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Six members of the commission voted in favor of the version proposed by the representative of the opposition “peasants” Guoda Burokienė, and the version prepared by the representative of the conservative alternative rulers Stasys Šedbaras – that there was no violation – was supported by five MPs.
At the end of March, the Seimas European and Foreign Affairs Committees approved a recommendation to the Government in a joint session that President Gitanas Nausėda should represent the EVS country that had traveled remotely from March 25 to 26. A group of opposition representatives asked the Seimas Ethics and Procedures Commission to evaluate the decision.
The conservative S. Shedbar, presenting his proposed version of the conclusion, pointed out that foreign policy is carried out jointly by the President and the Government, and that the decision of the Seimas Committee was of an advisory nature.
“The president and the government must agree on how powers will be shared, because no government can conduct foreign policy without a president, nor a president without a government. It seems to me that in this case the ERC is accepting some recommendation, ”said S. Shedbar at the hearing.
“The Committee does not take any binding decision to behave in one way or another when forming a delegation, in this case it recommended that when a delegation was formed, it be agreed with the Lithuanian leader that the positions be presented by the President. I don’t see any absolute problem here. I believe that the ERC did not exceed the limits of procedure or competence, because it did not make any binding decision, it only proposed it ”, argued S. Šedbaras.
G. Burokienė, the representative of the “Peasants”, took the opposite view and pointed out that, according to the Statute of the Seimas, the Committee of the Seimas cannot make decisions about an institution that is not subordinate to it.
“I have the opposite opinion, the Statute of the Seimas specifies how the deliberations, the formation of positions and the proposals to the Government and the ministers in the committee should be carried out, but the President is not spoken of,” said G. Burokienė.
His proposal supported the conclusion that the European and Foreign Affairs Committees exceeded the limits of their competence by deciding to recommend to the Government the presentation of the positions approved by the Seimas and Government committees in a videoconference of the European Council on the 25th and March 26th.
The decision also recommended that the Seimas European and Foreign Affairs Committees, when considering Lithuania’s positions and their presentation, decide only on the powers assigned to the Government.
Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė does not value the verdict of the Ethics and Procedures Commission of the Seimas
Radvilė Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė, Chairperson of the Seimas Committee on European Affairs (CEC), ignores the explanation given by the Ethics and Procedures Committee on Wednesday that her committee exceeded its mandate by issuing recommendations in late March on who it should lead the delegation to the European Council.
According to the politician, the decision of the commission headed by the “peasant” Aušrinė Norkienė is politically motivated and will not necessarily prevent the ERC from not only approving Lithuania’s positions before each EVS meeting, but also providing recommendations on who should lead. the Lithuanian delegation.
“I understand that this is an advisory decision, and the content of the decision surprises me a bit in the sense that it was as if we were saying that we were insisting, in this case on the president, where to attend. The ERC interacts with the Government in accordance with the Statute and we recommend that the Government take one thing or another into account when forming a delegation. Perhaps the colleagues in the Ethics and Procedures Commission did not fully understand the committee’s decision, “R. Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnien dijo told Eltai.
“Given that the decision of the Ethics Commission, I believe, has a political motivation and says that we cannot instruct the President about his participation … But apparently the ERC can indicate where the Head of Government participates within its competence, then I understand the Interpretation of the Commission ”. The politician ended the joke with a joke.
A. Norkienė: if necessary, I will remind R. Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė of the decision of the guardians of ethics
On Wednesday, the European Affairs Committee intends to decide who should represent Lithuania at this week’s informal European Council. This issue has been debated in the context of tensions between the Presidency and ruling conservatives over differences over whether the current arrangements for representation in the EVS should be changed.
The chairwoman of the Ethics and Procedures Commission of the Seimas, A. Norkienė, says that after the clarification of the guardians of ethics on Wednesday, the committees of the Seimas should take into account the conclusions.
“Today, I think, the chairman of the committee (Radvilė Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė – ELTA), if necessary, I will remind you that there is already an explanation from the Ethics and Procedures Commission to take it into account and follow it. And as it will be, it will be” said A. Norkienė to Eltai.
“We believe that this area (the proposal to represent the ECC in the SVE – ELTA) has exceeded its competence,” he added, referring to the decision taken at the ERC meeting at the end of March to recommend to the Government that the president Gitan Nauseda represent the EVS country in the delegation.
According to her, the ERC does not have the power to instruct the president or prime minister to go to EVS.
“Yes, the committees coordinate positions, we can coordinate positions, and who will represent him is not our competence,” he said.
May 7-8. EU leaders will meet in Porto. After May 7. An informal European Council will be held at high-level conferences organized by the Portuguese Presidency of the EU.
EU leaders intend to discuss the social issues and challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is these issues that rulers seeking to change Lithuania’s order of representation in the EVS have repeatedly identified as issues that would be better represented at the European level by Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė.
According to them, it would be much more effective if the issues that are the prerogative of the Government were represented by the Prime Minister, and the President would go to the EVS only when foreign policy issues were addressed. The prime minister has also spoken out on this. According to her, depending on the content of the meetings, the Head of Government and the President could represent Lithuania EVT alternately.
However, G. Nausėda has repeatedly stated that he does not see the need to change current practice. According to the President, it is intolerable and unacceptable to ask whether it should continue to represent Lithuania in EVS, when at that time the Government has many outstanding issues regarding the crisis caused by COVID-19.
The Seimas ERC has previously taken the initiative not only to approve Lithuania’s positions before each European Council meeting, but also to provide recommendations on who should lead the Lithuanian delegation. Before the meeting evaluated in the Ethics Procedures Committee, the ERC only approved Lithuania’s positions on individual issues and did not comment on the composition of the delegation.
The Conservatives, who won the Seimas elections, raised the question of who should represent Lithuania in the EVS.
They are considering the adoption of a law that provides for Lithuania to be represented in the EVS not by the president but by the prime minister.
The initiators argue that the issues discussed at the summits are largely a matter for the government. There is also no possibility of ensuring that the president of the EVN complies with the mandate approved by the Seimas and the Government, in addition, the president does not participate in the activities of the European parties.
Critics of the initiative say the conservatives are applying double standards because they have given the EVS their place to President Dalia Grybauskaitė, whom they support, and have never raised the issue before.
President G. Nausėda says he intends to continue representing Lithuania at all summits.
The constitution stipulates that the president decides on the main foreign policy issues and how the head of state represents Lithuania.
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