The Council has agreed that it wants the next European Parliament elections to take place on 23-26 May 2019.

On the margins of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on 19 March, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius held a meeting with his newly appointed German counterpart Heiko Maas. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Sven Mikser also attended the meeting.

MEPs call for respect of human rights in the Maldives, ending of torture practises on detainees in Sudan and of “mercy killings” in Uganda.

On 7-9 March, the Political and Security Committee of the European Union (EU PSC) travelled to the Central African Republic (CAR) for a joint field visit with the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU PSC).

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania allocated €20 000 in humanitarian aid for Palestinian refugees. The contribution will be transferred to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

The European Union has announced a €50 million package to support the Lebanese security sector, as part of its longstanding commitment to the stability and security of Lebanon.

On behalf of the Lithuanian people and on her own behalf, the President extended congratulations to Angela Merkel on becoming the Federal Chancellor of Germany for the fourth time.

The EU can resort to a slew of measures to protect itself against unfair trade practices, from appealing to the WTO to full-out trade war.

At a high-level conference the “Next Multiannual Financial Framework: distributive, allocative and stabilization functions” in Sofia on 9 March, the Vice-Minister Albinas Zananavičius and representatives from member states of the European Union, the European Commission, the European Parliament, and other institutions discussed political priorities and perspectives for the EU budget.

A new programme worth €50 million, to improve the living conditions and resilience of vulnerable populations in key Libyan municipalities has been adopted under the European Union Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (North of Africa window).