Press release, 16 January 2013

At the joint meeting on 16 January 2013, the Seimas Committees on European Affairs and Foreign Affairs concluded that the preparation for the parliamentary dimension of the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2013 is smooth. The list of events to be held in Lithuania in the framework of the parliamentary dimension of the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council was also adopted during the joint meeting.

The parliamentary dimension of the Presidency of the EU Council comprises multilateral parliamentary events hosted by the Presidency and the events hosted by the European Parliament in Brussels. Twelve parliamentary events are scheduled to take place in Lithuania during its Presidency: Meeting of the Chairpersons of COSAC (Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union), COSAC Plenary Meeting, Inter-Parliamentary Conference for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defence Policy, as well as seven meetings of the chairs of specialised committees.                   

In the first half of 2014, when Lithuania hands over its Presidency to Greece, which belongs to the Presidency Trio together with Lithuania and Ireland, Lithuania will host the Meeting of Secretaries General of the EU Parliaments and the Conference of Speakers of the EU Parliaments.

The funds required for the organisation of the events are planned in the budget of the Office of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania under the programme on the implementation of the parliamentary dimension of the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. During the Lithuanian Presidency, the Seimas will also host other EU Presidency-related events largely to be financed by their initiators.

Morta Vidūnaitė, Advisor to Gediminas Kirkilas, Deputy Speaker of the Seimas, tel: +370 5 2396849, e-mail: [email protected]