Lithuanian politicians are optimistic about EU

  • 2000-01-13
  • By Rokas M. Tracevskis
VILNIUS - European Union leaders officially invited Lithuania,
Latvia, Malta, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Rumania to start EU entry talks
in December. Lithuanian politicians met the decision with joy.

Soon after the good news came from Helsinki, Henrik Schmiegelow, head
of the delegation of the European Commission to Lithuania, visited
Valdas Adamkus' office to congratulate the Lithuanian president. He
said that Lithuania's economic troubles due to the collapse of the
Russian market are temporary problems and will not influence
negotiations with the EU.

"It is true that Lithuania is passing through difficult times, but
the fundamental economy is not changed. I think everybody expects the
economy to be reborn in 2000,"Schmiegelow said.

Adamkus and Parliamentary Chairman Vytautas Landsbergis said they
expect to finish negotiations with the EU in two years. Landsbergis
predicted that Lithuania could become a EU member in 2004. The
earlier date is possible if some unexpected turbulence in Europe
causes the EU to make a decision about its quicker expansion,
Landsbergis said.

Conservative MP Rasa Jukneviciene stressed the EU security policy's
impact on Lithuania.

"The EU decided to expand its autonomous possibility to make
decisions in case of international crisis,"said Jukneviciene,
pointing to EU plans to create a joint army unit of 50,000 to 60,000.

Lithuania must contribute to this military force. However, she said
that NATO membership remains the main goal of Lithuania in terms of
the country's security.

Rimantas Dagys, leader of Social Democracy 2000, said that the
integration of Lithuania into Europe must be quick.

"The sooner we're behind the border [of the EU], the sooner we'll
achieve the economic level of the EU,"Dagys said. He emphasized that
the state must finance pro-EU propaganda in Lithuania.

Ceslovas Jursenas, leader of the Democratic Labor Party, said that
the EU's decision to start entry talks with Lithuania is "nice, jolly
and pleasant". Still, he said that EU made a purely political
decision by inviting new candidate countries to negotiate.

Jursenas said that Lithuania's economy was much better in 1998 than
in 1999, but Lithuania was not invited to talks in 1998. As proof of
his theory, Jursenas pointed to the accession to Bulgaria and Romania
which are economically far behind Lithuania.

"Our government should not overdo its attempts to be invited to the
EU. Lithuania was too compliant in the past, especially in the
unjustified promise to close the Ignalina nuclear plant,"Jursenas
said.

He urged Lithuania to be "tough and clever"in negotiations with the
EU. Jursenas also brought up his party's program which states that
membership of Lithuania in the EU could be possible only after a
nationwide referendum.

Dagys also urged Lithuanian officials to be tough in negotiations with the EU.

"We paid some four or five times more than was necessary when giving
our oil industry to the American company Williams International. We
should not have to pay four or five times more than it is necessary
for our membership in the EU,"said the leader of Social Democracy
2000.

To join, countries must complete negotiations in 31 "chapters", which
entail coordinating national laws with EU laws in areas such as
education, culture policy, environment and others. These negotiations
will start this spring.

"Lithuania will close some eight chapters in the first half year of
negotiations. These will be the easiest chapters to negotiate - such
as education, culture, science,"said Arvydas Zilinskas, spokesman of
the European Committee under the Lithuanian government.

Asked about the most difficult chapter to negotiate, he answered,
"the same as for all Central European countries - agriculture".

Lithuanian farming leaders are already protesting the influx of cheap
production from western Europe where state subsidies for agricultural
products are on an average eight times higher than in Lithuania.