AGENDA OF EU EUROPEAN AFFAIRS MINISTERS’ MEETING INCLUDES ENERGY ISSUES
On 11 February in Brussels, the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Vytautas Leškevičius attended the meeting of the EU European Affairs Ministers, hailed the EU for maintaining attention to energy policy.
The Ministers prepared the European Council meeting of 20-21 March. Energy will be among the topics of the upcoming meeting.
“Constant focus on energy issues and the implementation of adopted decisions are necessary for a successful completion of the Internal Energy Market,” V.Leškevičius said.
Energy policy was one of the priorities for Lithuania’s Presidency of the EU Council. During its EU Presidency, Lithuania was able to achieve the adoption of the Council’s report on progress in completing the Internal Energy Market and strengthening the external dimension of the EU’s energy policy.
The upcoming European Council meeting in March will also discuss these topical issues: the implementation of the 2014 European Semester, industrial competitiveness, climate change. The agenda of the meeting will also include a political debate on the European Union’s relations with Africa.
Priorities for the Greek six-month Presidency of the EU Council were presented at the General Affairs Council meeting, including further promotion of growth, employment and cohesion, integration in the euro zone, migration policy, a more effective border management and maritime policy.
“We welcome these priorities and wish Greece success in their implementation. We also call on maintaining momentum in advancing relations with Eastern neighbours, particularly in signing the association agreements with Moldova and Georgia this autumn and granting the visa-free regime to Moldova, continuing to devote all the necessary attention to Ukraine,” V.Leškevičius said.
The Ministers also discussed the outcome of this weekend’s referendum in Switzerland, in which a majority voted in favour of restrictions on immigration from the European Union. The Ministers expressed their disappointment about the outcome and pointed out that the free movement of people was a key element of the treaties between Switzerland and the EU, the refusal of which could affect the relations between the EU and Switzerland in all areas.
