Last week, the European Parliament Development Committee adopted the report on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the post-2015 framework prepared by the Polish conservative MEP Filip Kaczmarek. Cooperating with the Lithuanian based NGOs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Leonidas Donskis submitted a number of amendments highlighting the importance of the transition experience of EU member states for the developing countries.

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Last week, the members of the European Parliament met in the blooming Strasbourg. During this EP plenary session they discussed the constitutional reform in Hungary, EU financial support to the crisis-struck Cyprus, agreed on the discharge of the 2011 budget of all EU institutions, with the exception of the Council, easing of the visa requirements to the citizens of Ukraine and Moldova and lastly refused to restrict the emissions trading policy. The MEPs also heard speeches of the Prime Minister of Finland Jyrky Katainen and the President of Ireland, the state currently holding the Presidency of the Council, Michael D. Higgins. (Suite...)

On Wednesday, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) held the annual conference on Tibet in the European Parliament in Brussels. These conferences have already become a tradition of the current EP term. The main topics of this year`s event "Tears of Tibet", organised by the Estonian ALDE member Kristiina Ojuland and Lithuanian MEP Leonidas Donskis, included the growing number of self-immolations, the consequences of the Chinese policies on human rights and environment in Tibet, and EU and EP role in addressing these problems more effectively. (Suite...)

Last week, a meeting between the coordinators of Leonidas Donskis` political group, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), and the Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the EU Raimundas Karoblis together with the Ambassador-at-large Arunas Vinciunas, took place in the European Parliament in Brussels. (Suite...)

Last Wednesday, MEP Leonidas Donskis attended two meetings concerning the situation of democracy and human rights in Russia. The first one was a visit of delegates from various Russian opposition parties and NGOs initiated by the international organisation "Freedom House". Later on, L. Donskis discussed new developments in the Magnitsky case with the colleagues of S. Magnitsky who died during his imprisonment. (Suite...)

On the first weekend of March, Member of the European Parliament Leonidas Donskis visited Lithuanian students in Edinburg. During the visit, L. Donskis delivered a public speech in the University of Edinburg, participated in a discussion with the students, and visited the Parliament of Scotland. (Suite...)