According to the President, the Belarusian nuclear power plant which does not comply with international safety standards poses a very serious threat not only to Lithuania, but also to the whole of Europe. It is therefore very important that the European Commission has heard the concerns voiced by Lithuania, making nuclear safety a Europe-wide objective.
Until now Belarus has not submitted information about the safety requirements applied to its nuclear plant, environmental impact assessment and the implementation of stress tests, and does not provide observers from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with access to the site. The EU must adopt a common principled position to make Belarus respond to the concerns about the safety of the nuclear power station under construction.
The meeting also focused on improving the resilience of the EU to respond to disinformation and cyber-attacks, preventing the spread of radicalism and incitement of hatred, and promoting cooperation between the EU and NATO on countering hybrid threats. Lithuania is already making a contribution to the EU’s common response. The EU action plan on strategic communication to counter disinformation and improve access to alternative sources of information has been prepared and is being realized at the initiative of our country. Lithuania also supports EU’s plans to establish a center of excellence to fight hybrid threats.
The President and the European Commissioner exchanged views on strengthening the EU services and digital markets. They also discussed the economic and social recommendations issued by the European Commission to Lithuania. The European Commission has assessed Lithuania’s progress in boosting growth as limited. It urges Lithuania to implement reforms in the fields of higher education and innovation, to change obsolete labor market regulations, to improve tax collection, and to reduce poverty and social exclusion.
