The Committee on European Affairs exercises parliamentary scrutiny of European Union matters by:

1) submitting the opinion of the Seimas on legislative proposals of the EU to the Prime Minister or ministers going to meetings of the Council of the European Union;

2) hearing reports by the Prime Minister, ministers and other representatives of the Government about the participation in meetings of the European Council and the Council of the European Union;

3) considering the positions of the Republic of Lithuania presented by the Prime Minister or a minister concerning legislative proposals of the EU and other EU documents of relevance to Lithuania;

4) considering European Union matters within the remit of the Seimas and, when necessary, presenting opinions or conclusions on behalf of the Seimas;

5) considering whether legislative proposals comply with the principle of subsidiarity (except for the areas falling within the remit of the Committee on Foreign Affairs by the Statute of the Seimas);

6) examining legislative proposals of the European Union and other documents of the European Union and, when necessary, presenting the opinion of the Seimas to the Government and/or to institutions of the European Union;

7) examining other documents of the EU and, when necessary, presenting conclusions regarding them.

The Committee on European Affairs usually holds its meetings twice a week – on Wednesdays and Fridays. When Lithuania acceded to the EU, the time for meetings of Members of Parliament with voters was changed. The “Constituency Day” was shifted from Friday to Monday, in order for the Committee on European Affairs to be able to submit opinions of the Seimas to the Prime Minister going to European Council meetings and to ministers going to meetings of the Council of the European Union.

The Committee on European Affairs is an active initiator of and participant in inter-parliamentary cooperation. The Committee maintains close relations with the European Parliament. In January 2003, the Seimas appointed a Permanent Representative of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania to the European Union, who works in the European Parliament. Since 1997, delegates from the Committee have been actively involved in the activities of the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs (COSAC).