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On 24 January during Lithuanian Government meeting Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented Lithuania’s position on the future of the European Union’s Constitutional Treaty and  the Berlin Declaration marking the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.

Foreign Minister Vaitiekūnas stressed that the future of the EU, the Union’s ability to respond to internal and external challenges, and whether the EU will be stronger, more effective and more democratic depend on how the issue of the EU Constitutional Treaty will be settled.

“Lithuania’s prosperity and influence in Europe, people’s confidence in the EU also depend on these decisions,” the Head of Lithuanian Diplomacy said.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister marked that Lithuania consistently stood and will stand for preservation of the contents of the EU Constitutional Treaty.

“We are interested in agreement on the EU Constitutional Treaty to be reached this year, otherwise the development of the EU can take direction unfavourable for Lithuania,” Mr Vaitiekūnas said.

The Minister informed that Lithuania should agree its position with 17 EU Members that had already ratified the document. On 26 January in Madrid representatives of these states will discuss what will help German EU Presidency to reach positive results in negotiations on the future of the Constitutional Treaty.

In consultations with German representatives on the Berlin Declaration Lithuania will propose including provisions on common energy policy, EU solidarity and equality principles, neighbourhood policy in the declaration. But, according to the Minister, Lithuania is particularly interested in the Berlin Declaration to give impetus to the EU constitutional process.

The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe was signed on 29 October 2004 and should have come into force on 1 November 2006, but after unsuccessful referendums in France and the Netherlands the enactment was delayed. At the moment the Treaty has been ratified by 18 EU Member states.

The Berlin Declaration marking the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome should be adopted on 25 March 2007 at the informal meeting of the EU heads of state and government in Berlin.