Press release, 28 June 2013

At the meeting of the Committee on European Affairs, Philomena Murnaghan, Irish Ambassador to Lithuania, presented results of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union which ends this weekend. Ambassador highlighted political agreement on EUR 960 billion multi-annual budget for 2014−2020 to be voted for in the European Parliament next week as one of the major achievements of the Presidency.

Mrs Murnaghan also mentioned agreements on the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive, new Programme for Employment and Social Innovation, measures to tackle youth unemployment, better information of consumers on their rights and reforms of the Common Fisheries Policy and the Common Agricultural Policy.

“I am certain that the first Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the EU will be a big success,” said the Ambassador at the Committee meeting.

Gediminas Kirkilas, Deputy Speaker of the Seimas, Chairman of the Committee on European Affairs, expressed his gratitude for the successful Irish Presidency and the support for Lithuania’s preparation for the first presidency. “We will continue to work with Ireland in the Presidency Trio, even though Ireland completed its Presidency, we will still count on their support in the future,” the Deputy Speaker said.

“Ireland is a country which felt the benefit of the EU membership very clearly and which after accession saw the rise of its economy. That is a success story of the entire EU,” said Petras Auštrevičius, Deputy Speaker of the Seimas, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on European Affairs.

The Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the EU begins next week.

Morta Vidūnaitė, Adviser to Gediminas Kirkilas, Deputy Speaker of the Seimas, tel. +370 5 239 6278, mob. +370 612 01121, e-mail: [email protected]