Presentation by Mr. Gediminas Serksnys
Viceminister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania
Conference “German and American policies towards the Baltic states. The perspectives of EU and NATO enlargement”, 7 May, 1999
 

“Lithuanian perspective of European and Euroatlantic integration”

Mr. Chairman,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my pleasure to address you here in Bonn - the place of the current double-headed presidency of EU and WEU - and to share with you some of our thoughts on the topics of the utmost importance to Lithuania: the prospects of European and Euroatlantic integration. This means both EU and NATO enlargement and our aspirations to become full-fledged members in these organisations. I want to commend the organisers of this conference for gathering us here today for this timely discussion: just two weeks after the NATO Summit in Washington, which marked the 50th anniversary of the Alliance, and one month before the EU Summit in Cologne.

Lithuania's recent accession-oriented preparations have already earned the EU's positive acknowledgment. In particular, the second Lithuanian-EU Association Council held on 22 February 1999 noted with satisfaction that, after one year of functioning of the Europe Agreement, the Association mechanisms have reached momentum and allow for effective co-operation between Lithuania and the EU. Also, the Council acknowledged that Lithuania’s pre-accession activities had intensified.

In this context, the EU side welcomed the abolition of the death penalty and the signing of the 6th Protocol of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights Concerning the Abolition of the Death Penalty, which is awaiting ratification. It encouraged Lithuania to make further efforts in the area of Justice and Home Affairs, in particular in establishing an efficient border control system, in upgrading the judicial system and in fighting against crime and corruption.

The Association Council also welcomed the progress made by Lithuania in becoming a market economy, and encouraged it to complete the remaining reform agenda as well as to continue the privatisation process and to ensure that the bankruptcy regulations function smoothly. The Association Council noted that Lithuania has engaged in establishing a comprehensive, long term, energy strategy.

On 1st March 1999 Lithuania started the bilateral EU- Lithuanian acquis screening. It speeds up considerably Lithuania's preparation to the EU accession negotiations as well as helps Lithuania to evaluate its level of EU acquis adoption. The work groups formed for each of the 29 negotiating chapters are working out the negotiating positions. To this day, 19 negotiating chapters out of 29 have been successfully screened through.

Referring to the priorities of the Accession Partnership and Lithuania's pre-accession strategy - a new version of the Programme is currently being drafted. The Commission’s comments received in February 1999 have provided key guidelines for redefining the NPAA objectives and rationalising them. In 1999, the NPAA will include measures of the Consolidated Priority Action Plan for 1st-3rd quarters of 1999, accelerating Lithuania’s Accession to the EU, as approved by the Government on 30 December 1998. This Plan covers measures aimed at addressing the shortcomings indicated in the Commission's Regular Report. The new NPAA will be presented to the European Commission at the end of June 1999.

We understand that EU enlargement is a complex challenge that also requires the Union's considerable preparation and changes. This involves introducing necessary reforms of European Union institutions, namely, preparing the Union's most important policy areas for enlargement. Lithuania has high expectations of the EU summit in Cologne. We believe that this summit will mark another breakthrough in Lithuania’s efforts to rejoin Western Christendom, which through the ages has shaped our culture, values, institutions, laws and other areas of life.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Such expectations of the future Cologne summit are partly based on the successful outcome of the NATO Summit in Washington where we have clearly wittnessed that the Alliance has grown, strengthened and adapted to meet current and future security challenges. It is prepared to safeguard common security interests to make Europe more stable and secure, and it already does this by engagement in the Kosovo crisis. The decisions made in Washington have also strengthened the process of further enlargement of the Alliance, thereby solidifying its key role as a guarantor of the security, stability and welfare of the Euro-Atlantic community. The role of the Alliance in preserving peace and stability in the Euro-atlantic area is essential for all of us.

In Washington, the Alliance of the 19 members has explicitly recognised continuing Lithuanian efforts and progress towards NATO membership. It also committed to its open door policy by setting a target date - 2002 - for the next revision of the enlargement process and has provided a solid mechanism - the Membership Action Plan - to assist  the applicants in preparations for eventual accession. We welcome these decisions. They clearly indicate that Lithuania and other applicant countries are irreversibly on the path toward NATO membership and that there is a mutually supportive way to achieve the ultimate objective.

On our part, the objective of integration into NATO is firm and the steps we have been taking since the Madrid Summit testify to that resolve. Lithuania has successfully transformed its economy into one of the most rapidly growing economies in Central and Eastern Europe with GDP growth of 5.4% and the inflation rate of just 2.4% last year.

