Lithuania prepares parliament and priorities for EU Council presidency

Lithuania is preparing to chair the Council of the European Union in the first half of next year, with renovations under way at the Seimas parliament and the government setting priorities on inflation, migration and population growth, LRT reported.

Reaching Vilnius may become more difficult for visitors during the presidency. Latvian airline airBaltic, which is facing financial difficulties, plans to suspend winter flights from Vilnius to Berlin and Dubai and reduce the number of flights to Tallinn.

Renovation work is under way at the historic first Seimas building. Parliament Speaker Juozas Olekas said the work included refurbishing cloakrooms, which are used more frequently during the winter.

Authorities also plan to complete work on Vilnius’ main streets before the presidency begins. Unlike preparations for a NATO leaders’ meeting three years ago, when old trolleybuses were hidden and lighting poles were repainted, Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas said the city would replace the poles with new ones.

More than 140 million euros has been allocated for preparations, but Finance Minister Taurimas Valys said that amount would not be enough. He said additional costs had emerged, including procedures that had previously been overlooked.

Lithuania plans to hold 300 events during its six-month presidency, with the main ones taking place at Litexpo, the exhibition and conference centre used during the NATO meeting. EU leaders and ministers are expected to visit Vilnius.

Valys said Lithuania would seek joint action against inflation, while acknowledging that the presidency would have limited influence over the issue. He said interest rates remained the main long-term tool. He will also be involved in negotiations on the EU’s seven-year budget, where the interests of all member states will have to be reconciled.

Social Security and Labour Minister Inga Ruginienė identified demographics as one of her priorities. She said she would present proposals in Lithuania in the autumn on parental leave and childcare, adding that they would involve more than cosmetic changes.

Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas named migration as another priority. The EU Migration and Asylum Pact, which took effect in June, provides for stricter border controls and the sharing of responsibility for migrants. Katelynas said the pact must not undermine the security of member states and would need to reflect the situation in Europe and the wider world.

The opposition has not criticised the presidency priorities. Radvilė Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė, a member of the Seimas European Affairs Committee, said the state apparatus had prepared the programme effectively despite changes to the government’s political teams.