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The first results of Lithuania’s participation in the work of the European Union (EU) institutions were discussed on 23 December at the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during the session of the Lithuanian Delegation for EU Accession Negotiations, led by Lithuanian Foreign Minister Antanas Valionis. At the session, heads of negotiating working groups, members of the coordination group of the delegation for EU Accession Negotiations, members of the Government, the Seimas (Parliament) and the President’s Office also participated. Minister Valionis thanked the members of the negotiating delegation for all their input since 1999 and congratulated them on a successful work in the EU as observer acceding country since April 2003. According to the Minister, in order to represent the national interests effectively it is important not only to adjust the positions inside the country, but also to represent them comprehensively in Brussels, to raise the issues topical to Lithuania at all the EU working groups and committees, including those of the highest level, if necessary. As a successful example of representing Lithuania’s interests Minister Valionis named the fact that the railway project “Rail Baltica” and the project of Power Bridge between Lithuania and Poland, both presented by Lithuania, were included into the priority list of trans-European network projects. The Minister underlined that next year important negotiations on the EU Constitutional Treaty awaited Lithuania as a full member of the EU, as well as negotiations on the new financial perspective, growth initiative, strengthening the area of freedom, security and justice, priorities of the EU external policy, including the initiative “Wider Europe”, determining the EU relations with its new neighbours. The Minister expressed hope that Lithuania would meet 2004 with even better results and that the national Lithuanian interests would be properly represented in Brussels and the other capitals of the EU Member States. “In recent years the Lithuanian Diplomatic Corps have matured enough to assume protecting the most important Lithuania’s interests in the EU institutions as of 1 May next year. We are ready to fulfil the tasks of the European diplomacy,” Minister Valionis said.