Lithuania

President

Prime Minister

Gitanas Nausėda (Independent, since July 2019) 

Saulius Skvernelis (Farmers and Greens Union, since December 2016)

Population 2,794,184 (2019)
Size 65,300 km2 (25,212 sq. miles)
MEPs 11 (Joined the EU in 2004)
Next presidential election

Next legislative election

2024

11 and 25 October 2020

Presidency of the Council January – June 2027
Last meeting with Boris Johnson None held to date
Brexit priorities It will be important for the Lithuanian government to keep cooperating closely with the UK in the area of defence and security, as the UK is an important NATO partner that Lithuania needs now it is facing security threats from Russia.

Lithuania supports a unified EU approach to the Brexit negotiations and wants to protect the rights of its 200,000 citizens living in the UK.

As a net economic beneficiary of EU funding, Lithuania will also be keeping an eye on what Brexit will mean for the EU budget.

What Mr Skvernelis  said on Brexit On Lithuanian citizens in the UK

“We do care about their rights, social guarantees, including healthcare, it is important for us to maintain the opportunity for Lithuanians to study in UK.”

On how smoothly the negotiations will go

“Because many things are already harmonized unlike it was for example during free trade negotiations between EU and Canada, where the entire judicial base needed to be combined. So this mechanism is working today, after separation, main things should remain as they are now.”

Lithuania’s priorities The Social Democratic Party announced on 23 September 2017 that it would leave the ruling coalition, following months of tensions with the major coalition partner the Peasants and Greens Union (LVZS). The LVZS continued as a minority government. Problems between the two parties emerged as the LVZS felt they were not supported by the Social Democrats, who in turn felt their proposals were not taken on board by the LVZS.

This Government’s priorities are to fight social inequality and corruption, boost the economy with a more interventionist policies, curb emigration to Western Europe and increase defense spending in light of Russian aggression.