MEPs overwhelmingly approved a resolution setting out Parliament's priorities for the negotiations concerning the UK's withdrawal from the EU during this week's plenary session in Strasbourg. In addition MEPs urged European authorities to establish new checks to prevent car emissions fraud and also approved stricter rules to ensure the safety of medical devices as well as plans to enable more flexibility regarding the EU's long-term budget.

On Wednesday during the visit to Ukraine Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis met with the Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman. At the meeting the Head of Government Skvernelis noted that our country’s support to Ukraine is considerably greater that its formal position.

“Russia is becoming a conventional threat to the EU and NATO. According to our estimations, sovereignty is not something given for granted in the context of the changing security situation, therefore Europe needs a leader capable of consolidating the needs of all countries and to ensure security throughout the region,” Minister of National Defence Raimundas Karoblis said at a meeting in Lithuania with Parliamentary State Secretary at the German Ministry of Defence Markus Grübel on April 4.

On 4 April in Vienna, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius met with the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano and expressed his particular concerns over the serious violations of nuclear safety requirements that had occurred while the Astravets nuclear power plant (NPP) was being constructed.

On 4 April in Vienna, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius held a meeting with the outgoing OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier and thanked him for years of joint work and for the OSCE’s active role in Ukraine, efforts to end Russia’s military aggression in this country and to ensure the implementation of the Minsk agreements.

The Seimas adopted amendments to the Civil Code and accompanying legal acts aimed at ensuring safety of children in families and speeding up child custody and adoption processes.

On the agenda for this week: red lines for Brexit, recommendations for safer and cleaner cars, visa-free travel for Ukrainians and roaming.

“NATO remains and important guarantee of Lithuania’s security,” Minister of National Defence Raimundas Karoblis says and underscores that Lithuania’s NATO membership is good for NATO too.

On 27 March 2017, Gediminas Kirkilas, Deputy Speaker of the Seimas and Chair of the Committee on European Affairs, and Andriejus Stančikas, Chair of the Committee on Rural Affairs, met with New Zealand’s delegation consisting of Nathan Guy, Minister of Agriculture, and Rod Harris, Ambassador in Berlin.