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On September 5, European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy released progress reports of 12 candidate states. Commenting the report on Lithuania's EU membership preparedness, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Antanas Valionis positively evaluated this document and stressed that the problems named in the report are known and tackled by the Lithuanian government. The minister seconded the opinion expressed by European Commission's Enlargement Commissioner Günter Verheugen in the session of European Parliament that the EU should get ready to bring the first ten candidate states into the fold all at once. According to Valionis, in its preparation for EU membership Lithuania is among those countries and could join the EU in the next round of enlargement. Lithuanian foreign minister also stressed that it is still extremely important to continue preparations for membership in whole and at full speed. Valionis positively evaluated the attention of the European Parliament to the problems of Kaliningrad region under the EU enlargement. According to the minister, this and other issues associated with Lithuanian preparations for EU membership would be addressed when Enlargement Commissioner Verheugen will pay a visit to Lithuania in the second half of September. In the report of European Parliament Lithuania is characterized as a country keeping up a good pace in negotiations and distinguishing strong determination to join the EU. The document stressed Lithuania's right to determine its own security methods in integration with Euro-Atlantic security structures, positively evaluated Lithuania's role in cooperation with the Russian Kaliningrad region and called for greater EU participation in that dialogue. The report urged Lithuania to step up preparations for decommissioning of the second reactor at the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant. The document characterized Lithuania's economic situation as steadily improving and sustaining long-term growth tendencies. The committee report noticed that the reforms lie ahead for Lithuania in agriculture and energetic sectors, while the reduction of unemployment and solution of associated social welfare problems, increase of administrative capacity, improvement of police service and implementation of legal system's reform need more progress.