Prime Minister: We Must Not Only Be Proud of the EU's Success, But Also Defend It and Make It Grow
Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė met with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, who is visiting Lithuania on the occasion of Europe Day on 9 May.
"It is a great pleasure to welcome you here in Vilnius to celebrate Europe Day and the anniversary of Lithuania's membership of the European Union - our 20 years of ongoing success. The sincere efforts of countries like Ukraine and Moldova to become part of our family are the best reminder of the EU's achievements. The EU is our common home, a truly special project of peace and prosperity, which we must protect and nurture by being open and supportive to those who believe in common values and seek membership without distraction. We must not only be proud of the EU's success, but we must also defend it and make this area of success grow," said the Prime Minister.
Lithuanian society is one of the most supportive of the EU in the whole Community, which only confirms the great benefits of membership for the country, the meeting noted.
I. Šimonytė and U. Von der Leyen discussed the strengthening of the EU defence industry, which is essential for European security and support for Ukraine, as well as EU enlargement issues. As the Lithuanian Prime Minister noted, it is important to start formal accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova before the middle of the year.
We must also continue to do our utmost to support Ukraine until it achieves victory in its defence against Russian aggression, said Šimonytė.
The meeting in the Palace of the Government stressed that despite Russia's attempts to convince the West of the ineffectiveness of the sanctions, their impact is visible and pressure must be increased. A new EU agreement on the transfer of profits from frozen Russian funds to Ukraine is the right direction to pursue, the meeting said.
It also discussed the goals of strengthening the EU's global competitiveness and implementing the EU's green transition.
The meeting noted that Russia is actively using disinformation to spread distrust and divide societies on issues important for the EU's progress on the Community's agenda, which is why it is important to build up a stronger resilience to this and to be proactive in explaining the EU's objectives and policies to the population, as well as the direct benefits for the Community's citizens and businesses.