Preparations for the Presidency of the Council of the European Union

Lithuania will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2013. Up till that time it is necessary to undertake proper preparations to ensure the image of a reliable country taking over and continuing the responsibilities of the presidency. “Understanding the importance of those responsibilities we have performed the audit not in the time when the Presidency is over as in the case of other countries but before it has started. During the audit we evaluated positive developments of preparations for the EU Presidency, assessed risks and provided recommendations in relation to their management”, said the Auditor General Ms Giedrė Švedienė.

Many institutions take part in preparations for the EU Presidency. The function of the main coordinator is assigned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Interdepartmental action plan has already been developed however auditors have established that the plan does not include all the measures relating to the Presidency activities neither supporting funds necessary for their implementation. Thus the risk of duplication of activities and inefficient use of public funding is increasing.

Delay in the implementation of the activities of three projects financed from the European Social Fund and state budget funds that are implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in relation with EU Presidency increase the risk that the projects might not be finished in time and some of their results might become irrelevant or not applicable.

Public auditors established that there are risks relating to the infrastructure necessary for the EU Presidency events, daily direct flights to/from Brussels, VIP lounges at the Vilnius International Airport. In order to manage the latter risk it is decided to use temporary structures to perform functions of a VIP lounge. To deal with the issue of daily flights Vilnius–Brussels-Vilnius it was decided to consider relevant proposals provided by the Ministry of Communications at the meeting of the Government EU Commission and to regularly inform the Commission about the results of negotiations with airlines companies. It is planned that agreements concerning provision of premises for the needs of the EU Presidency will be signed by February 2013.

“I am pleased that the Government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have prepared action plans for the implementation of the audit recommendations and have already started their implementation. If the envisaged plans are implemented it is likely that preparations for the Presidency will run smoothly whereas state budget funds will be used efficiently and transparently”, said Giedrė Švedienė.

It is envisaged to allocate LTL 214 million for the implementation of the interdepartmental plan for the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Audit report “Preparations for the Presidency of the Council of the European Union” is available in Lithuanian on the website of the National Audit Office