The forthcoming European Council was discussed in Brussels

At the European Union‘s General Affairs Council meeting on 7 December in Brussels, Lithuania‘s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas and his counterparts discussed preparation of the European Council scheduled for 10–11 December, as well as a work programme prepared by the trio of future EU presidencies: Spain, Belgium and Hungary. Issues of the EU enlargement were also on the agenda of the meeting.

The Minister welcomed the EU‘s goal to prepare the new EU 2020 Strategy regarding the creation of a smart EU economy and noted that achievements and lessons learnt from previous strategies had  to be taken into account when drafting the new ones. According to Minister V.Ušackas, the EU 2020 Strategy must assist the EU to rise from the economic crisis and to avoid future crises. The Minister was positive about the main trends of the strategy: creation of the knowledge based competitive, connected and greener economy. He urged to remember, that energy and transport links played an important role for the strengthening of the EU economy competitiveness.

“The interconnectivity of energy and transport networks is an important precondition for the strengthening of the EU economy competitiveness. Among the objectives of the strategy, these projects have to be as high as the innovative business environment and ecologically clean economy“, head of Lithuania‘s diplomacy said.

The Minister noted that Lithuania welcomed the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. According to the Minister, the EU‘s efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 30 per cent until 2020 are a positive step, however other countries also needed to take equally ambitious obligations.

On the subject of the Stockholm Programme for an open and secure Europe serving and protecting the citizens, the Minister said that already now it reflected most of the proposals submitted by Lithuania. It is important that the EU intends to maintain the balance of measures for the fight against illegal migration and measures for facilitated and speedier legal crossing of the external EU border. The draft also includes provision regarding the evaluation of crimes by totalitarian regimes and in this way it guarantees that the subject would remain high on the EU agenda.

When the EU enlargement was being discussed at the meeting in Brussels, the head of Lithuania‘s diplomacy noted that bilateral disagreements should not influence the EU membership negotiations of the countries. The EU needs to implement a balanced policy towards the states which aspire to become its members.

“I agree with the evaluation of the European Commission that the negotiations on Croatia’s membership could be concluded in 2010 and urge the Commission to prepare as soon as possible its opinion on Iceland’s membership in the EU”,  Minister V.Ušackas said.