LITHUANIA INTRODUCES ITS PRIORITIES FOR THE COMING EU PRESIDENCY
Programme of the EU new presiding trio, effective from January 1, - Ireland, Lithuania, and Greece - was presented at the European House (Representation of the European Commission) in Prague on 17 January. The event was moderated by Jan Michal, head of the Representation of the European Commission, who introduced perspective and priorities of the Commission. H.E. Mrs Allison Kelly, Ambassador of Ireland introduced the Trio programme as well as the priorities of the Irish Presidency. Mr. Georgios Stilianopoulos, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Embassy of Greece, explained what Greece intends to contribute. H.E. Mr. Aurimas Taurantas, Ambassador of Lithuania to the Czech Republic, presented Lithuanian priorities. He emphasised that the Trio’s goals - to restore trust in the EU’s economy, encourage its growth and employment – will be the priority of the Lithuanian Presidency, as well as through the next half of the year. Lithuania will also put forward the topics of energy security, Eastern partnership, Baltic Sea strategy, as well as effective external border control.
Lithuania will take the challenge to preside the EU less than a year to the election of the European Parliament and at the end of the Commission’s working cycle. Still it is evident that Lithuania is well prepared to cope with that. It is presumed that the Lithuanian Presidency will begin with Croatia’s accession to the Union as the 28th member family. The end of the Lithuanian Presidency will be marked by the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius.
Ambassador stressed that the Czech Republic and Lithuania are likeminded partners in many areas of the EU activities. The Czech Republic was the one of the first new member countries to take over the Presidency from the more experienced members in 2009, thus acquired important experience to be used by the others, including Lithuania. “We count on close cooperation and support of the Czech Republic during our Presidency”, said the Ambassador.
On the occasion of the coming Presidency throughout the second half of the 2013 Lithuanian Embassy in Prague intends to offer a variety of cultural events, political conferences, and workshops for the tourism industry.
