Lithuania outlines EU Council presidency priorities in talks with Croatian PM

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda met with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković in Dubrovnik on Monday to discuss Lithuania’s upcoming EU Council presidency priorities, historical memory, bilateral relations, and Europe’s security situation, LRT reports.

During its presidency in the first half of 2027, Lithuania will focus on strengthening EU unity, resilience, and its role as a reliable global actor, Nausėda said. He emphasised the need for the bloc to remain a “strong, rules-based pillar of international order” capable of countering geopolitical challenges and defending its values.

Key priorities will include security and defence, comprehensive support for Ukraine, EU enlargement, boosting competitiveness, internal security, and societal resilience, the president outlined.

Nausėda also stressed the importance of a unified European approach to assessing crimes by totalitarian regimes, warning that unaddressed historical injustices could fuel new threats. “Historical memory is not just about the past—it directly affects today’s security,” he said.

He presented a planned pan-European memorial in Brussels, “Echo in Time,” dedicated to victims of 20th-century Nazism and communism. Croatia agreed to contribute €70,000 to the project.

The meeting also covered Lithuania-Croatia cooperation on security and defence. Nausėda thanked Croatia for its contributions to NATO’s eastern flank and the deployment of Croatian troops in Lithuania.