Event report

On 9 May, a debate on "Europe Day: A year of challenges and achievements”. Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commissioner Rasa Juknevičienė, Member of the European Parliament, Arnoldas Pranckevičius, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Margarita Šešelgytė, Director of the Institute for International Relations and Political Science, Vilnius University, Elijus Čivilis, technology expert and other interesting interlocutors, met in the debate. Arnoldas Pranckevičius, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, stressed the European Union’s ability to mobilise and unite in the face of the pandemic. The Deputy Minister says that after the pandemic, Europe will no longer be as hard to hear, but it is important for Europe and the world to see that global challenges such as climate change, digitalisation, artificial intelligence and new technologies have not disappeared, but only strengthened. Inequalities between countries and regions have also increased. Mr Pranckevičius is optimistic about the future of Europe, which he believes will focus on the economy of the future, technologies for excellence, science, innovation and people. Margarita Šešelgy, Director of the Institute of Political Studies, said that after every crisis in the EU, Europe was stronger in the area to which the crisis related. In this context, attention will be paid to EU health policy. Economist Nerijus Mačiulis said that funds from the European Economic Recovery Plan would be directed towards new generations, the transformation of education systems and the creation of an innovation architecture, all of which would allow a competitive and resilient economy. Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius said that now is the time to talk about the challenges of climate change, because by destroying ecosystems and biodiversity, unsustainably farming destroys natural protection against pathogens. Referring to the Green Deal, Mr Sinkevičius stressed that there was no conflict between economic recovery and the fight against climate change. On the contrary, by developing measures to combat climate change, we can successfully boost the economic recovery by investing in building renovation, renewable energy, the promotion of the circular economy, sustainable transport, which undoubtedly creates new jobs. In addition to the goal of becoming a climate-neutral continent by 2050, the European Green Deal includes measures and laws. The European Green Deal is a concrete action plan that is already being implemented. The implementation of this Action Plan is a systemic change. In addition to recalling the origins of the European Union, guests of the programme looked at future perspectives, sharing insights on the most remarkable achievements of today: the unity of Europeans in the fight against the pandemic, the joint EU policy response to the pandemic crisis, the unprecedented European recovery plan and the preparation for the future and green transition leadership.