Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė has taken part in the remote meeting of the Prime Ministers of the Baltic Council of Ministers (BCM), with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen taking part in its first working session.

Prime Minister of Estonia Kaja Kallas, Prime Minister of Latvia Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš, and Prime Minister of Lithuania Ingrida Šimonytė have discussed the key areas of regional and trilateral cooperation, reviewed the progress in implementation of joint priorities during Lithuania’s Chairmanship of the Baltic Council of Ministers, and agreed on the Joint Statement on Coordinated COVID-19 Response and Cooperation.

A plenary session of the European Parliament took place this week (Monday-Thursday). During the session, MEPs addressed a key challenge for EU institutions and member states which is health crisis related to the coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, the EU has decided to introduce a specific Programme for the Union's action in the field of health for the period 2021-2027. The debate on this subject was of course also organized. MEP Valdemar Tomaševski, chairman of the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania-Christian Families Alliance, also took part in it, paying attention to the need to support the most vulnerable groups affected by the health crisis, such as children, the elderly or low-income families.

On March 10 Minister of National Defence Arvydas Anušauskas and Ambassador of Denmark to Lithuania HE Hans Brask discussed bilateral and multilateral defence cooperation, international operations, and other topical matters.

In preparation for the European Council scheduled for March 25-26, President Gitanas Nausėda, together with the leaders of the Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Belgium, Latvia, Sweden, Ireland and Poland, sent a letter to European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen regarding the Union’s digital agenda. The forthcoming European Council will focus the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, relations with Russia, the single market, industrial policy, and digital transformation.

Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė has met with Paula Lehtomäki, Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers, to discuss cooperation.

New Zealand Prime Minister Ardern, US Vice President Harris, President Sassoli and President von der Leyen pay tribute to women on the frontline in the COVID-19 crisis.

President Gitanas Nausėda addressed the virtual conference “A New Vision of Lithuania’s Development Cooperation Policy”. In his opening speech, the President underlined that Lithuania’s development cooperation policy needed changes to meet new geopolitical challenges and create preconditions for development cooperation policy to become a sustainable foreign policy instrument.

MEPs will mark International Women’s Day, vote on EU investment and health programmes, call for greater corporate responsibility and support LGBTIQ rights during the next plenary session.

Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė has met with President of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid to discuss the management of the pandemic, economic recovery, and digital and green agendas.