6^th meeting of the World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) Regional Association Europe (RA VI) Management Group was held at the premises of the German Weather Service (DWD) in Offenbach on April 19^th-20^th. The meeting's participants assessed the RA VI Action Plan for 2008-2011, adopted a new Plan for 2012-2015, discussed preparations for the RA VI session in 2013. The meeting was attended by the elected WMO RA VI Vice-President and the Director of the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service under the Ministry of Environment, Ms Vida Augulienė.

Annual meeting of the directors of BALTMET countries (Baltic - Nordic national hydrometeorological services' cooperation programme) is held in Stockholm (Sweden) on 11-12 April 2012.

The directors will deliver presentations on annual performance and future plans of their national hydrometeorological services, discuss topical issues of the BALTMET cooperation, participation in HIRLAM numerical weather prediction model development project activities, common position in preparation for the Extraordinary Congress of the World Meteorological Organization, participation in other international meteorological organizations (EUMETSAT, ECMWF, EUMETNET, ECOMET).

Meeting is attended by the Director of the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service under the Ministry of Environment, Ms Vida Augulienė.

By the end of December 2011, the Minister of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania, Mr Gediminas Kazlauskas and the Director-General of EUMETSAT, Mr Alain Ratier signed the Second Amendment to the Cooperating State Agreement between the Republic of Lithuania and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), extending the validity of the Cooperating State Agreement until 31 December 2013, and the Agreement between the Republic of Lithuania and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) concerning the Accession of the Republic of Lithuania to the Convention for the Establishment of a European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) and Related Terms and Conditions, effective from 1 January 2014. Both agreements are subject to ratification by the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania.

Accession to the EUMETSAT Convention means the full membership in this international organization. It enables unlimited access to all satellite data and products, participation in the decision-making process with full powers as well as job opportunities for Lithuanian citizens and businesses. EUMETSAT members are currently 27 European states, 4 countries (Bulgaria, Iceland, Lithuania and Serbia) have a provisional co-operating state status. EUMETSAT operates meteorological satellites Meteosat-8 and Meteosat-9, observing European and African continents and the Atlantic Ocean from geostationary orbit, and a polar-orbiting satellite, METOP. Since 2008, EUMETSAT conducts also oceanographic observations, with satellite Jason-2. Satellite information facilitates timely and accurate weather forecasting, warning of dangerous and disastrous atmospheric phenomena, monitoring of climate change and human impact on the environment.

The Secretariat of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) officially informed that the Director of Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service, Ms Vida Augulienė had been elected Vice-President of the Regional Association VI (Europe) of the WMO.

During a secret ballot by correspondence participating 32 National Hydrometeorological Services of European countries, 20 of them supported the candidate of the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service (11 votes went to a Bulgarian representative).

Vice-President of the Regional Association of WMO, together with its President (currently Mr Ivan Čacič, Director of the Meteorological and Hydrological Service of Croatia) organize and coordinate regional cooperation and actions of Members of the Association in implementing the most important WMO programmes and projects, in convening the Association's sessions, conferences and workshops.

Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service counts its years since 30 September 1921, when by the Lithuanian Government Resolution, a Central Meteorological Station - predecessor of the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service - was established.

Lithuanian hydrometeorologists boast a long and rich history: Vilnius University Observatory headed by Martynas Počobutas [orig. Marcin Poczobutt-Odlanicki] began to regularly measure the air temperature in 1770, a little later - rainfall. Hydrological observations on the River Nemunas by Smalininkai are dated back to 1811. Even the great wars did not break meteorological and hydrological observations, owing to staff awareness of the value of continuity of their work and their personal consciousness.

Today, the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service under the Ministry of the Environment (LHMS) celebrates not only its 90th anniversary. This year is also the twentieth year since the accession of the Republic of Lithuania to the World Meteorological Organisation. That is why today we enjoy the company of honourable foreign guests: Vice-President of the World Meteorological Organization and the Director-General of the Polish Institute of Meteorology and Water Management, Prof. Mieczyslaw Ostojski, Director-General of the Estonian Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, Mr Jaan Saar, Director-General of the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, Ms Lena Häll Eriksson, Director of Operations of the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre, Ms Inita Stikute, Representative of the President of the German Weather Service, Dr Christina Koppe.

Rapid development and new technologies come along with the independence of Lithuania. LHMS represents the Republic of Lithuania in the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) as well as in the HIRLAM (High-Resolution Limited-Area Modelling) Consortium. LHMS also participates in the activities of other international meteorological and hydrological organizations.

The Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service, taking into account enormous achievements in meteorology and hydrology in recent decades, spares no effort striving to further develop its activities, to enhance the provision of services for state agencies, contractual customers and general public.