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“It is important for Lithuania, like the single market, the reduction of the administrative burden, the elimination of the restrictions imposed at the beginning of the pandemic, as this is not a fully implemented process, and the restoration of the smooth functioning of the Schengen area.” . Ramūnas Vilpišauskas, professor at the Institute of International Relations and Political Sciences (TSPMI).
“Lithuania is very connected with the rest of the European Union, with the single market,” he emphasized.
According to the political scientist, it is important to bear in mind that the principles of the single market in the EU are one of the greatest benefits of the Community for most of the members, including Lithuania.
He also pointed out that other areas that were the focus of the speech, such as the Green Course, digitization, public finances, were being coordinated with the Member States and that the European Commission had less influence here, so there was no certainty about when and how these proposals would be implemented. to implement.
According to him, U.von der Leyen noticed the same disruptions caused by the pandemic that Lithuania felt when the closing of the borders caused difficulties for businesses and residents of the country who wanted to return.
The support expressed by the EC leader to the people of Belarus and the critics who think they should reach out to Russia are also important to Lithuania.
“What is happening nearby, in our region, is also important for Lithuania, and in this regard, of course, geopolitical issues, which were also addressed in this report, are definitely relevant for Lithuania, just because of the situation in Belarus. , for example, little news has been said. He reiterated what the European Commission had said so far with various representatives, “he said.
Focus on COVID-19
According to the expert, this unusually long report had two directions: response to current problems, firstly, the coronavirus pandemic and its consequences, international policy challenges such as the treatment of the opposition by Belarus and Russia, tensions between Turkey and Greece. On the other hand, they spoke of the priorities established in the program of this European Commission.
Photo by Lukas Balandus / 15min / Ramūnas Vilpišauskas
“Of course, the Commission’s proposals and deliberations dominated what was yet to be proposed, but many of those things depend on whether there will be the approval of the Member States and also, in some cases, the approval of the European Parliament,” Vilpišauskas noted. .
He pointed out that some of the ideas that had come to light, such as the call on member states to renounce their veto rights in cases such as sanctions or human rights violations, were not new and raised by the previous commission.
According to him, new proposals related to the COVID-19 crisis, such as the creation of a “European Health Union”.
“The proposals to face the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis are partly new as regards the so-called Health Union, those measures that could be taken at the EU level, working together and given that this type of crisis crosses borders and often travels very easily from one state to another, coordinated joint action benefits everyone, “he said.
However, R. Vilpišauskas pointed out that this area is also the competence of the Member States, so they will have to evaluate the aforementioned proposals.
More ambitious goals
Proposals such as reducing pollution, he said, are not new in themselves, but the EC presidency has set a more ambitious goal of reducing pollution in Europe by 55 percent by 2030, up from 40 percent previously.
As for other new proposals, many of them come directly from the program approved by this commission. The novelty is perhaps only the ambition, what the president proposed today when talking about reducing pollution, (…) allocate more than a third of the funds provided for the Recovery Fund to this area, the so-called Green Field ” said R. Vilpišauskas.
“But all this is a new sense of ambition, but also, in principle, proposals that have not yet been approved by the Member States and the European Parliament,” he added.
According to R. Vilpišauskas, U. von der Leyen’s criticism of the violations of the rights of LGBT + people in some countries is an echo of previous discussions about the closer connection of EU funds with the principle of the state of right.
He said whether this would increase tensions between countries like Poland and Hungary and the EU institutions would depend on their reaction, but so far they have “acted quite pragmatically and cautiously.”
“So far, it has been seen that financial support from the EU is important to them and that they generally avoid behaving in a way that would further isolate these EU countries,” the political scientist noted.
The president of the European Commission promised on Wednesday that Europe will lead global research on the new coronavirus vaccine and rebuild its economy in accordance with the Green Recovery Plan.
In his first annual report to the European Parliament, he also warned Britain not to violate the Brexit Treaty and Turkey not to threaten its neighbors.
Reiterating his promise that the European Commission will combat racism and homophobia, he condemned the so-called LGBT-free zones declared by some Polish cities and called on states to redouble their efforts with refugees.
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