This position was put to the vote with 14 members in favor, 3 against and 1 abstention.
If the president Gitanas Nausėda and the Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė will not agree on who further represents the state in EVS, it may be, as R. Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė considers, that amendments to the law will also have to be made.
“It was also discussed whether it would not be necessary, if no agreement could be reached, to review certain legislation that would regulate more clearly before the next EVS, which will take place in June. Still, there are really double assessments now.
We will see how things turn out here, but in my opinion, there should be clarity, because there is now legislation that specifically names the head of government for EVS, the presidency spokeswoman Ms Skaisgirytė comments on constitutional powers, but EVS is still either heads of state, or the heads of state, ”the president of the ERC told reporters on Wednesday after the committee meeting.
According to her, there are two countries that are constantly represented in the EVS by the head of state – Lithuania and Romania.
“This may also raise some questions about whether it should be resolved then to make it clear who should be involved, where,” she said.
According to R. Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė, the leaders of the country could go to EVS meetings on a rotating basis, according to topics.
“It is well understood that according to the Constitution, foreign policy issues are assigned to the President, and all other issues related to domestic issues and decisions are the Government – be it fighting, fighting the pandemic, commitments on the green course or social issues. It is still the responsibility of the Government to implement them, “said a member of the Seimas, the elder of the Conservative faction.
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Asked whether the presidency had expressed a desire to negotiate, R. Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė stated that this remained unclear for the time being, however, the politician pointed out that previously the presidents had discussed with the prime ministers about going to EVS meetings.
“Heads of state talk about state affairs, but I do not know specifically about the issues of delegation and representation. I know that in the past there were such formats, where just the managers agreed, ”R. Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė noted.
She emphasized that the call to negotiate is the language of political culture, not an obligation. According to the member of the Seimas, this position is supported by more parliamentarians.
“In this case, it is not a language of legal commitment, but a statement of political will and an invitation to an agreement. Some say that maybe the pressure is on the heads of state, it’s not really with that intention – it’s just a statement of opinion. By the way, the agreement is talked about by a rather wide range of people in the parliament, who apparently also see an ambiguous picture of the situation, ”said the chairperson of the ERC.
R. Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė also considered that the ERC, when approving the positions prepared by the Government, could call for a review of the mandate system.
“It simply came to our notice then. I feel in a strange situation when reading the (Seimas – aut.p.) Statute, where I see exactly the written Head of the Government and the Government. I do not know what can be said here – can we then oblige the President to say one thing or another. This is probably the main issue that raises uncertainties, ”the Member of the Seimas explained.
R. Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė answered the question whether a separate law on state representation in the EVS, which had been discussed by Matas Maldeikis, a member of the Conservative faction, could be considered, noting that the best way should be found.
Radvilė Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė
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“I think it would be wise to sit down. If there is no consensus there, then perhaps there may be a consensus on what goes to which council on a thematic basis in rotation. “There may be a consensus that this issue needs to be resolved – to clarify what the mandate rights and responsibilities are, who should do it to the fullest and how the issues of separation of powers correlate here,” the chair of the ERC added.
The Presidency has repeatedly emphasized that it does not plan to transfer participation in EVS meetings to the Prime Minister. G. Nausėda also stated that he did not see the possibility to exchange visits to EVS with I. Šimonytė, depending on the topics discussed at the meetings.
The Seimas Commission on Ethics and Procedures has acknowledged that the ERC and the CEC have exceeded the limits of their competence by providing recommendations on G. Nausėda’s representation of Lithuania in the EVS. However, the ruling did not make such a decision. You can read about it here.
True, before the approaching informal EVS on May 7-8, the Seimas committees had decided not to issue a recommendation on what should happen in Portugal. The president was there, but conservatives in the case spared no criticism of the size of the head of the delegation, which consisted of 13 people.
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