President Gitanas Nausėda had a video call with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko. It was President‘s first conversation with the leader of a neighboring state. In preparation for the approaching Eastern Partnership Summit in June, the President will talk to Presidents of all Eastern Partnership countries.

The European Commission has approved a €100 million Italian State aid scheme to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the agricultural, forestry, fishery and aquaculture sectors in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Framework adopted by the Commission on 19 March 2020, as amended on 3 April 2020.

The European Commission has approved a €7 billion French “umbrella” scheme to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large corporates in France affected by the coronavirus outbreak.The scheme, called “Regime Cadre Temporaire”, was approved under the State aid Temporary Framework adopted by the Commission on 19 March 2020, as amended on 3 April 2020.

Agri-food and drink products whose names are protected by the European Union as “Geographical Indications” (GIs) represent a sales value of €74.76 billion, according to a study published today by the European Commission. Over one fifth of this amount results from exports outside the European Union. The study found that the sales value of a product with a protected name is on average double that for similar products without a certification.

Due to the threats posed by the global COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting of the Speakers of the NB8 Parliaments took place online through a video conference.

On 15 April, the four Groups of Friends on the Safety of Journalists at UNESCO, the United Nations, and the OSCE issued the first joint statement on the safety of journalists and access to information during the COVID-19 crisis. Lithuania, which chairs the Groups of Friends on the Safety of Journalists in New York and Vienna, has also actively contributed to the preparation of the joint statement.

President Gitanas Nausėda presented credentials to Lithuania’s Permanent Representative to NATO Ambassador Deividas Matulionis.

The Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee will discuss EU measures to protect consumers and safeguard their rights today at 17.05 with Commissioner Didier Reynders.

The European Commission has found the amendments to two German schemes to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak (“Bundesregelung Kleinbeihilfen 2020” and “Bundesregelung Darlehen 2020”) to be in line with EU State aid rules. The amendment schemes were approved under the State aid Temporary Framework adopted by the Commission on 19 March 2020, as amended on 3 April 2020.

On 7 April, the Council of the European Union adopted a long-negotiated reform of the EU road transport sector, known as the Mobility Package, by means of a written procedure.