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During the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC) held in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Monday, 28 October, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, Chairperson of the European Affairs Committee of the Saeima, emphasised that the European Union (EU) member states, including Latvia, have high expectations from the forthcoming Eastern Partnership Summit, and they hope it will be a turning point in the relations between the EU and its eastern neighbours.

Kalniņa-Lukaševica addressed her counterparts with an acknowledgment of Ukraine’s efforts in approximating EU values and reliance of Georgia - the leader among the Eastern Partnership countries in implementing reforms - on the presence of the EU. She also made a reference to the international parliamentary conference dedicated to the role of the Georgian parliament in EU integration which she attended in Tbilisi in early October, adding that the Eastern Partnership and cooperation with the EU is also important for other eastern partners – Moldova, Belarus, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The Chairperson of the Committee expressed gratification at the fact that the next Eastern Partnership Summit is planned to be held in Riga during the Latvian presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2015, and that will ensure the continuity of Lithuanian efforts in this area.

The Lithuanian Prime Minister commended Latvia’s timely preparation for its first presidency, which includes collaboration with Lithuania, and wished it success in organising the Eastern Partnership Summit.

In her address, Kalniņa-Lukaševica also emphasised the role of the digital single market and the Digital Agenda for Europe in facilitating the economic growth of the EU as a whole and of its member states. She also said that during its presidency Latvia wishes to organise the next Digital Agenda Assembly in Riga to discuss the planned revision of the Digital Agenda in 2015, the benefits that the digital economy and the digital single market can bring to the economy of the EU, as well as to present Latvia’s achievements in this respect.

The Lithuanian Prime Minister also stressed the importance of the Digital Agenda for Europe in facilitating economic growth and strengthening dialogue among EU member states in both the public and private sectors.

Kalniņa-Lukaševica commended Lithuania for the progress achieved during its presidency in discussions on the role of the national parliaments in the EU’s decision-making process, the need to increase it and thus strengthen democratic legitimacy. 

During the meeting, Kalniņa-Lukaševica congratulated her colleagues from the Lithuanian parliament on the successful implementation of the parliamentary dimension of the presidency. 

On 27 – 29 October, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, Chairperson of the European Affairs Committee; Atis Lejiņš, Deputy Chairman of the Committee; and Igors Pimenovs, Secretary of the Committee, are on a working visit in Lithuania, where they are attending the biannual COSAC organised by the EU’s presiding country. This time the Conference focused on the EU’s democratic legitimacy and the role of the national parliaments in the EU, as well as on the 2014 European Parliament elections as a platform for discussion with citizens about the future of the EU.

Photos from the Conference are available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/saeima/sets/72157637043128413/
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Saeima Press Service