Mitkus at the meeting with the EP Vice-President: We want to see a strong, resilient, and competitive European Union

On 12 January in Vilnius, the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Sigitas Mitkus met with Vice-President of the European Parliament Pina Picierno. The meeting discussed the priorities of Lithuania's Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2027 and the importance of cooperation with the EP.

"A close partnership with the EP is necessary to ensure that the priorities of Lithuania's Presidency of the Council of the EU - strengthening the EU's defence and security, competitiveness, enlargement of the EU, and social agenda issues are consistently reflected in the EU agenda and effectively implemented", stressed Mitkus.

Mitkus thanked the EP for its consistent and principled work on raising the issue of the Belarusian regime's hybrid actions against Lithuania in the EP.

"The EP resolution adopted in December, as well as the ongoing deliberations in the EP committees, demonstrate the EP's clear understanding of the threats posed by these actions and its determination to seek common European solutions in response to hybrid attacks by the Belarusian regime. A strong EP position is important to ensure a coherent and coordinated response by the EU institutions," said the Vice-Minister.
The Vice-Minister also presented the "Echo in Time" project to commemorate victims of 20th-century totalitarian regimes across Europe and thanked the EP for its support for the implementation of the project in Brussels.