Referring to the fight against the pandemic, the President said it was important for member states to have a coordinated position on lifting restrictions and to reach an agreement on the green certificate, which is expected to be introduced in the European Union this coming June.
“Vaccine production and the process of vaccination in the European Union are accelerating. Therefore, it is essential to highlight the global visibility of the EU through the vaccine sharing mechanism and enhanced communication,” the President said.
The President also informed that last week Lithuania decided to allocate 200 thousand vaccines to the Eastern Partnership countries – Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia – before the third quarter of 2021.
Gitanas Nausėda pointed out that Lithuania supported the EU’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030 and transitioning to a climate neutral economy by 2050. According to the President, the delivery of these ambitious goals requires fair distribution of efforts within the EU and adequate funding. It is necessary to maintain the current effort sharing structure based on GDP per capita at market prices and to take account of specific national circumstances, including energy poverty, the structure of greenhouse gas emissions, and depopulation.
The President expressed concern that applying the principle of cost-effectiveness would lead to an inadequate increase of commitments for countries facing the biggest social and economic challenges, especially in transport and agriculture.
Gitanas Nausėda also reminded that member states were looking forward to the European Commission’s assessment of possible EU measures to prevent commercial imports of electricity from nuclear power plants in third countries, which do not meet EU safety standards – as part of implementing the decisions made by the European Council this past December.
During the discussion on Russia, the President said that Russia’s non-changing aggressive posture required a unified and principled EU position based on values.
“We have to send a clear signal to Russia that any aggressive action will be met by a strong response from the EU, including the introduction of new sectoral and individual sanctions,” the President said.
Small format meetings held ahead of the European Council are important for the exchange of views and decision-making.
