Today Leonidas Donskis is travelling to Kiev (Ukraine) where he will present his second book, published in Ukrainian, give a public lecture and participate in a discussion held in the Lithuanian embassy in Ukraine. (Suite...)

Yesterday MEP Leonidas Donskis, together with colleagues, participated in a meeting with farmers from different EU Member States and discussed the future of the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The main idea which was stressed during the meeting was that while reforming the CAP it is time to think not only about direct compensations to farmers but also to pay greater attention to sustainable rural development, environment protection, and biodiversity preservation. (Suite...)

Due to the Orthodox Easter the plenary session started one day later than usual, and its agenda consisted of the discussion on the human rights situation in the world and the EU`s policies on this issue, the assessment of the progress of the negotiations on EU-Armenia and EU-Azerbaijan association agreements, the decision on the transfer of EU air passengers` personal data to the US Department of Homeland Security, the energy products tax reform proposed by Commissioner Algirdas Šemeta, etc. (Suite...)

During the Easter period in the European Parliament, when no plenary sessions in Strasbourg or Brussels, committee or political group meetings take place, Leonidas Donskis visited the US, specifically New York City, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. He gave public lectures in academic centres of the US, combining them with private trip plans. (Suite...)

Halfway through negotiations between the EU and Armenia, and the EU and Azerbaijan on Association Agreements the European Parliament is drafting its recommendations to the EU Council, the European Commission and the European External Action Service. The document consists of the MEPs` assessment of the development of the negotiations, stressing areas and issues which require more attention. At the end of March the EP Committee on Foreign Affairs voted on the documents assessing the development of the negotiations, which will be presented to the EP`s plenary session in April. (Suite...)

On Wednesday and Thursday one of the six annual short plenary sessions was held in Brussels. During the plenary session in Brussels MEPs debated various issues, which included the derivatives trade; progress reports on Turkey, Serbia, Kosovo and Montenegro; air passenger rights; EU resettlement programme for refugees, the EP budget 2013, and voted on a resolution enforcing EU citizens` basic rights. 

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