1. MAP
| Territory: |
65301 km² |
| Population: |
3.496.000 (83% ethnic Lithuanians; 6.7%
of Polish origin; 6.3% of Russian origin). Approximately
1 million Lithuanians live overseas (as a result of
history) |
| Head of State: |
Mr. Arturas Palauskas (acting) |
| Prime Minister: |
Mr AlgirdasBrazauskas |
| Foreign Minister: |
Mr Antanas Valionis |
| Chief Negotiator: |
Mr Petras Auštrevicius |
2. SNAPSHOT
Lithuania is located at the western end of the East European
Plain, on the shores of the Baltic Sea. It borders Latvia
to the north (576-km border), Belarus to the East and South
(660 km), and to the Southwest Poland (103 km) and the Russian
Federation (Kaliningrad district - 273-km). Lithuania extends
373 kilometres from East to West and 276 from North to South,
and is 65301 km², almost twice the size of the Netherlands.
This makes Lithuania the biggest of the three Baltic States.
The geographical centre of Europe (54°51' north and
25°19' east) lies in Lithuania, 20 kilometres north
of Vilnius.
Lithuania consists predominantly of gently rolling plains
(55% of the total land area) and extensive forests (30.3%
of the country). Lithuania is more forested than Great Britain,
Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Latvia and Belarus. The
average height above sea level is 99 meters, with the highest
point being Juozapine Hill (293.6) in Southeast Lithuania.
There are 758 rivers and streams longer than ten kilometres.
The longest river is the Nemunas at 937 km in length (475
km through Lithuania). The country boasts more than 2800
lakes covering 1.5% of the country's area.
The most beautiful part of Lithuania is the famous Curonian
spit, Lithuania's "tiny Sahara". Registered as
a Unesco world heritage site in December 2000, the Curonian
lagoon and spit were formed 5000 years ago by the churning
waves of the restless Baltic Sea: the northern part of the
lagoon belongs to Lithuania and the southern part to the
Russian Federation (Kaliningrad district). The Curonian
spit is a remarkable natural phenomenon. The 50 km-long
portion of the peninsula is as narrow as 400 meters is some
sections. Now a national park, the Curonian spit is an ecological
treasure and serves as an important resting spot for approximately
15 million birds during their annual migrations. There are
five natural reserves in Lithuania, 30 regional parks and
about 750 protected landscape objects. These protected areas
encompass 16.9% of the country's total forest area.
Lithuania consists of ten counties and four cultural regions,
of which Žemaitija (the Lowland), Aukštaitija
(the Highland), Sulvakija and Dzukija. Major cities include
Vilnius (the capital has 578 000 inhabitants), Kaunas and
Klaipeda; 68% of the population live in urban areas. Unesco
declared Vilnius Old Town, dating from the 16th century,
a World Heritage Site in 1994.
Lithuania has a modern highway system, several international
airports and a major ice-free seaport at Klaipeda. The country
is relatively poor in natural resources.
The Lithuanian language is among the oldest in Europe and
belongs to the Baltic group of Indo-European languages.
Lithuanian, among all the living Indo-European languages
has been the most successful in preserving its ancient system
of phonetics and most of its morphological features. The
history of the written Lithuanian language starts in Lithuania
Minor (East Prussia) in the middle of the 16th century.
The very first book written in Lithuania was the Catechismus
of Martinas Mažvydas, published in 1547. Also of great
importance were the 1599 book Postile of Mikalojus Daukša
and Konstantinas Sirvydas' trilateral (Polish-Latin-Lithuanian)
dictionary in approximately 1620. The first Lithuanian grammar
was published in 1653.
Lithuania has an outstanding sports record. The national
basketball team is among the leading teams in the world:
in 1997 the women's team won the European Championship in
Budapest and the men's teams brought home several Olympic
medals. Over 300 Olympic, Lithuanian participants have won
28 gold, 19 Silver and 54 bronze medals.
3. HISTORY
Discovery of Lithuania and the emergence of the Lithuanian
State under Mindaugas
The name of Lithuania first appeared in written sources
in 1009 AD, when it was discovered by a Western missionary,
Bruno of Querfurt. In spite of this discovery, Lithuania
remained out of historical records until the end of the
12th century. At that time, the Teutonic Orders started
to settle in the Baltic region and in 1236, the Pope called
a crusade against the pagan Lithuanians. Thus, the emergence
in 1240 of the Lithuanian State under the rule of Mindaugas
was a defensive response to the crusade. At the same time,
The Catholic Church tried to deny pagan tribes the right
to an independent political existence. Therefore, Mindaugas
accepted baptism in 1251 and was crowned king on 6 July
1253 July 6 is now a national holiday in Lithuania). He
was forced to hand over Samogitia, an important part of
Lithuania to the Order. The Samogitians never accepted this
and continued to resist the Order - even defeating it in
1260 at the Battle of Durbe. Mindaugas' kingdom lasted until
1263, the year in which he was killed.
