News

On 14 January in Luxemburg the European Union’s General Affairs and External Relations Council adopted regulations establishing specific facilitated transit documents. Regulations set the rules of Russian citizens' transit through the Lithuanian territory to and from Kaliningrad region, securing the right of Lithuania to control flows of travellers and refuse entry to unwanted persons. The regulations are in line with the provisions of the EU-Russian communiqué issued last November and the principles of the Schengen law, it simplifies to the maximum travels of Russian citizens. Last November, the EU and Russian leaders agreed that starting 1 July Russian citizens travelling to and from the Kaliningrad Region via Lithuania by land should possess the so-called facilitated transit documents or facilitated rail transit documents. The adopted regulations, which are part of the EU and Schengen acquis, establish the order of issuing facilitated transit documents and uniform formats of the documents. Lithuania sees these regulations as a step opening up the possibility to realise Lithuania’s sovereign right to control the movement of foreigners through its territory, which corresponds to the requirements of the Schengen Agreement. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania invites Russia to sign a treaty on cooperation in trains for issuing facilitated rail transit documents in the nearest future. Such a treaty is necessary to ensure a practical solution of the transit problem. Lithuania delivered the draft treaty to Russia on 19 March.