On 1-2 October 2020 in Hamburg, Germany, the Under Secretary of State, Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jānis Mažeiks, took part in an informal meeting of the Political Directors of the European Union Member States hosted by the German Presidency of the Council of the EU.
The Political Directors shared views on the major issues in the EU’s foreign policy and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on foreign policy. The relationship between the EU and the U.S. was discussed in a virtual meeting with the United States Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, David Hale. During the conversation, Jānis Mažeiks stressed that the EU and the U.S. have succeeded in retaining a single voice on key matters, for instance, concerning developments in their neighbourhood, in particular – the state of affairs in Belarus and Ukraine. The Political Directors then reviewed the situation in other EU regions, as well as common problems in EU foreign policy.
The informal meetings of the Political Directors of the EU Member States are held twice a year and hosted by the country holding the Presidency of the Council of the EU.