Lithuania's EU council presidency: negotiating finances, dealing with geopolitics

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Europos darbotvarkė; Europos Sąjunga (European Union); Finansai; Lietuvos prezidentavimas ES Taryboje; Pirmininkavimas; Politika; Prioritetai; Rytų kaimynystė; Eastern partnership; European Union; European agenda; Finances; Geopolitics; Lithuania; Lithuanias EU Council Presidency; Presidency; Priorities.

ENLithuania assumed the six-month rotating Council Presidency in July 2013, taking over from Ireland, which was the first in the Presidency trio comprising Ireland, Lithuania and Greece.1 Domestically, the Presidency received significant attention from key political actors, even figuring in the debates regarding the appointments of the new ministers to the coalition government formed after the Lithuanian parliamentary elections in October 2012. At the same time, outside expectations of the Lithuanian Presidency were rather limited as the relatively unknown country was assuming this task for the first time, its administration was comparatively small and the budget allocated for the Presidency was rather modest (around €62 million). As Deputy Foreign Minister in charge of the Presidency Vytautas Leškevicˇius noted when assuming the mantle, ‘underpromised – overdelivered, that’s my motto’ (Pop, 2013). The Lithuanian Presidency proved to be unexpectedly effective in advancing negotiations on a number of dossiers, mediating between Member States and between the Council and the European Parliament (EP), and brokering agreements on a number of important files, including the multiannual financial framework (MFF) 2014–20, banking union, the posting of workers and others. There were, however, also disappointments – in particular the failure to sign an association agreement with Ukraine at the Eastern Partnership (EaP) summit in Vilnius, which was supposed to be a highlight of the Presidency. [Extract, p. 99]

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