News

Conclusions on enlargement · Lithuania welcomes the Conclusions of the European Council which reiterate the irreversibility of the enlargement process and name the candidate countries - including Lithuania - which could be ready for conclusion of negotiations in 2002 and for membership in 2004 provided that the present rate of progress of the negotiations and reforms is maintained. · The prospects to conclude negotiations next year are real. Lithuania is satisfied with the speed and results of negotiations during this year. The "road map" has proven its worth. · The Government of Lithuania acknowledges that fulfillment of its commitments as well as strengthening of administrative and judiciary capacities will be of paramount importance. · Lithuania welcomes the European Council's endorsement of the European Commission's opinion that the enlargement including up to ten countries from 2004 is possible within the financial framework established in Berlin European Council in 1999. Lithuania also welcomes the Union's position to conduct accession negotiations on the basis of the existing acquis and independently of the future reforms of the EU common policies (agriculture, regional policy). · Negotiations are approaching the final phase. Next year's negotiations will be the most difficult, but all issues (including agriculture, structural funds, budgetary provisions, energy) can be solved. The main attention should be focused on the quality of negotiations and decisions rather than on calculation of closed negotiation chapters or statistical "race" with the other candidate countries. All the decisions taken during negotiations have to be acceptable to the public. · As far as further prospects of negotiations ar concerned: Lithuania is ready to close the chapters of Financial control and Transport policy during the coming rounds of negotiations (on Transport policy the EU needs to reach its internal agreement - conclusions on Austria's eco-points implementation remain to be clarified). Solutions acceptable to Lithuania must be found on Taxation (excise duties for cigarettes). · Together with the next year's Regular Reports, due in October (one month earlier than usually), the Commission will present regular reports and recommendations on which candidate countries would be able to conclude negotiations according to the "road map". The ongoing mobilization of resources is needed in order to tackle Lithuania's shortcomings identified in this year's Commission's Regular Report. Actions that are now being implemented and will be implemented in the first half of the next year will form the basis of the next year's Regular Report. Laeken declaration on the future of the EU · Laeken Declaration opened a new phase of the European constitutional development. It is the beginning of preparation for the Intergovernmental Conference in 2004. The method - so called Convention - is one of the most democratic and therefore will contribute to the strengthening of the principles of European integration and to the growth of legitimacy of the EU itself. · Declaration reflects the present European political context and raises essential questions for the further existence of EU. Comparing with initial texts - reflecting Presidency's Belgium's "integrationist" ambitions - the final statements are thoroughly balanced. · Declaration emphasizes the expectations of citizens and the need to bring them closer to the EU institutions and its various policies. · Lithuania welcomes the decision to fully involve candidate countries in the Convention's proceedings in the same format (two members of Parliament and one representative of Government) as the current Member States. Lithuania will take part in the proceedings of the Convention seeking to achieve the consensus. · Lithuania expects to participate in the Intergovernmental Conference in 2004, which will be making final decisions on the EU reforms, as full member. · Lithuania congratulates the elected Chairman of the Convention Mr V. Giscard d'Estaing, Vice-Chairmen Mr J.L.Dehaene and Mr G. Amato and lends its support in the proceedings of the Convention. · Next step is the formation of delegation of Lithuania. The Lithuanian Government will appoint its representative in the beginning of the next year. The work of Lithuanian delegation has to be organized properly in order to make Lithuania's influence as efficient as possible. Russia Russia: Lithuania welcomes the European Council's position on closer cooperation with the future border states of enlarged EU, in particular with the Kaliningrad region, first of all concentrating on the issues of movement of persons and transit.