Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Linas Linkevičius, attended the Ministerial Council Meeting of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris on 6–8 June 2017 (Making Globalisation Work: Better Lives for All) where ministers from member countries and candidate countries discussed the impact of globalisation on improving well-being.

Dalia Grybauskaitė, President of the Republic of Lithuania, has delivered the eighth State of the Nation Address at the Seimas sitting, covering the situation in Lithuania as well as domestic and foreign policy.

The Seimas adopted amendments to the new Labour Code and the accompanying legislation due to come into force on 1 July 2017 (draft No XIIIP-587(3). The amendments were developed in accordance with the proposals approved by consensus at the Tripartite Council. The new provisions were passed by 84 votes in favour, 10 against and 29 abstentions. The Seimas amended 45 articles in the new Labour Code.

Faced with an unpredictable world, the EU is keen to boost defence in Europe. Discover how Parliament is helping to deliver on security.

Parliamentary committees will this week discuss new rules for tackling legal highs, discuss how to improve the situation for refugees in Italy and look into companies being taxed in two different EU countries, while the development and environment committees will discuss sustainable development goals with UN representatives.

On 2nd June the Ministers of Defence of the Baltic States discussed security and defence and agreed on concrete measures to enhance collective defence at a meeting in Daugavpils, Latvia. “We appreciate NATO input into the security in the region, and we are completely confident about this partnership, still, we have to put in every effort of our own, security, defence, political or financial, to increase our contribution to collective defence . I am certain that together the Baltic states can contribute to collective defence significantly,” Minister of National Defence R.Karoblis says while in Daugavpils. According to him, when faced with new challenges, unity of the Baltic stance on collective defence is vital as never before. “Only if we speak as one can we become stronger and be supported by allies,” the Minister said.

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.