“Establishment of the Light Infantry Brigade Aukštaitija is a big day for the Lithuanian Armed Forces and for national defence. Developments and changes in geopolitical situation of the recent years demonstrate that freedom and independence can not be taken for granted any longer. Lithuania needs a capable Armed Forces, therefore I wish Aukštaitija to grow and strengthen, so that you are able to defence our independence on land, at sea, in the air, in cyberspace and information space,” Minister of National Defence Raimundas Karoblis said at the ceremony of bestowing an organisational flag on the new unit.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė is leaving on a working visit to Rome tomorrow, March 24, to participate in the events marking the 60 anniversary of the European Union and to meet with Pope Francis.

On March 23-24 Chief of Staff of the Federal Republic of Germany General Volker Wieker is conducting a formal visit in Lithuania.

The Council discussed the implementation of country-specific recommendations under the 'European Semester', focusing on the reform experiences in this area in the member states. This gave rise to an exchange of views on how these experiences have impacted on the business environment.

Parliament has invited people from all over Europe to discuss the future of the European Union in the plenary chamber as part of its celebrations for the anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. The landmark agreement was signed 60 years ago this week, paving the way for the EU. The legal affairs committee also votes this week on new rules to make it easier for visually impaired people to access books and other print materials, while members of the justice committee debate the rule of law in Poland.

On March 17 Minister of National Defence Raimundas Karoblis and Chief of Defence Lieutenant General Jonas Vytautas Žukas discussed security situation in the region, and bilateral and multilateral cooperation with Director of Security and Defence Department of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Iceland Arnór Sigurjónsson conducting his first formal visit in Vilnius.

“It is absolutely clear to me that the evolution of the EU need not be feared. After all, it was due to the EU’s evolution that we became members of the EU. A time of transformation always opens new opportunities. We must simply know for certain what objectives we want to pursue in this period of change. In the current geopolitical circumstances, Lithuania should join those EU Member States which will seek to work closely together in the area of security and defence,” said Gediminas Kirkilas, Deputy Speaker of the Seimas and Chair of the Committee on European Affairs, on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.

Modern threats and ancient prejudices dominated Parliament’s March 2017 plenary session. The need to ensure that our food is safe was debated as were the threats and opportunities of melting polar ice. At the same time, the inequality still facing women in the workplace was underlined and an MEP who berated women punished, while most MEPs called on Europe to step in and replace the funds the United States is withdrawing from NGOs offering abortions in developing countries.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė met with General Curtis M. Scaparrotti, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Commander of U.S. European Command.

On March 14 Minister of National Defence Raimundas Karoblis and Vice Minister Vytautas Umbrasas met with a delegation of the Defence Committee of the German Bundestag on a visit in Lithuania. A bilateral meeting of German and Lithuanian delegations addressed security situation, bilateral cooperation, and activities of the NATO enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battalion Battlegroup deployed in Lithuania to which Germany is the framework nation.