Seimas delegation at the European Parliamentary Week: additional funding for frontline regions is needed in the next EU MFF

A delegation of Members of the Seimas, led by Radvilė Morkūnaitė‑Mikulėnienė, Deputy Speaker of the Seimas and Member of the Committee on European Affairs, and comprising Algirdas Sysas, Chair of the Committee on Budget and Finance, Saulius Bucevičius, Chair of the Committee on Economics, and Members of the Seimas Valius Ąžuolas, Viktoras Fiodorovas, Linas Kukuraitis and Darius Razmislevičius, took part in the Interparliamentary Conference on Stability, Economic Coordination and Governance in the European Union (also known as the European Parliamentary Week 2026) held at the European Parliament in Brussels.

Ms Morkūnaitė‑Mikulėnienė made an intervention at the plenary session dedicated to a business‑friendly Europe and the outlook for the single market in the run‑up to the adoption of the new Multiannual Financial Framework, with the keynote speech delivered by Enrico Letta, President of the Jacques Delors Institute. Ms Morkūnaitė‑Mikulėnienė opened her remarks by expressing gratitude to Ukraine, first and foremost, for defending Europe.

‘We know from our own history what Russia, as an aggressor state, is capable of. Lithuania has experienced this more than once. Had it not been for the Soviet occupation, we would not have to catch up with the European Union so rapidly, nor would the EU need to provide such extensive support. The EU has helped and continues to help Ukraine, but I am convinced that we can do even more. It is still not too late to take decisive steps, especially regarding the use of frozen assets,’ she said.

‘It is crucial that additional attention and funding be directed towards the region closest to the frontline. Lithuania is already allocating more resources to security, so it is essential not to lose out on competitiveness and growth, to overcome security and resilience challenges, and to address the economic and social issues faced by the Member States sharing borders with Russia and Belarus and therefore exposed to the greatest external threat,’ Ms Morkūnaitė‑Mikulėnienė stressed.

‘A fully functioning EU single market is fundamental to our competitiveness and crucial for social well‑being. We have been raising this issue for decades, repeatedly stressing the need for faster economic growth and greater job creation. It is high time we moved from official speeches to making concrete decisions and introducing specific measures. We must remove existing administrative barriers, particularly in fast‑growing service sectors such as digital services and financial technologies, prevent new obstacles from emerging, and address the excessive regulatory burden and market fragmentation. In parallel, reforms to economic governance and a review of the cross‑border provision of financial services among EU Member States are essential to achieving a stronger and deeper single market for businesses and citizens. I hope that this time we will succeed,’ Ms Morkūnaitė‑Mikulėnienė underlined.

The Interparliamentary Conference on Stability, Economic Coordination and Governance in the European Union is a standing platform for cooperation between national Parliaments and the European Parliament, established in 2013 by the Conference of the Speakers of EU Parliaments. The first Conference was held in the Seimas during Lithuania’s first Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second semester of 2013. Since then, the Conference is annually co‑organised by the Presidency Parliament at the European Parliament twice per year. During the first semester, it is held in Brussels, while during the second semester it is hosted by the Parliament of the country holding the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Members of Parliament from EU Member States, candidate countries, observer states, as well as Members of the European Parliament participate in the Conference to discuss economic, budgetary and social matters. The current Conference is co-chaired by the Chairs of the relevant committees of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus, working in close cooperation with the European Parliament. Cyprus holds the Presidency of the Council of the EU from 1 January to 30 June 2026.

Aistė Pikiotienė
Adviser, Office of the Committee on European Affairs of the Seimas, tel. +370 5 209 6864