Litouws voorzitterschap klaar voor eerste debatten in Europees Parlement (en)

Deputy Minister for European Affairs Vytautas Leškevicius will make his first addresses to the European Parliament in the plenary session in Strasbourg this week on a wide range of topics. Today the Deputy Minister will participate in the debate with Members of the European Parliament which will focus on the current political situation in Bulgaria.

Tomorrow afternoon the debates are scheduled on the closure of the Greek national broadcasting company and the USA National Security Agency surveillance programme, surveillance bodies in the various Member States and their impact on the privacy of the EU citizens'. The Deputy Minister will also deliver two statements on behalf of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the situation in Egypt and the implementation of the Council’s Common Position on the arms export.

“Our Presidency‘s ambition over the next six months will be to demonstrate our effectiveness in working with the European Parliament, to engage actively and constructively in the search for balanced and inclusive solutions”, - the Deputy Minister for European Affairs said before his departure to Strasbourg.

Representation of the Council in relations with the European Parliament is one of the key duties of the member state holding the semiannually rotating Presidency of the Council.

The European Parliament meets in a Plenary session every month (except August) in Strasbourg. At its plenary sessions, Members of the European Parliament formally sit to vote on EU legislation and adopt the Parliament’s position on political issues.