Visits

Working visit by President Dalia Grybauskaitė to Brussels, 25-26 August 2009

While on a two-day working visit to Brussels, President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė met with President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso to discuss issues of importance for Lithuania and the upcoming meetings of the Council of the European Union on economic issues and climate change scheduled this coming autumn.

In the meeting, the President of Lithuania stressed the importance for Lithuania of the electricity bridge NordBalt between Sweden and Lithuania.

"President J. M. Barroso has personally assured me that Lithuania's application for the EU support of 175 million euros for the construction of the electricity bridge is being examined and a decision can be expected shortly," President Grybauskaitė said.

The Head of State also underlined Lithuania was expecting more attention from the European Commission for the European Union's external energy security problems.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė decorated the Commission's President Jose Manuel Barroso with a high state award, the Grand Cross of the Order of Vytautas the Great, for his continuous support to Lithuania.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė also met with NATO's Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. Thy discussed NATO's new strategic concept and a strengthened defence of the Allies.

President Grybauskaitė was explicitly assured by NATO's Secretary General A. F. Rasmussen that NATO air policing mission in Lithuania and other Baltic States will be continued until 2011 and, most likely, beyond.

The Head of State underlined the shaping of NATO's new strategic concept by the end of the next year must be built on Article V of the Treaty of Washington as a fundamental principle. According to the President, the emergence of new threats and a changed global security situation must be taken into consideration when applying this principle.

President Grybauskaitė also stressed Lithuania was expecting concrete plans as to how NATO intends to defend our country and other Baltic States.

The Head of State assured NATO's Secretary General of Lithuania's continued engagement in international security missions in Afghanistan but pointed out the need for NATO Member States to cooperate more closely in searching for additional sources of financing if successful operation of the Ghor Provincial Reconstruction Group is to be ensured.

On the second day of the working visit, President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė met with the new President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek.

Lithuanian President said she highly welcomed the fact that the European Parliament was led for the first time ever by a representative of Central-Eastern European Member State of the EU.

In the meeting with the European Parliament's President, Lithuanian President stressed the need to address institutional issues of the EU as soon as possible, in appointing a new leader of the European Commission and continuing preparations for institutional reforms envisaged in the Lisbon Treaty.

President Grybauskaitė and President of the European Parliament agreed that solution of energy problems was of utmost importance both for Lithuania and the whole European Union. According to Dalia Grybauskaitė, negotiations by individual countries with energy suppliers separately will not be efficient.

"The European Union does not have a common energy policy yet. Nevertheless, Member States can demonstrate a common good will to take decisions together. The European Parliament could play a crucial role here, by using its huge authority as the only institution elected directly by citizens," the Head of State said.

President Grybauskaitė invited the European Parliament's leader to patron and participate in the conference to be held in the European Parliament in Brussels in October on the issue of evaluation of totalitarian regimes, 70 years after the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Jerzy Buzek responded positively.