The European Commission yesterday published its annual analysis of the economic and social situation in the Member States, including an assessment of remaining imbalances.

Dalia Grybauskaitė met with U.S. Senator Richard Durbin. The President and the Senator discussed challenges to regional and transatlantic security, defense cooperation between Lithuania and the United States and strengthening the transatlantic bond.

Two new Vice Ministers of National Defence Giedrimas Jeglinskas and Edvinas Kerza come into office as of February 20. They will be in charge of procurement and acquisition, and cyber security, hybrid resilience, and budget shaping and implementation at the national defence system.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė met with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence in Munich. Latvian and Estonian presidents also participated in the meeting where views were exchanged on cooperation with the United States and on strengthening the transatlantic bond.

Baltic Defence Ministers agreed on an easier movement of NATO forces.

MEPs approved Ceta during this week's plenary session followed by a visit by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau telling them how the EU-Canada trade deal was not just about commerce, but also about improving people's lives. Newly-elected Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen also addressed the Parliament, while MEPs adopted new anti-terrorism measures and set out their ideas for the future of the EU.

On his visit to Brussels, Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis met with Secretary General of North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Jens Stoltenberg. The meeting focused on the security policy in the Baltic region, Europe and in the world.

The Seimas ratified the Defence Cooperation Agreement, signed between the governments of the Republic of Lithuania and the United States of America on 17 January 2017. The draft law on the ratification of the Agreement No XIIIP-342 was unanimously adopted under the exceptional urgency procedure by 111 votes in favour.

Lithuania is a leader among countries seeking to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), said the OECD Deputy Secretary-General Douglas Frantz, who is visiting Vilnius on 13 February. Lithuania’s progress and essential tasks were discussed in the meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius.

The title of a statement by EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on prospects for resuming Middle East peace talks will be changed to “Situation in the West Bank, in particular settlements”. An oral question on Germany’s revised road toll plan was moved from Thursday to Wednesday afternoon.