This month it has been 30 years since Spain and Portugal joined the EU. At the time the EU was still known as the European Economic Community and after the accession of Portugal and Spain consisted of 12 member states.

President Dalia Grybauskaite says that she sees no reasons why she should not nominate Vitas Vasiliauskas for a second term of office as Lithuania's central bank governor.

As Lithuania increases its contribution to the U.S.-led Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine, over 10 soldiers of the Lithuanian Special Operations Forces joined the programme as of the end of 2015. Alongside with other allies, Lithuanian troops will train soldiers of the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces and share with them the experience gained in multinational deployments.

On 5 January in Vilnius, the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Andrius Krivas met with the newly appointed Ambassador of Ukraine to Lithuania Volodymyr Yatsenkivskyi, who presented copies of his letters of credence at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania. Lithuania's Foreign Vice-Minister and the Ambassador discussed the most topical issues of bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

The Netherlands will be at the helm of the Council of the EU for the first six months of this year. The country will focus on promoting economic growth and connecting with civil society. The priorities will be migration and international security; innovation and job creation; sound finances and a robust euro zone; a forward-looking climate and energy policy. We asked Dutch MEPs across the political spectrum about their expectations.

A new unit will be established within the Lithuanian Land Force as of 1 January 2016. Motorised Infantry Brigade Žemaitija is established in consideration of the necessity to strengthen Lithuania's defence capabilities.

Lithuania's Special Investigation Service has brought suspicions against the ruling Order and Justice party of selling influence and money laundering in the framework of the large-scale investigation into selling influence.

The Single Resolution Mechanism (SRM) will become fully operational on 1 January 2016. The SRM implements the EU-wide Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) in the euro area. The full resolution powers of the Single Resolution Board (SRB) will also apply as of 1 January 2016 (IP/14/2784).

Loreta Graužinienė, Speaker of the Seimas, on behalf of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania and on her own behalf, congratulated the newly elected Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, Željko Reiner, upon his election.

On 23 December 2015, the Seimas completed its regular 7th (autumn) session. Between 10 September and 23 December 2015, the Parliament held a total of 48 sittings, resulting in the adoption of over 300 legislative acts.