Skvernelis: decision to propose Sinkevicius for EU commissioner was not coordinated

Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis says the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union's decision to propose Economy and Innovation Minister Virginijus Sinkevicius as the country's candidate to be a member of the next European Commission was not coordinated with him.

"The political group often manages to make its own internal one or the other decision which is not public but now it has become public. It was news for me," the prime minister told journalists at the Seimas on Thursday.

"It happens so that I don’t know as well," Skvernelis responded to journalists' remark that he's a member of the political group.

Earlier in the day, the LFGU' leader Ramunas Karbauskis announced the decision by the party's political group and added that one of the EC portfolios offered to Lithuania is that related to innovation.

In his words, Lithuania's position on the preferred portfolio "is not clear yet" but the LFGU "expressed its political will" by proposing Sinkevicius.

Skvernelis says it's not clear yet which EU commissioner portfolio Lithuania will get.

The Lithuanian government will nominate its candidate upon approval of the resident and Seimas.