Future of EU finances – Commissioner Oettinger visits Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania

Commissioner Günther H. Oettinger, in charge of Budget and Human Resources, is visiting Estonia on 31 October, Latvia on 1 November and Lithuania on 2 November as part of his tour across EU Member States aimed to gather views on the future of EU finances and the post-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). In Estonia, the Commissioner will meet the country’s Prime Minister, Mr Jüri Ratas, Mr Toomas Tõniste, Minister of Finance, and Mr Matti Maasikas, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister. He will also exchange views with members of the Finance, Economic Affairs and EU Affairs Committees of the Estonian Parliament. Commissioner Oettinger will deliver a keynote speech at the Interparliamentary Conference on Stability, Economic Coordination and Governance in the European Union and answer questions by citizens at a Citizens’ dialogue in the Estonian Business School. In Latvia, the Commissioner will meet Ms Dana Reizniece-Ozola, Minister of Finance, Mr Edgars Rinkēvičs, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Kaspars Gerhards, Minister for Environmental Protection and Regional Development, and Mr Jānis Dūklavs, Minister of Agriculture. Commissioner Oettinger will discuss the challenges ahead of the EU budget with members of the European Affairs and Budget Committees of the Latvian Parliament, and with the wider public at a Citizens’ Dialogue. In Lithuania, the Commissioner will meet the country’s Prime Minister, Mr Saulius Skvernelis, Mr Vilius Šapoka, Minister of Finance, Mr Bronius Markauskas, Minister of Agriculture, Mr Žygimantas Vaičiūnas, Minister of Energy, and Mr Albinas Zananavičius, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs. Commissioner Oettinger will visit the Parliament and meet the speaker and members of the European Affairs committee and deliver a keynote speech at a conference on Lithuania and the future of EU finances. The meetings in the three Baltic states are part of the Commissioner’s tour aimed to gather the broadest possible views on the future of EU finances – #MFFtour27. The Commission kicked off this debate on 28 June 2017 with the publication its Reflection paper on the future of EU finances, which is also available in Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian. Stakeholder views will be taken into account when preparing the next MFF, to be presented in May 2018.