MAIN CONDITION FOR LITHUANIA’S MEANINGFUL PRESIDENCY OF THE COUNCIL OF THE EU - INTERNAL UNITY AND RALLY, SAYS LITHUANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER
The main condition for a meaningful Presidency of the Council of the European Union is Lithuania’s internal unity and rally, therefore, a wide range of public engagement in this examination for maturity of the state is very important,” said Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis, when welcoming the finalist of the competition to create a logo for the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2013.
On 28 December, A.Ažubalis congratulated and awarded Simona Mykolaitytė, the winner of the competition that was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania in cooperation with the news portal Delfi, as well as the remaining 29 finalists that were chosen by the readers.“Your activeness proves that the Lithuanian people care about foreign policy, that the society is aware of the importance of the Presidency of the Council of the EU and is ready to actively participate in the preparation for this examination for maturity of our state,” said the Minister.
Currently, Lithuania has chaired some important international organizations, including the Community of Democracies and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). According to the Minister, the feedback in Lithuania and abroad suggests that also previously chosen logos for Lithuania’s chairmanship of various organizations were high quality.
Next year, the main logo for Lithuania’s Presidency of the Council of the EU will be designed based on the winning idea.
According to the tradition of the European Union, the logo of the Lithuanian Presidency will be solemnly presented in 2013, several months before assuming the Presidency.
In total, the competition received more than half a thousand ideas. Over five weeks internet browsers selected 30 best ideas. The Delfi gallery with logo ideas was viewed 130 thousand times, internet browsers voted for them more than 34 thousand times.
The competition was won by Simona Mykolaitytė, who has a degree in design. A commission consisting of graphic designers, representatives of the media and state institutions selected her logo. This is not her first professional success this year. This summer S.Mykolaitytė won an additional prize of the contest “Young Designer’s Award 2011” in the category of graphic and communication design for social posters that promote respect and encourage to preserve the Lithuanian language.
