Parliamentary Secretary Artjoms Uršuļskis to participate in the EU General Affairs Council (17.03.2026.)

On 17 March 2026, a meeting of the EU General Affairs Council will take place in Brussels, where Latvia will be represented by the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Artjoms Uršuļskis.

The meeting is expected to include an exchange of views on the topics to be discussed at the European Council meeting on 19–20 March: Russia’s war in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, competitiveness and the single market, security and defence, and migration. A separate discussion among representatives of the Member States is planned regarding the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework, focusing on the role of the European Competitiveness Fund in strengthening the EU’s competitiveness.

As part of the annual European Semester process, the 2026 recommendations for the economic policy of the euro area are scheduled to be approved. Approval of amendments to the European Elections Act is also expected, granting female Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) the right to temporarily delegate their vote to another MEP during the prenatal and postnatal periods.

The General Affairs Council examines matters concerning more than one EU policy, such as negotiations on EU enlargement, preparations for the European Council, the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework, as well as the rule of law, institutional and administrative matters.