“Who, in the 1940s, when Lithuania was suffering endlessly under the brutal occupation of Nazi Germany, which had murdered almost all its Jewish population, who could then have imagined that Lithuania could today be part, with Germany, of a peaceful and united Europe?,” said Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament, on the occasion of the solemn award ceremony of the President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė in Aachen, Germany, on 9 May 2013. 

The President of the European Parliament focussed on the upcoming Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Lithuania has experienced European solidarity; but Lithuania also brings its strengths to the European community for the good of all, strengths which will benefit the EU as a whole particularly now during the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council which begins on 1 July.

First of all there is Lithuania’s geo-strategic position and its organic link to the countries bordering the EU. Thanks to its geographical position, Lithuania has undergone immeasurable suffering over many centuries. Hemmed in between the great powers of Germany and Russia, independence and freedom were rare fortunate exceptions, oppression and bloodshed the unhappy rule.

Today Lithuania’s geographical situation has changed to its advantage. Today Lithuania is a key country for the EU in the Baltic Sea area and in the context of the Eastern Partnership.

During the Cold War the Baltic was divided, armed and in captivity.

Today the Baltic Sea has once again become what it was for centuries: a European inland sea:

- one which connects people and cultures,

- one whose people are reviving historical cooperation models and old trade relationships,

- one which is growing into a vast, dynamic and innovative area, both economically and culturally.

The Baltic Sea is a European model for success (…)

(…) The Eastern Partnership will be a priority of the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council. Lithuania will also host the EU summit on the Eastern Partnership in November 2013 in Vilnius (…).

Follow this link for the complete text of the speech by Mr Schulz.

 

Public Relations Unit