On May 4-5 Minister of National Defence Raimundas Karoblis is taking part in an informal European Union Defence Ministers meeting in Sofia (Bulgaria). The EU Ministers will attend the Steering Board meeting arranged by the European Defence Agency (EDA) where EDA activities in implementing the Common Security and Defence Policy will be presented.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė is leaving on a working visit to Rome where she will meet with the President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella. She will also attend the opening of the Lithuanian art festival "Flux” and present a state decoration to Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

An appropriate draft law has been registered in the Lithuanian Parliament on 12th April by deputy Zbignev Jedinskij from the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania – Christian Families Alliance. The draft law had to be considered by parliamentarians on 3rd May, but the law on the disclosure of secret KGB associates disappeared from the agenda of the Seimas.

During this week's plenary session in Brussels, MEPs will debate on Wednesday new proposals for the EU’s post-2020 long-term budget and revenue reform presented by the European Commission.

At its sitting, the Seimas ratified the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada, of the one part, and the European Union and its Member States, of the other part, adopted in Brussels on 30 October 2016. The Law providing for the ratification of the Agreement was adopted with 70 votes in favour, 6 against and 14 abstentions.

During his address at the EU Speakers Conference on 24 April 2018, Viktoras Pranckietis, Speaker of the Seimas, reminded the audience of the real threats to the Baltic States and the entire EU and stressed the need to ensure due funding for maintaining security and stability in all Member States.

By 88 votes in favour, the Seimas unanimously adopted amendments to the Consular Statute, thus transferring into Lithuanian legislation the provisions of the Council Directive (EU) 2015/637 of 20 April 2015. The said Directive facilitates consular protection of EU citizens by entitling them to consular services in all third countries where the EU has its diplomatic or consular authorities.

Prior to the spring Meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius met with the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), General Curtis M. Scaparrotti on 26 April. The interlocutors agreed that the deployment of battlegroups to Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland, which had been agreed upon at the NATO summit in Warsaw, was an excellent example of successful implementation of rapid and solidarity-based solutions.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė met with Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway who came to Lithuania on an official visit.

On Parliament's agenda this week are new rules simplifying asylum procedures, legislation on posted workers as well as a conference on digital society.