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Acting Foreign Minister Antanas Valionis says that Government's plans towards EU membership will not change. Such a statement was presented by Acting Foreign Minister Valionis on 3rd of July in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the meeting of the delegation for the negotiations for the EU membership, where the report on progress of the 1st half of a year was presented. Lithuanian's chef European Union membership negotiator Petras Austrevicius said Lithuania moves towards the solving of more difficult and more sensitive problems concerning the integration to the EU. Delegation for the negotiations evaluated the report on the progress of the 1st half of a year and emphasized the tasks for another half year. Lithuania will seek for finishing of the negotiations in nine chapters: Customs union, Freedom of Movement for Persons, Competition, Transport policy, Taxation, Financial control, Energy, Legal and interior affairs and Agriculture. Petras Austrevicius pointed out that during the Swedish presidency Lithuania closed 11 chapters from 12 planed and in such a way managed to catch up the earlier started negotiating countries. Lithuania finished negotiations in 18 chapters from 31. Slovakia finished negotiations in 19 chapters, Malta - 17, Latvia - 16, Poland -16, Bulgaria - 10, Romania-7. Head of Lithuanian diplomacy pointed out that European Commission will issue an evaluation of Lithuania's progress report in November. This report will be important basis for the European Summit in December in Laeken, where it is expected to learn which candidate countries will be invited in the first round of expansion. EU will seek to finish negotiations with the best prepared candidate countries next year, then the citizens will be allowed to participate in European Parliamentary elections in 2004 as a members of EU countries. The Head of Delegation of negotiations emphasized that 50 percent of Lithuanian population supports the membership in EU.