On 4 June 2026 in Vilnius, Lithuania, the annual consultations on consular matters between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Baltic States took place, in which participants shared experiences regarding the crisis in the Middle East in March this year and the evacuation of citizens from crisis-affected areas. Cooperation between institutions at both national and European Union levels, as well as mechanisms for notifying citizens, was discussed in depth.
“In a large-scale crisis, effective cooperation among the institutions involved and prompt communication are vital to ensuring that Latvian and other European Union citizens receive the necessary assistance in a timely manner,” Agnese Saliņa, Director of the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, underlined during the consultations.
The meeting also addressed the progress in the introduction of the new model of the European Union temporary travel documents. Representatives also discussed changes in the availability and costs of consular services provided by the Baltic States at their missions abroad.
The Baltic states’ consular consultations are an important and valuable platform for sharing experience to improve the efficiency of consular services. They are organised annually on a rotational basis. Last year, they were held in Tallinn, and the next round of consular consultations will take place in Riga.