On 30 May 2017, Viktoras Pranckietis, Speaker of the Seimas, met with Members of the US Congress to discuss bilateral cooperation between the US and Lithuania as well as security building in the Baltic region. While briefing the Congressmen on the current situation in the region, Mr Pranckietis focused on Lithuania’s Plan on Ukraine 2017–2020. In the words of the Speaker of the Seimas, US leadership lies in Lithuania’s interest.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė will leave for a state visit to Estonia on 5-6 June to meet with Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid, President of the Riigikogu (Parliament) Eiki Nestor and Prime Minister Jüri Ratas.

On 26 May 2017, Viktoras Pranckietis, Speaker of the Seimas, attended a briefing held in Buivydžiai, a village in Vilnius District, where he met foreign ambassadors residing in Lithuania. The Speaker of the Seimas said that Lithuania took a principled and clear-cut position on the issue of the Astravyets nuclear power plant.

The Seimas adopted amendments to the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens (draft No XIIIP-443(2) to adjust the regulation of entry of foreign specialists to Lithuania. The Law establishes the aliens’ entry scheme that complies with the provisions of Directive 2014/66/EU relating to an intra-corporate transfer, i.e. when an undertaking established in a foreign state temporarily posts an alien, for occupational or training purposes, to its agency, branch or undertaking belonging to the same group of undertakings, which are established in the Republic of Lithuania, and when an intra-corporate transferee moves among undertakings that belong to the same undertaking or group of undertakings established in the Republic of Lithuania and other EU Member States.

From fighting antisemitism to improving transport and protecting vulnerable elderly people, read our overview of what's happening in Parliament this week.

Feeding into the discussion on the future direction of the EU at 27, the Commission today held an orientation debate on the future of European defence.

On 25 May, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius met with Japan’s Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Motome Takisawa.

Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis has met with Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of Energy Union Maroš Šefčovič.

On 19 May 2017, Viktoras Pranckietis, Speaker of the Seimas, met with General Raymond A. Thomas III, Commander of United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). Participants of the meeting discussed topical matters pertaining to security and defence, strategic partnership between the American and Lithuanian special operations forces, and the US assistance for Lithuania in building and developing defence capabilities.