Lithuanian membership in the European Union highly triggered the local reforms in the sphere of migration. New laws have been already passed, the relevant international projects are being implemented, and the immigration policy under the EU priorities is being conducted in Lithuania. Therefore, we asked Mr. Almantas Gavenas, the Director of the Migration Department under the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania, to comment the actual processes involved.
Before Lithuania had accessed the EU, the new Law On the Legal Status of Aliens was passed in the last year. What was the extent of developments since that year and in what level of efficiency they were conducted?
The objective of this law is to harmonize the provisions of Lithuanian legislation with the requirements of the EU acquis. We had to consider almost 90 provisions of the EU legislation concerning visas, migration, asylum and free movement of people. At present, the covering legal acts ensuring the further implementation of this law are still being drafted 's and this is a great work indeed. However, we are gratified that all provisions regulating the legal status of aliens were succeeded to comprise by single law (also including such delicate category as asylum seekers).
Are there any specific problems for Lithuania due to its neighbourhood with the CIS countries. If yes, what is the way of dealing with those problems?
Lithuanian migration policy is being conducted according to the common EU priorities, our country is also involved in the EU migration management system. At present, the immigration policy in respect to the non-EU citizens is being even more tightened. The external EU borders security is guaranteed in Lithuania, the illegal immigrants flow is prevented by using the secure preventive measures and the experience gained in this field. The new law states that aliens, being the non-EU citizens and applying for a residence permit for the first time must submit an application for a residence permit to a diplomatic mission or a consular institution of the Republic of Lithuania abroad. Previously, they had an opportunity to run this procedure upon arriving to the country. The EU citizens are exercised in different order 's facilitated procedure of application submit, they can perform this procedure in both Lithuania and abroad. Moreover, the aforementioned procedure is also applied to the citizens of visa-free countries. Furthermore, the decision on issuance of residence permit for the EU citizens now is accepted within the period no longer than one month, while the applications of the third countries citizens may be processed up to six months. Also the new provision concerning the assessment of fictitious marriages has been adopted, 's such practice is exercised in the most EU states. The aforementioned problems are being solved by partly changing the asylum procedure that was facilitated, shortened and definitely became more effective.
Illegal migration control, preventive measures, more effective legal regulation of the asylum granting procedure, introducing the biometrical data in the identity documents as well as signing the readmission (citizens repatriation) agreements are considered the priorities of the European Union. Lithuania is the first and still the only state, which signed the readmission agreement with the Russian Federation. Such agreements were concluded with Ukraine, Moldova, Croatia, Romania, and Armenia. The articles of the readmission are provided in some Lithuanian international agreements with the third countries, the negotiation on readmission is continued with other countries. Lithuania has already gained the valuable experience in this field.
Actually, Lithuania had a specific problem, which was successfully tackled 's it was so-called Kaliningrad transit. Two years ago, the new transit procedure was implemented, ensuring the opportunity for the Russian citizens to transit easily from the Kaliningrad Region to the rest of the Russian Federation and vice versa. Those aliens are issued with the special transit documents.
What were the actions taken to implement the principle of free movement of people?
The issuance of new model documents has been launched in Lithuania, i.e. residence permits for aliens and alien's passport. At present, permanent and temporary residence permits are issued as the cards of the European model. Moreover, they are issued using the same advanced technologies and preventive measures as those used for Lithuanian passports or identity cards. Such residence permits are much more protected against possible counterfeits than the previous ones. The EU citizens and their family members are issued with the residence permits of the European Communities. Alien's passport is required for foreigners who enjoy the right to reside in Lithuania, but are unable to obtain passport in their country of origin due to the reasonable grounds. This document cannot change the citizenship; it can only confirm the right to reside in Lithuania as well as to depart from this country.
How many aliens arrive to reside in Lithuania? What are the changes of migration flows possible to forecast?
