Country: Lithuania
Field: Agri-Food Sector Development
Institution: Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry
An accomplished legal professional with a transnational and European focus, bringing over 21 years of extensive experience to the table. With two decades spent in prominent roles within the civil service’s agri-food sector in the Republic of Lithuania, Rolandas has excelled in positions such as Head of Unit, Deputy Director, Director, Chair, Chief Advisor, and Deputy Minister.
His journey began with pivotal contributions to Lithuania’s accession to the EU, where he played a direct role in legal responsibilities related to agri-food chapters of the Accession Treaty. Rolandas was instrumental in establishing a coordination model and actively represented national interests in legislative processes, both at the EU Council and its working parties, as well as the European Commission’s working fora, including comitology committees. His involvement extended to shaping various roles in all subsequent Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reforms, commencing with Commissioner Fischler’s reform in 2003.
During Lithuania’s EU Presidency in 2013, Rolandas chaired the EU Council’s Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA). In this capacity, he led negotiations and finalized the first-ever CAP reform under co-decision with the European Parliament, covering the period 2014-2020. His leadership extended to managing other major agri-food legislative dossiers at the time.
Possessing firsthand experience of the last two decades of evolving CAP, including its challenges, opportunities, and interactions with other EU policies such as the recent EU’s Green Deal, Rolandas is well-equipped to offer insights and tailored advice to meet the evolving needs of beneficiaries. His direct involvement in various activities and actions of the Lithuanian government and the Ministry of Agriculture related to economic diplomacy and the promotion of intra and extra EU trade of national agri-food production further enhances his value to the project’s goals, including support for fulfilling commitments under the Association Agreement (AA) and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA).