Lithuania receives one more EU warning

VILNIUS - The Seimas has not adopted the amendments to the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens yet. It is necessary to be done in order to transfer the European Commission's (EC) directives to the national law.

Lithuaniahas received one more EU warning. If all the necessary measures to fulfill the commitments will not be taken in two months, the EC may apply to the EU Court of Justice asking to fine Lithuania, writes LETA/ELTA.

“I warned the MPs about that a few months ago, when the first warning from the EC was sent. After lengthy discussions, a directive, due to which Lithuania could have been fined, was transferred to the national law. Other directives were not transferred, though the government submitted a draft project of the law introducing their provisions to the Seimas in autumn. Therefore, the EC continues procedures on violations,” Interior Minister Raimundas Palaitis said in the Interior Ministry's statement on Thursday.

He said that adopting a necessary law is being delayed due to that the Seimas are reluctant to adopt the EU law provisions concerning the situation of immigrants and Third World Countries. A violation procedure, which the Ministry of the Interior and the European Law Department under Ministry of Justice were informed about, was launched due to an incorrect transferring of a directive concerning the EU citizens and their family members' right to freedom of movement and residing in the country. If the Seimas adopts a draft project of the law proposed by the government, more favorable conditions for foreigners to work and reside in Lithuania will be created. The law would provide more opportunities for foreign highly qualified professionals to work in Lithuania, would increase a number of citizens who have a right to get a residence permit and would also shorten terms of reviewing applications for residence permits.

Maximum term for residence permits for highly qualified professionals, university professors and scientists would shorten from six to two or four months.