Lithuanian EU Presidency News

  • 2013-12-18

The Committee of Permanent Representatives endorsed the agreement reached by the Lithuanian Presidency and the European Parliament on setting up the European Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Agency, reports ELTA. The provisions of the regulation lay down the terms under which the Agency must perform its task concerning security accreditation of the systems.
The Regulation establishes the Security Accreditation Board for European GNSS systems which, alongside the Administrative Board and the Executive Director, is one of the three bodies of the Agency.
By 2016 at the latest, and every five years thereafter, the Commission shall arrange an evaluation of the Agency, concerning, in particular, its impact, effectiveness, smooth running, working methods, requirements and use of the resources entrusted to it.

The Permanent Representatives (COREPER II) on Dec. 13 in Brussels has agreed to add 19 countries to the EU visa-free list, reports ELTA. The EU Council will now enter into negotiations with the European Parliament, with a view to the final adoption of the decision early next year.
“Our today’s agreement is a significant step towards the future visa-free travel between the European Union and the 19 third countries. The Presidency strongly believe in the benefits of the visa-free travels and is very glad to have achieved the agreement among the member states,” said Ambassador Raimundas Karoblis, chair of the Permanent Representatives Committee.
Citizens of 16 Caribbean and Pacific countries - Dominica, Grenada, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Vanuatu - as well as United Arab Emirates, Peru and Colombia will be able to travel without visas once the amendments of the Regulation listing the third countries whose nationals must be in possession of visas when crossing the external borders of member states and those whose nationals are exempt from that requirement, will be adopted by the EU Council and the European Parliament.