopolitical situation demands unity and stability in the whole of the European Union. Cyber and information attacks as well as economic blockades are directed against EU member states. The European Union cannot ignore them. It is necessary not only to evaluate the changing security environment and the newly emerging hybrid threats, but also to prepare concrete counter measures.
