Press release, 8 April 2019
Viktoras Pranckietis, Speaker of the Seimas, and his delegation are going on a working visit to Vienna, Republic of Austria, on 8–10 April 2019 to attend the Conference of Speakers of the European Union Parliaments.
The Speaker of the Seimas is taking part in the debate and making an intervention on Eastern Partnership. According to Mr Pranckietis, the Eastern Partnership marks its 10th anniversary this year. Substantial achievements have been made, including association agreements with Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova, the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement with Armenia, and facilitation of visa regime with Armenia and Azerbaijan. Now, however, it is crucial to set ambitious goals for the period beyond 2020.
The sessions of the Conference of Speakers will focus on ‘the European Union and its neighbours’ and ‘the European Union ahead of the 2019 European elections – further development of cooperation between national parliaments and European institutions.’
The Speaker of the Seimas is also having bilateral meetings with Ivan Brajović, President of the Parliament of Montenegro; Carole Bureau-Bonnard, Vice-President of the French National Assembly; Nikolaos Voutsis, President of the Hellenic Parliament; and Marek Kuchciński, Marshal of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland.
In addition, Mr Pranckietis is visiting TU Wien and meeting with Prof. Eugenijus Kaniušas and Lithuania-Austria Society. The Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Vienna is also hosting a meeting between the Speaker of the Seimas and members of the Lithuanian diaspora.
The Conference of Speakers of the European Union Parliaments meets annually and is hosted by the national parliament of the Member State holding the Presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of the year. The Conference is organised in the in the first half of the following year. At the moment, the Presidency of the Council of the EU is held by Romania. Lithuania organised the Conference of Speakers of the European Union Parliaments on 6–8 April 2014.