On 7 April 2014, the declaration of cooperation among the parliaments of Italy, Latvia and Luxembourg in support of the preparation and fulfilment of the parliamentary dimension of the Presidencies of these three European Union Member States was signed in the Constitution Hall of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania.

The declaration was signed by Pietro Grasso, President of the Senate of the Italian Republic, Laura Boldrini, President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Republic, Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia, and Mars Di Bartolomeo, President of the Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg.

The declaration provides that the parliaments of Italy, Latvia and Luxembourg will cooperate and support each other in preparation and fulfilment of the parliamentary dimension of their respective Presidencies of the European Union for the period from 1 July 2014 to 31 December 2015.

Such a declaration was signed because Latvia will take over the Presidency from Italy and will hand it over later on to Luxembourg. The three countries form the Presidency Trio which aims at ensuring continuity while implementing the joint 18-month-long Presidency programme.

Italy will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2014, i.e. from 1 July 2014 to 31 December 2014.

Latvia will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2015, i.e. from 1 January 2015 to 30 June 2015.

Luxembourg will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2015, i.e. from 1 July 2015 to 31 December 2015.

Monika Kutkaitytė, Public Relations Unit, Communications Department, Office of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, tel. +370 5 239 6666, e-mail: [email protected]