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On 6 November, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kęstutis Budrys met with European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Síkela, who was visiting Vilnius. The Minister and the Commissioner discussed the future of the European Union’s international partnerships policy, support for Ukraine, the implementation of the Global Gateway initiative, and ways to encourage greater involvement of Member States and businesses in EU development cooperation projects.

The Minister stressed that Lithuania views development cooperation and international partnerships as a strategic investment in Europe’s security, resilience and competitiveness.

“By strengthening partnerships around the world, we also strengthen Europe’s security. We therefore need to forge closer links between development cooperation, economic security and resilience-building. This will be one of the key priorities of Lithuania’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union,” Budrys said.

At the meeting, the Minister stressed that long-term support for Ukraine must remain one of the EU’s key priorities. According to Budrys, Ukraine is not only a recipient of assistance, but also a valuable partner capable of sharing its experience in strengthening the resilience of other countries and implementing reforms.

“Ukraine’s reconstruction, recovery and integration into the European Union must be our goal. We need to ensure long-term solutions that will help Ukraine not only rebuild the country, but also advance firmly on its path towards European integration,” the Minister noted.

Budrys also emphasised the importance of the Team Europe approach and the need for more active involvement of Member States in EU international partnership projects. According to the Minister, national institutions and agencies have accumulated valuable practical experience that helps translate EU funding into tangible results in partner countries.

The Minister presented Lithuania’s experience in reforms and the modernisation of the state, noting that Lithuanian institutions are already successfully implementing EU-funded projects in Ukraine, Moldova, the South Caucasus, Central Asia, Africa and the Caribbean.

The meeting also covered opportunities to increase the involvement of Lithuanian businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, in Ukraine’s reconstruction and Global Gateway projects.

“Lithuania is ready to contribute actively to the implementation of Global Gateway. We have strong expertise in digitalisation, cybersecurity, energy resilience, transport connectivity, life sciences and space technologies. It is important to ensure that EU programmes are more accessible to institutions and businesses from all Member States,” Budrys said.

European Commissioner Jozef Síkela is in Vilnius to attend the annual International Partnerships Conference, which focuses on the future of the EU’s external action, strengthening international partnerships and Europe’s role in the global environment.