President Dalia Grybauskaitė met with foreign ambassadors accredited to Lithuania to discuss the international security situation, trends in the global economy and the challenges facing the international community and Lithuania in 2016.

At the meeting of 14 January 2016, the Committee on European Affairs of the Seimas discussed the initiative by the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia on the draft "green card" concerning the review of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (hereinafter referred to as the Directive). The Committee agreed in principle with the initiative, but in the light of the opinions delivered by the responsible specialised committees of the Seimas recommended to revise some aspects of the proposal.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė met with influential foreign and security policy experts, analysts, influential political scientists, and public opinion makers taking part in the traditional Snow Meeting.

On 14 January, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius met with the United Kingdom's Minister of State for Europe David Lidington. The meeting focused on issues related to EU reforms, security policy, relations with Russia, the situation in Ukraine and bilateral agenda.

At the meeting of 14 January 2016, the Committee on European Affairs discussed the proposal of the European Parliament for the Council Decision adopting the provisions amending the Act concerning the election of the Members of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage. Apart from technical aspects, the proposal recommends the amendment of the procedure for establishing constituencies for elections to the European Parliament and of the procedure for the election of the President of the European Commission.

At its meeting on 13 January 2016, the Seimas Committee on Human Rights discussed compliance with the principle of subsidiarity of the Proposal of the European Commission for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States as regards the accessibility requirements for products and services (hereinafter referred to as the Proposal).

The priorities of the incoming Dutch presidency of the EU Council are being outlined to parliamentary committees by Dutch ministers at a series of meetings this week.

2016 should be the year of corporate tax reform and fiscal transparency, tax Commissioner Pierre Moscovici told MEPs from the Special Committee on Tax Rulings and the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee at a hearing on Monday evening. "We have a serious problem with tax avoidance and lack of transparency. Too many people have looked the other way", Mr Moscovici said.

Measures to tackle the migration and refugee crisis are to be discussed by the civil liberties committee on Thursday. MEPs also vote on the first EU-wide cybersecurity rules and on the protection of undisclosed business information against unlawful acquisition and use. MEPs are to discuss the programme of the new Council presidency with the relevant Dutch ministers while political groups prepare for next week's plenary session in Strasbourg.

The European Commission has adopted a series of cross-border cooperation programmes totalling €1 billion, supporting social and economic development in the regions on both sides of the EU's external borders.