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Laimdota Straujuma:
"This was the last European Council within the framework of the Latvian Presidency, and in a few days we will pass on the presidency to Luxembourg. I would like to express my gratitude to Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, and Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament, as well as to all our cooperation partners.
In assessing the Latvian Presidency, I believe that Latvia did everything it could to make significant progress on all three of the Latvian Presidency's priorities - competitive Europe, digital Europe and engaged Europe. In addition, we ensured a prompt and high quality response by the European Union to the challenges we faced this semester.
The Latvian Presidency created the preconditions for attracting further investment in the European Union economy by reaching an agreement on the European Fund for Strategic Investments.
The investment environment and competition have been improved by strengthening the EU single market. We have simplified cross-border business and strengthened support for youth employment.
This semester, a historic decision was taken to lay the foundations for the European Energy Union. The "Riga Process" was defined, and it will ensure the step-by-step creation of the Energy Union.
This is an investment in our future.
Digital Europe
The Latvian Presidency actively promoted initiatives that contribute to a safe and reliable digital environment in the European Union, thus laying the foundations for the digital single market.
The Latvian Presidency reached an agreement in the Council on the data protection regulation that will enhance the level of personal data protection.
The Presidency has made every effort to achieve progress on the abolition of roaming charges in the EU and on drafting the first joint open Internet rules in the European Union. I believe that the European Parliament will listen to the Member States' views and we will be able to agree on Monday.
Engaged Europe
A new EU Internal Security Strategy was approved, defining the priorities in the fight against the threats of terrorism, radicalisation, organised crime and cybercrime.
We have contributed to raising awareness in the European Union of the new challenges to security, including hybrid threats.
The Latvian Presidency ensured that the EU Council was immediately involved in addressing the crisis in the Mediterranean and preventing the loss of human lives.
The Eastern Partnership Summit held in Riga strengthened cooperation with the Eastern Partnership countries. The measures relating to the Eastern Partnership countries enhanced our cooperation and mutual understanding.
The Latvian Presidency reached an agreement on additional financial assistance to Ukraine and supported a common European Union position on settling the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
The Latvian Presidency ensured that the EU was involved in the UN intergovernmental negotiations on the new sustainable development objectives, and their funding and implementation beyond 2015, focusing particularly on gender equality.
In conclusion, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the hard-working and responsible Latvian team and also to each of you, the journalists who covered the Presidency's events. Let me wish Luxembourg an equally successful six-month Presidency!"
