Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė congratulated the new Minister of Latvia, Evika Siliņa, on Friday. Prime Minister I. Šimonytė wished the Latvian Prime Minister E. Silina and the cabinet of ministers every success.

On Wednesday, President Gitanas Nausėda took part in the Krynica Forum opening event and participated in a debate together with President Andrzej Duda of Poland.

In the annual State of the European Union debate, MEPs quizzed President von der Leyen on the Commission’s work in the past and its plans until the June 2024 elections.

On 8 September, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis met with the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for An Economy that Works for People and the European Commissioner for Trade Valdis Dombrovskis, who was visiting Lithuania.

The European Parliament today approved the appointment of Iliana Ivanova (Bulgaria) as Commissioner for innovation, research, culture, education and youth.

On Friday, President Gitanas Nausėda met with Vice-President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis to discuss the agenda for the new EU political season, support for Ukraine, the use of frozen Russian assets for rebuilding Ukraine, sanctions against Russia, and Russia's accountability for crimes of aggression.

MEPs will scrutinise the work of the European Commission on 13 September to ensure the EU addresses Europeans’ key concerns. Follow the State of the EU debate live.

The Industry Committee adopted measures to boost the supply of strategic raw materials, crucial to secure the EU’s transition towards a sustainable, digital and sovereign future.

On 6-7 September in Latvia, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis will attend an informal meeting of the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) Foreign Ministers. This year, Latvia coordinates the NB8 cooperation.

The ministerial meeting in Riga and Cēsis will focus on strengthening regional security and resilience, supporting Ukraine, closer NB8 cooperation and other important regional issues.

The Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) is an informal (non-institutionalized) regional cooperation format that includes Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden. Each year, the NB8 countries coordinate the activities of the NB8 on a rotating basis. The coordinating country organizes and hosts meetings that take place during that year. In 2022, the NB8 cooperation was coordinated by Lithuania.

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This advisory provides practical information on the hearing of Iliana Ivanova (Bulgaria) taking place on 5 September from 9.30 to 12.30.