Linkevičius underlined the mutual importance of the Association Agreement for the EU member states and Ukraine. This agreement also puts the EU’s unity and credibility to the test. It has also been ratified by all the EU member states with the exception of the Netherlands. Lithuania’s Foreign Minister called on the MPs not to attempt to address pre-election internal political affairs of the Netherlands at the expense of Ukraine.
“We hear the arguments you are concerned about. Some of them can be explained and answers can be found both in the Association Agreement and in the EU law,” said Linkevičius.
Lithuania’s Foreign Minister noted that the main purpose of the agreement was to strengthen the European Union’s ties with Ukraine in the field of trade, to help Ukraine implement reforms in the areas of the rule of law and the fight against corruption, to develop the EU standards-based business-friendly environment that would strengthen Ukraine’s competitiveness and potential.
“Since the start of the provisional application of the Association Agreement as of 1 January 2016, the EU-Ukraine trade has increased by 11 percent during the first half of 2016 compared to the same period in 2015. The EU exports to Ukraine increased by 18 percent, while the Dutch exports to Ukraine skyrocketed by 24 percent during the same period,” said Linkevičius.
As the Dutch voters rejected the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement in their referendum on 6 April 2016, Lithuania’s Foreign Minister called on the Dutch Government and the Parliament to find an appropriate solution and to complete the ratification process so that the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement would fully enter into force.
During the visit, Lithuania’s Foreign Minister also met with the Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders. The Foreign Ministers discussed bilateral cooperation and challenges of the ratification process of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement facing the Netherlands.
Lithuania’s Foreign Minister welcomed excellent bilateral relations and stressed the Dutch contribution to the provision of NATO’s security assistance to Lithuania.
“We are grateful for the support of the Netherlands for the strengthening of security in the Baltic region by contributing to a German-led multinational battalion in Lithuania next year and deploying the Dutch air personnel to conduct NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission from the Lithuanian Air Force Air Base in Šiauliai,” said Linkevičius.
Both Foreign Minister welcomed the close business relations and identified areas in which countries could boost their cooperation, e.g. biomass waste management and the development of liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure.