Mindaugas' Christian State continued to exist, even though
its subsequent rulers were not baptised, putting Lithuania
in the unique situation of neither belonging to the Roman-based
Western Europe nor the Byzantine Eastern Europe. After the
king's death, Lithuanian rulers refused baptism, which provoked
military reaction from the Teutonic Order in the 13th century.
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Gediminas, Grand Duke of Lithuania (1316-1341), while trying
to set up close contacts with other European leaders, focused
national resources to defence in order to resist the Order
aggression. Therefore, Lithuania in the 14th century is
sometimes referred to as a military monarchy. During the
rule of Grand Duke Algirdas (1345-1377), Lithuania extended
its territory from the Baltic to the Black Sea. Vilnius
was established as the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
In the second half of the 14th century, the Teutonic Order's
military attacks against Lithuania were intensified. As
a result of this, in 1385, Lithuania and Poland concluded
the Kreva agreement whereby Jogaila, Grand Duke of Lithuania
became also King of Poland. Following this agreement, Lithuania
instituted baptism, thus putting an end to the Teutonic
Order's attacks. A combined Lithuanian-Polish army, led
by Vytautas the Great, defeated the Teutonic Order in 1410
at the battle of Grünwald (Žalgiris), also known
as Tannenberg. Both the Lithuanian and Polish thrones were
held by the Jagiellonian (Jogaila) dynasty until 1572.
The Lublin Union and the creation of the Polish-Lithuanian
State (1569)
In the late 15th and early16th century, wars between Moscow
and Lithuania developed into a struggle over Livonia (currently
part of Latvia and Estonia). As Lithuania was not strong
enough to stand on its own, it entered into an even closer
union with Poland and the Republic of the Two Nations being
founded in Lublin in 1569. From that time onwards, Polish
kings automatically became grand dukes of Lithuania. The
Lublin Union created the Seimas, a Polish-Lithuanian parliament
of nobles, in which Lithuania held one third of the seats.
The Lublin union and the arrival of Jesuits mark the beginning
of the so-called "Baroque area" in Lithuania.
A network of schools was created, crowned by the foundation
of Vilnius University in 1579 by Grandduke / King Stephen
Báthory, who originated from Transylvania.
The Russian annexation
In the 17th century, Lithuania and Poland experienced "The
Flood", which mainly consisted of Russian and Swedish
troops. The expansion of Russia led to the first partition
of 1772 and a wave of reforms that culminated in the adoption
of the Constitution of 3rd May 1791. For the first time,
residents of towns gained the right of political representation
in Parliament, relations between landowners and peasants
were regulated and a hereditary monarchy was proclaimed.
The 3 May constitution preceded the French Constitution
by a few months and resulted from contacts between the ruler
of Poland-Lithuania, Stanislaw-August Poniatowski and the
French Constituent Assembly in 1791. The 3rd May Constitution
raised opposition among some Lithuanians, who sought help
from Russia: in 1795 the Lithuanian-Polish State disappeared
from the map of Europe and Lithuania was annexed by Russia.
Lithuania only recovered its sovereignty at the end of the
First World War.
The abolition of serfdom in the Russian Empire in 1861,
together with western technical progress gave rise to the
national Lithuanian reawakening and waves of emigration.
At that time, Vilnius became a leading centre for Jewish
culture and was referred to as the Lithuanian Jerusalem.
The first Lithuanian newspaper Aušra -the dawn- was
published in 1883, and its founders are considered the fathers
of the modern Lithuanian State. The revival of Lithuanian
culture is embodied by mystical painter and musician M.K.
Ciurlionis.
The modern Lithuanian State (1918)
On 16 February 1918, the State of Lithuania was restored
(now February 16 is the main national holiday of Lithuania)
but Vilnius, then in the hands of Poland, ceased to be the
capital in favour of Kaunas. Parliamentary democracy did
not survive long and an authoritarian regime was established
in 1926 by Antanas Smetona.
After the outbreak of the Second World War, Lithuania was
occupied three times: in 1940 by the USSR as a consequence
of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact of 1939, in 1941 by Nazi
Germany and by the USSR again in 1944 - an occupation which
lasted until 1990. In 1941 and again during the years 1945-1953,
mass deportations to Siberia of Lithuanians occurred (approximately
250000 people). During the war, some 220 000 Jews were exterminated
by Nazi Germany.
A historical role in the uprising and the liberation
of the Baltic Soviet republics
The 1985 Gorbachev's "Perestroika" had a crucial
impact in Lithuania and its liberalisation process, the
"Singing Revolution". In June 1988, the first
organised opposition to the Communist Party, the Sajudis,
was founded and participated in elections to the Congress
of Peoples' Deputies, the highest body of the Soviet administration.
A mass protest, gathering people from the three Baltic States,
was held on the 50th anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop
pact on 23 August 1989: about two million people linked
hands in a human "Baltic chain" stretching 650
kilometres from Vilnius to Tallinn.