The number of aliens is equal to one percent of total population residing in Lithuania. Although that is not much, still the issues on migration are becoming more and more actual in Lithuania as well as in the rest of the Western World. We suppose that gradual improvement of economical situation will lead to the reduction of emigration from Lithuania and repatriation of some Lithuanian emigrants. Every year, around six thousand aliens reside in Lithuania 's some of them arriving, others 's departing. About half of arrivals reside in Lithuania upon entering into marriage, tenth reside during the study or training courses, the less part 's persons arrived to work or to implement any other business activity. The number of "settlers" from the European Union is equal to the fifth of total Lithuanian population, still the increasing of number of businessmen and the decreasing of number of marriages are significant in Lithuania. Actually, there is no threat of immigration flow from the Eastern countries to Lithuania 's this is guaranteed by the provisions of local legislation and by the efficiency of their implementation. Besides, controlled "economic" immigration flow may be very useful 's they are workers, creators, consumers, after that, and they are widening our scope of view and teaching us tolerance. Perhaps should the more topical issue be considered 's emigration problem.
What is the extent of emigration? What will be the consequences experienced due to so-called "leakage of minds"?
The Lithuanian Government should provide the required care for economic emigrants from Lithuania who enjoyed the right of free movement of people, 's the excellent specialists, indeed, often emigrate to the foreign countries. This process can trigger the particular social and economical disadvantages in future. According to the figures received from the Statistics Department, 303 thousand residents emigrated from 1990 till 2003, and even during the last year emigrated 4 thousand more residents than during the previous year. Moreover, due to the calculation technique, these data don't reflect the actual situation 's in fact, the extent of emigration is several times higher. We cannot afford to stop the emigration process and there is no need for that, still it is worth to take into account the experience of other foreign countries and not to forget our emigration as well as to maintain the unceasing relations with it.
And how the asylum issues are dealt with?
In our country the right to apply for asylum from persecution and to enjoy this right is regarded with a relevant respect. In Lithuania the asylum is considered as refugee status as well as supplementary and temporary protection. Comparing with our neighbour countries Latvia and Estonia, Lithuania has the most of the asylum seekers, however, in comparison with the general situation in the European Union 's quite little. During seven years, 1400 asylum seekers have been registered in Lithuania; almost 70 aliens have been granted with the Convention refugee status. Last year the 458 applications of aliens, including also children, to grant the asylum in Lithuania have been submitted to the Migration Department under the MoI. During one year, this figure has been reduced almost by third. Most of applicants are the citizens of the Russian Federation. 12 refugees were granted with refugee status, 407 aliens were provided with the supplementary protection. The figure of the asylum seekers and illegal immigrants should remain relatively small as the administration of the legal status of aliens is considerably improving 's due to the enhancement of provisions of legislation, international co-operation providing an opportunity to exercise the experience gained by other countries, and improving capabilities of local institutions. At present, we highly anticipate from nearly finished aliens' register containing the accumulated secure and explicit data about the aliens residing in Lithuania, necessary for different institutions involved.
What is the role of international co-operation? Can you list a few more significant international projects?
Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania is involved in implementing projects financed from the European Refugees Fund (ERF). This fund supports the EU states when receiving asylum seekers, refugees and displaced persons. 154,9 thousand euros were allocated to Lithuania by the ERF in the last year. 569,3 thousand euros are intended to commit for this year. At present, six projects funded from the ERF are being implemented. Four projects concerning the social integration of refugees have been implemented: Refugees Day Centre was established in Kaunas, advanced opportunities of refugees information, consultation and integration were formed in Vilnius, Jonava and Klaipeda. In implementation of the project of the Lithuanian Red Cross Organization, the conditions of asylum seekers reception are being improved; they are provided with social and humanitarian aid. The project of Vilnius Bureau of International Migration Organization is aimed at voluntary repatriation of aliens from various foreign countries, who were not granted with asylum in Lithuania.
Moreover, the officers of the Migration Department are involved in the activities of the Work Groups and Committees of the EU Council and European Commission in Brussels and Strasbourg. We also participate in other projects seeking to strengthen the administrational capabilities of the Eastern Europe states lying in the sphere of the EU neighbourhood policy in the field of migration and asylum. Last year, the implementation of the project of the TACIS Programme (Austria, Lithuania and Ukraine) has been launched in order to reform the legal migration and refugees protection in Ukraine. Thus, Lithuania has already been "exporting" its capabilities gained during the EU integration process and the first year of the full membership in the EU.
