The European Asylum Support Office (EASO) published a Country of Origin Information (COI) Report entitled ‘Somalia security situation’. The report is the third EASO COI report on Somalia, and provides an update of the EASO COI report on Somalia security situation, published in February 2016.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania allocated EUR 15 thousand in humanitarian aid to Yemen and Syria each and EUR 10 thousand to Albania.

The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation into the Netherlands' tax treatment of Inter IKEA, one of the two groups operating the IKEA business.

On 14 December, the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Darius Skusevičius met with the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Eduard Sharmazanov to discuss the key issues of bilateral relations between Lithuania and Armenia. Skusevičius emphasized the importance of interparliamentary relations and more active cooperation in the fields of business, reforms, and education.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė attends the European Council meeting that takes stock of the outcomes reached during the first phase of Brexit negotiations. The EU leaders also discuss top priorities in the second phase of negotiations, which will establish a new model of EU-UK future relations.

Economic trends, climate change and security will be among the key issues addressed at the 34th ACP-EU joint parliamentary assembly taking place in Haiti on 18-20 December.

On 14 December in Podgorica, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius held meeting with high-ranking Montenegrin officials and voiced his strong support for Montenegro’s Euro-Atlantic integration.

On 13 December in Washington, D.C., the Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Asta Skaisgirytė discussed strengthening transatlantic cooperation, international and regional security. She participated in the Political Directors’ Meeting of Foreign Ministries in the framework of the Enhanced Partnership in Northern Europe (e-PINE), as well as the Baltic-Nordic-U.S. defence policy dialogue.

The democratic opposition in Venezuela is to be awarded Parliament’s Sakharov Prize 2017 on 13 December. Follow the ceremony live and watch our video to learn more about this year’s winners.

The High Representative and the EU foreign ministers started the day with an informal breakfast with the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, in the margins of the Council. The meeting was an opportunity for the European Union to reiterate its united and clear messages on the status of Jerusalem as future capital of two states, the importance of preserving a two-state solution and, on regional issues, the need to continue implementing the JCPOA (Iran nuclear deal).