The European Union and the United States, represented respectively by Stavros Lambrinidis, EU Ambassador to the United States and Jani Raappana, Deputy Head of Mission, for the Finnish Presidency of the Council of the EU, and Robert Lighthizer, U.S. Trade Representative, signed today in Washington D.C. an agreement reviewing the functioning of an existing quota to import hormone-free beef into the EU.

The European Commission is taking stock of its overall approach to equivalence in the area of financial services. EU equivalence has become a significant tool in recent years, fostering integration of global financial markets and cooperation with third-country authorities. The EU assesses the overall policy context and to what extent the regulatory regimes of a given third country achieves the same outcomes as its own rules. A positive equivalence decision, which is a unilateral measure by the Commission, allows EU authorities to rely on third-country rules and supervision, allowing market participants from third countries who are active in the EU to comply with only one set of rules. Today's Communication also sets out how recent updates to EU legislation will ensure even greater effectiveness of the EU single rulebook, supervision and monitoring, while also fostering cross-border business in global markets. The Commission has to date taken over 280 equivalence decisions with regard to over 30 countries.

President Gitanas Nausėda extended congratulations to President of the Swiss Confederation Ueli Maurer on the occasion of national day.

The influx of migrants and asylum seekers to Europe in recent years has shown the need for a fairer, more effective European asylum policy.

On 25 July, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevičius congratulated the newly appointed Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom Dominic Raab and sent him best wishes for success in this challenging and important position.

President Gitanas Nausėda spoke to President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky on the telephone and discussed bilateral relations, regional security situation, as well as cooperation between Lithuania and Ukraine in the EU and NATO.

European Parliament’s newly constituted Brexit Steering Group chaired by Guy Verhofstadt met with EU negotiator on 24 July following the change of Prime Minister in the UK.

On last Thursday, the European Parliament adopted three resolutions taking stock of the human rights situation in Hong Kong, Russia and at the US-Mexican border.

Tomorrow, July 23, President Gitanas Nausėda will go for a working visit to Latvia where he will meet with President Egils Levits, Speaker of the Saeima Ināra Mūrniece, Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš and the Lithuanian Community in Riga.

US led air defense exercise “Rapid Forge” starts in Baltics.