EDA Chief Executive, Ms Claude-France Arnould, visited Lithuania on 13-14 May, in preparation of Lithuania’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union starting on 1 July 2013.
Ms Arnould had meetings with the Minister of National Defence, Mr Juozas Olekas, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Linas Linkevičius, and senior officials of the Ministry of Defence. Ms Arnould also visited the NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence. The discussions held in Vilnius focused on the preparations of the Lithuanian EU Presidency, in particular the European Council discussing defence matters, which will be a key event for defining how Europe can collectively act to preserve and develop its defence capabilities. One focus area of cooperative efforts between the Lithuanian EU Presidency and EDA is energy security, where EDA’s Military Green work strand and the GO GREEN project are harnessing European efforts for sustainable energy for defence. EDA support to Lithuania’s national defence capability development, small and medium-sized enterprises, and regional cooperation were also highlighted in the discussions.
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