During bilateral meetings with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, President Dalia Grybauskaite discussed the security situation in eastern Ukraine, the country's economic situation and progress in implementing major reforms.

MEPs vote this week on a financial grant to Ukraine, debate the results of last week's European Council summit as well as discuss new legislation to tackle corporate tax avoidance. They will also take part in a meeting on the importance of inter-religious dialogue.

Martin Schulz welcomed plans for an energy union calling it a "historic project on a par only with the Coal and Steel Community" in a speech at the start of the Council summit on 19 March. The EP President also called for more energy efficiency and diversification of energy suppliers: "Depending on just a few suppliers makes us vulnerable to divide-and-rule tactics and threats of blocking energy supply routes."

The EU's strategic economic partners – Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Japan, Russia, and the United States – maintain a variety of barriers that significantly hinder international trade and investment opportunities of EU companies. This is the conclusion of the fifth edition of the EU's Trade and Investment Barriers Report (TIBR) presented today, identifying concrete obstacles to trade.

During her visit in Kiev, the Speaker of the Seimas, Loreta Graužinienė, together with other Speakers of Nordic and Baltic parliaments, met with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė has left for Brussels to attend a European Council meeting taking place on March 19-20. EU leaders will discuss the situation in Ukraine, EU sanctions against Russia, the Energy Union, the economic situation in Europe, and preparations for the upcoming Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga. The European Council will address, for the first time, the impact of Russian disinformation on European citizens.

Elections to local governments’ councils took place this month in Lithuania.

At the Foreign Affairs Council meeting on 16 March 2015 in Brussels, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevicius, speaking about the upcoming Eastern Partnership Summit on 21-22 May 2015, noted that it was important to determine a strategic direction for Eastern Partnership and take a further step forward from the Warsaw and Vilnius Summits.

MEPs vote on financial aid to Ukraine this week and debate the EU-US free trade agreement, also known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Meanwhile EP delegations visit Washington to debate data protection with US government representatives and also Yerevan in Armenia to discuss EU relations with countries near its eastern border.

Lithuanian Seimas Speaker Loreta Grauziniene has resigned as the chairperson of the Labour Party.