Prime Minister meets EC President: the EU has enormous potential in defence - we need to unleash it
On Sunday, Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas met with the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is visiting Lithuania, at Government House. The meeting focused on strengthening European defence and security, energy and critical infrastructure protection.
The Prime Minister thanked Ms von der Leyen, who visited Vilnius on the day of the Baltic States' connection to the electricity grids of continental Europe, for the EU's crucial support to the synchronisation process. The project finalised today strengthens not only the region's energy security and independence, but also the integration of the EU electricity market as a whole.
Mr Paluckas noted that in the context of Russia's hybrid aggression and repeated incidents in the Baltic Sea, it is necessary to increase the focus on the protection, resilience and connectivity of the EU's energy infrastructure. The Harmony Link between Lithuania and Poland, another strategic project that will provide increased capacity for electricity trade after synchronisation, will contribute to these objectives.
At the meeting, the Lithuanian Prime Minister and the EC President discussed the need to strengthen the EU's defence industry, which, Mr Paluckas stressed, requires decisive decisions to be taken on the basis of the EU's forthcoming White Paper on European Defence, as well as the need for solidarity and swift implementation of these decisions.
Mr Paluckas and Ms von der Leyen also discussed the progress of the Rail Baltica project, noting the multi-faceted significance of the project and the need for all the Baltic States to do their utmost to implement it.
The meeting also highlighted the importance of continued support for Ukraine and further pressure on Russia through sanctions, discussed EU-China relations as well as transatlantic cooperation, noting the long-standing and mutually beneficial partnership between the US and the EU, which needs to be preserved and enhanced.