The Seimas is making vigorous preparations for the Conference of the Speakers of the Parliaments of the European Union (EU) to be held in the Seimas on 6–8 April 2014. The event is organised under the Presidency Trio, composed of Cyprus, Lithuania and Italy.

The Conference is to hear speeches by Algirdas Butkevičius, Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania; Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament; José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission; and Speakers or Deputy Speakers of the Parliaments of Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, and Eastern Partnership countries, such as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

The preliminary agenda for the Conference is intended to focus on the role of parliaments in overcoming the consequences of the economic and financial crisis, inter-parliamentary cooperation with Eastern Partnership countries, and inter-parliamentary cooperation in the area of freedom, security and justice.

The Danish Folketing proposed an alternative topic titled “Restoring the citizens’ confidence in Europe in times of the financial crisis and unemployment”, and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Seimas suggested yet another topic titled “Role of parliaments in bringing Eastern Partnership countries closer to the EU”.

Morta Vidūnaitė, Adviser to Gediminas Kirkilas, Deputy Speaker of the Seimas, tel. +370 5  239 6278, mob. +370  612 01 121; e-mail: [email protected]