VILNIUS - When compared to other European Union (EU) countries, Lithuania is successfully implementing the Lisbon Strategy and is even leading in some areas.
Earlier this week, Lithuanian parliamentarians took part in an international conference on new directions and implementation of the strategy, which is designed to promote economical competitiveness. Lithuania was mentioned several times in a positive context at the conference. Representatives of the European Parliament, national parliaments and other EU institutions all attended the conference.
Birute Vesaite, leader of the Lithuanian parliament's Economic Committee, said Lithuania was praised for limiting carbon dioxide emissions.
"Since we have a nuclear plant, the discharges of carbon dioxide do not even reach the average of the European Union," Vesaite said at a press conference on Wednesday.
The Chairman of the Lithuanian Labor Committee Algirdas Sysas said that the country was positively evaluated for development of transportation infrastructure, as well as for reformation of the tax system.
Liberal Democrat Ausrine Marija Pavilioniene said that she evaluates the achievements of Lithuania more sceptically and emphasized that the opinion of EU officials about the situation in Lithuania is based on the reports presented, which do not always impartially reflect the reality of the situation.
"We are talented in creating theoretical documents [such as these] and when we send them to Strasbourg we look very good, but it does not reflect the actual implementation of the Lisbon Strategy," Pavilioniene said.
However, in the parliamentarian's words, it is obvious that Lithuania is moving forward despite the fact that there still are some areas in which the country is far behind other EU nations.
The European Council set a strategic target for the EU in Lisbon in 2000. The target is for the EU to become the most competitive and dynamic economy in the world. This would be achieved by developing a strong scientific and academic base, which would lead to economic expansion and stronger social cohesion.
This target has become the foundation of the Lisbon Strategy. The strategy itself is not formalized in one document, but is rather a collection of different strategic documents and political provisions.
