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On May 1 Lithuania celebrates its 9th anniversary as a member of the European Union. Within less than two months Lithuania will for the first time in its history host the six month-Presidency of one of the three EU's main decision making institutions – the Council of the European Union.

“We see the EU Presidency not only as a responsibility common to all the EU member states to make their input into the EU legislative process but also as an extraordinary opportunity to contribute to the creation of an open and secure Europe”, Minister of National Defence Juozas Olekas said on the occasion of the 9th anniversary of Lithuania’s EU membership.

Accordingly, the Ministry of National Defence will propose and back the initiatives aimed at strengthening the EU role in international security and the EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDF) during Lithuania’s term of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

“European security is inseparable from the security and stability of our neighbours. For that reason we see closer relations between the EU and the Eastern Partnership countries and a more active involvement of the EU partners in CSDP agenda as one of the key instruments for their enhancement,” Minister Olekas said.

More than one event will be dedicated to discuss this topic. The EU Defence Ministers meeting to take place in Vilnius in September is also planned to address the topic of the Eastern partners' involvement.

According to J. Olekas, Lithuania will also aim at enhancing the European security through promoting cooperation in military energy efficiency area among the EU members, which also includes employment of renewable and green energy resources in defence sector.

Minister Olekas also noted that the EU members could benefit from the existing potential of the international Energy Security Centre of Excellence operating in Vilnius since 2012 which could also facilitate NATO-EU cooperation in energy efficiency sector.

“Another leading priority of the Lithuanian EU Presidency is promoting closer NATO-EU collaboration. Although we see NATO as the key provider of European security, an input from other organisations is also essential for international security. There are also political reasons impeding the application of NATO’s capacity for crisis response. So it crucial to promote the understanding that the EU and NATO are rather complementary than competing elements of one security architecture,” J.Olekas said.

As the host of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union Lithuania will also support the EU-led multinational operations as one of the key European instruments for crisis response, and will make its own contribution within the national scope. Lithuania will also aim at strengthening the EU crises response multinational capabilities – the EU Battlegroups (EU BGs). Complex bureaucratic procedures required for the EU BG deployment have prevented them from being used ever since reaching full operation capability in 2007. According to the Minister, for that reason Lithuania will promote a more flexible use and extended standby periods of the EU BGs with a view of increasing their cost efficiency, and will propose a more equal burden sharing related to the EU BGs activation among the EU members.

Photo (MOD archive) – military personnel of King Mindaugas Motorised Battalion prepare for standby in an EU BG in the second semester of 2013.