Lithuania to focus on economic growth, financial stability and cooperation during EU presidency



Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaitė in Parliament
Financial stability, economic growth and jobs, as well as cooperation with neighbours and strategic partners will be the key priorities of Lithuania's EU presidency in the second half of 2013. The country's president Dalia Grybauskaitė revealed the plans to MEPs during a visit to Parliament on 3 July. “Only by ensuring Europe’s financial resilience, improving its competitiveness and boosting growth can we create jobs and restore public trust in the European project,” she said.

The Lithuanian president revealed presidency priorities would include strengthening the economic and monetary union, building a banking union, stimulating economic growth and job creation, as well as concluding free trade agreements with the US, Japan, Mediterranean neighbours and cooperating more closely with the EU's eastern partners.

European Commission president José Manuel Barroso commented: “The Lithuanian presidency takes over at a moment when all our focus must be on delivering.”

Joseph Daul, the French leader of the EPP group, said he hoped the Lithuanian presidency would be a decisive step in the creation of a true European community for energy. He also stressed the need to carry out deals on the EU's long-term budget and the reform of the Union's agriculture policy.

Hannes Swoboda, the Austrian leader of the S&D group, said he expected the presidency to help overcome the north and south divide in Europe. “For us the success of the presidency is connected to the defence of social dimension,” he added.