Preparations to meet NATO's membership requirements have led to structural changes in Lithuania's economy that helps our reform process. These reforms have stimulated economic growth which in turn draws more foreign investors to our country. I would like to note, that Germany is the largest  trade partner of Lithuania. Let me state for the record that a substantial Western economic presence in our country is of strategic importance to Lithuania as well as to the whole Baltic region.

We are building a modern armed forces capable of mounting a credible defence. We have consistently increased our defence spending since 1995. The defence budget this year is 1.51% of GDP (US$ 181 mln.) and, according to legislation passed earlier this year, it will increase to 2% of the GDP (US$ 300 mln.) in 2001. We are confident that this commitment of resources will help Lithuania implement a credible development plan of the armed forces and increase our interoperability with NATO. We expect the Membership Action Plan (MAP) together with an enhanced PfP program to constitute a very practical and membership-tailored element of NATO's "open door" policy. Let me stress that Lithuania has already established a Coordination Commission for integration into NATO. It is meant to enhance our administrative capacity and institutionalise internal co-ordination among the government ministries to better prepare ourselves for accession talks with NATO. There is an unwavering determination to proceed along this path and make the MAP a real success for us, for the Alliance and our mutual goal of European security.

Another aspect of our commitment to shoulder and share responsibilities in order to contribute to transatlantic security is our active and growing participation in international peace operations. Since August 1994, Lithuania has participated in international missions in Bosnia, Albania, Croatia and Ukraine and remains engaged with almost 200 men in SFOR. As of last Sunday, Lithuania is a participant of the NATO-led humanitarian operation “Allied Harbour”, with a contribution of 2 ambulance teams

In evaluating Lithuania’s achievements, U.S. Secretary of State Mrs Albright has stated that such efforts are an important factor that will be considered as the U.S. assesses the future qualifications of Lithuania for NATO membership. The fact that Lithuania has made the most progress in preparing for NATO membership has also been recognised in the recent Council on Foreign Relations’ Task Force report “U.S. Policy Toward Northeastern Europe” which suggested admitting one Baltic country to NATO in the next enlargement round.

On our side, we are fully determined to keep up the momentum of our progress and to double our efforts to be the best-qualified candidate for the second round of enlargement. This obligation, freely undertaken, is a matter of both conscience and honour and we already see ourselves as a serious candidate for NATO membership. We continue to modernise our defence forces and through active diplomacy promote good neighbourly relations. This is our contribution to stability in Europe.

Having said this, I cannot avoid mentioning the Kosovo crisis.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are witnesses to intolerable acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing in a part of Europe just outside the borders of Alliance and EU members. We deeply regret that the persistent efforts of the international community to settle the conflict in Kosovo by diplomatic means have failed. NATO had no other choice but to take military action in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia aimed at stopping both the genocide and ethnic cleansing carried out by Yugoslav military, police and paramilitary forces against Kosovo’s ethnic Albanians. Lithuania supports this NATO objective and as President V.Adamkus has said “NATO has to use every avenue to stop the resistance of Yugoslavia’s forces. Whatever means it takes should be used, with no restrictions, to save human lives”.

Recently Lithuania has joined EU and NATO in implementing the embargo on petroleum products to Yugoslavia. We joined other members of the international community to help ease the suffering of these innocent people expelled from their homes. To this end our Government allotted 500,000 litas ($125,000) for humanitarian aid  to the refugees from the Kosovo province. We have also agreed to grant temporary asylum for up to 100 refugees from Kosovo. As developments in Kosovo evolve, Lithuania will be considering further ways of contributing to the peaceful resolution of the conflict.

The atrocities in Kosovo and NATO's actions once more demonstrate the importance of a strong, united, and decisive Alliance which can act in defence of its shared democratic values of justice, morality and human dignity. Moreover, this conflict reminds us of the importance of further expanding the Alliance's zone of stability in Europe.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We project openness and stability in the region by active diplomacy with our neighbours Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, the Russian Federation and its Kaliningrad district. Today, Lithuania's relations with Russia are good, and they will remain so in the future. The best example of our positive and productive relationship involves the Kaliningrad region, where our co-operation against new threats and the promotion of even and stable development in the Baltic Sea region is both practical and mutually beneficial. The safety of our citizens is affected by the economic and social factors in the broader region. We therefore believe that it is in our interests to contribute to the stable and balanced economic development of Kaliningrad, and to assist it in becoming an attractive partner for trade and development. The Lithuanian business community is pursuing active involvement in this. Lithuania has become one of Kaliningrad's principle trading partners and one of its main investors. Although the current Russian financial crisis has affected trade between the two nations, I still believe that Lithuanian businessmen will continue to remain economically engaged in Kaliningrad.

Thank you.