Press release, 2 April 2013

With the approaching Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, on 3 April 2013, the delegation of Members from the European Parliament Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) under the leadership Mikael Gustafsson, Chair of the Committee, is coming to Lithuania to consider the human rights situation in Lithuania, social security issues and Lithuania’s preparedness for the Presidency of the Council of the EU. The FEMM Committee is the first EP Committee to come to Lithuania according to the plan for EP Committee visits in 2013 approved by the Bureau of the European Parliament. Seven EP Committees have decided to visit Vilnius and discuss in greater detail the priorities of the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

“The priorities of the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the EU are mainly related to foreign policy and energy security; nevertheless, gender equality, which is the day-to-day priority for the Lithuanian Government, will undoubtedly receive attention during the half-year of our country’s presidency of the Council of the EU. Our parliamentarians will therefore have a lot to discuss with the delegation from the European Parliament Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality”, Gediminas Kirkilas, Deputy Speaker of the Seimas and Chair of the Committee on European Affairs, says. He believes that the establishment of the European Institute for Gender Equality in Lithuania is an obvious achievement of our country in the area of human rights and gender equality. “Lithuania had to compete with other new EU Member States, Slovenia and the Czech Republic, to host the seat of an EU agency in our country. I am proud to say that I personally worked hard to that end in my capacity as Prime Minister in 2006–2008 since the competition was truly strong. Thus Lithuania is committed to setting an example to Europe by ensuring equal opportunities“, Kirkilas highlights.

On 4 April 2013, at 9–10.30, in the Constitution Hall, the delegation of the EP Committee will meet with Gediminas Kirkilas, Deputy Speaker of the Seimas and Chair of the Seimas Committee on European Affairs; Kristina Miškinienė, Chair of the Seimas Committee on Social Affairs and Labour; Leonard Talmont, Chair of the Seimas Committee on Human Rights, and other Members of the Committees. Representatives of the respective Seimas Committees will brief on important matters within their remit and the parliamentary dimension events of the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the EU.

A working lunch, hosted by Aušrinė Marija Pavilionienė, Member of the Seimas, will be held at 12.20. The lunch will be attended by the representatives of the EP Committee and the members of the Women’s Parliamentary Group of the Seimas: Aušrinė Marija Pavilionienė (Chair of the Group), Dalia Kuodytė, Milda Petrauskienė and Ona Valiukevičiūtė (Deputy Chair of the Group).

On 3 April 2013, the delegation of the EP Committee will visit the European Institute for Gender Equality; on 4 April 2013, the delegation is to meet Dalia Grybauskaitė, President of the Republic of Lithuania, Algimanta Pabedinskienė, Minister of Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania, Aušrinė Burneikienė, Ombudsperson for Equal Opportunities of the Republic of Lithuania, etc.

The delegation from the European Parliament Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality: Mikael Gustafsson (Sweden), Chair of the Committee, Confederal Group of the European United Left – Nordic Green Left (GUE); Edit Bauer (Slovakia) and Anna Záborská (Slovakia), Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) (EPP); Britta Thomsen (Denmark), Zita Gurmai (Hungary) and Vilija Blinkevičiūtė (Lithuania), Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament (S&D); Justina Vitkauskaitė (Lithuania), Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE).

The EP FEMM Committee has 35 members and 30 substitute members. The Committee is responsible for the definition, promotion and protection of human rights in the European Union and related Community measures; the promotion of women’s rights in third countries; equal opportunities policy, including equality between men and women with regard to labour market opportunities and treatment at work; the removal of all forms of discrimination based on sex; the implementation and further development of gender mainstreaming in all policy sectors; the follow-up and implementation of international agreements and conventions involving the rights of women; and information policy on women.

Jolanta Anskaitienė, Public Relations Unit, tel : +370 5 239 6508, e-mail : jolanta.anskaitienė@lrs.lt