On 24 February 1990, Sajudis won 106 seats out of a total
of 114 in the local Supreme Council elections: the Council
restored Lithuania's independence on 11 March 1990. Moscow
refused to accept this vote and attempted, on 13 January
1991 while the world's attention was focused on the Iraqi
war, to overthrow Lithuania's legitimate Government. The
crackdown, carried out by armed forces against unarmed citizens,
resulted in 14 deaths at the now historical TV tower. Lithuania,
which was the first Baltic State to restore independence,
paved the way for a peaceful and bloodless restoration process
in Latvia and Estonia.
Lithuania joined the United Nations on 17 September 1991,
and Russian troops were finally withdrawn from Lithuanian
territory on 31 August 1993.
4. CURRENT POLITICAL CONTEXT
Restoration of independence Lithuania declared
the restoration of its independence on 11 March 1991. According
to the institutional system established by the 1992 Constitution,
Lithuania is a parliamentary republic with some semi-presidential
features. While the Government needs the confidence of the
unicameral Parliament (Seimas), the directly elected President
of the Republic has important constitutional powers, in
particular as regards foreign and security policy issues,
and has the right to veto legislation under certain conditions.
By using his powers in an extensive way, the President may
therefore exert a significant influence on political life.
Head of State and Government
Mr Rolandas Paksas (Liberal Democrats) was elected President
of the Republic on 5 January 2003, in replacement of Valdas
Adamkus, for a five-year term. Rolandas Paksas, a keen aerobatics
pilot, has been Prime Minister twice (in 1999 representing
the Conservatives and in 2001 representing the Liberal party)
and mayor of Vilnius.
Transfer of power to Mr Paksas took place on 26 February.
While a limited government reshuffle might happen after
that date, the rather solid parliamentary majority (Social-Democrats
and Social-Liberals) is likely to confirm its support to
Mr Brazauskas' centre-left Government. Link to the list
of Members of the Government: http://www.lrvk.lt/anglu/vyriaus.htm
Mr Paksas has confirmed that the national priorities in
foreign affairs (the President's main area of responsibilities)-
integration in NATO and EU and good relations with neighbours-
will not change. He will be in Brussels on 19 March 2003
where he is expected to meet with President Prodi and Commissioner
Verheugen.
Municipal elections were held on 22 December. The Social-Democrats
turned out to be the main winners with 21% of the votes.
The Parliament
The Lithuanian Parliament - the Seimas- is the key legislative
institution and the seat of national representation. It
consists of 141 members, elected for a four-year term on
the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage by secret
ballot. The main groups represented at the Seimas are the
Social Democratic Coalition (31%), the New Union (Social
Liberals) (19.6%), Lithuanian Liberal Union (17.25%) and
the Homeland Union- Lithuanian conservatives (8.6%). Link
to the composition of the Seimas http://www3.lrs.lt/pls/inter/w3_lrs.seimo_nariu_sarasas?p_kalb_id=2
The Seimas considers and enacts amendments to the Constitution,
enacts laws, announces presidential elections, approves
or rejects the candidature of the Prime Minister proposed
by the President, approves and supervises the government.
The first national elections following the restoration of
independence were held in 1992, and were won by the Lithuanian
Democratic Labor Party. In 1996, the Conservatives won the
majority and in 2002, a coalition government formed by the
Liberals and Social Liberals won the majority. The next
elections will be held in October 2004.
5. THE ECONOMY
Reform measures Since 1997, and against a challenging
international economic backdrop - Russian crisis of 1998,
development has been generally positive. On average, real
GDP has grown by 3.6% annually and exports by 7.4% annually.
The development of private consumption has been relatively
stable (4.6% annually). Low and stable inflation has been
one of the main achievements of economic policy (from 8.8%
in 1997 to -1.4% in the third quarter of 2002). The rate
of unemployment rate in 2002 was up to 13.1% according to
Eurostat (ILO definition).
The current account deficit has fallen significantly (from
12.1% of GDP in 1998 to 4.8% in 2001). As the same time
as the current account balance has improved, the inflow
of foreign direct investment (FDI) has been relatively stable,
implying that the share of current deficit financed by FDI
has increased. Public finance has improved significantly
since the budget deficit peak in 1999.
Important steps have been taken in the area of structural
reforms and the privatisation process has been successful.
The level of state aid has declined significantly (from
1.36% of GDP in 1997 to 0.23% in 2000). The stable monetary
framework of the currency board arrangement and sound fiscal
policy have both contributed to the achievement of internal
and external balance. The re-pegging of the Litas from the
US dollar to the Euro took place smoothly on 2 February
2002 (1 €= 3.4524 LTL).
The 2002 Regular Report notes that, assuming the current
reforms are continued, Lithuania will be able to cope with
competitive pressure and market forces within the Union.
Structural reforms have been accelerated and significant
progress has been made in restructuring the energy sector.
However, management of public finances needs to be improved,
in particular, by addressing, the accumulation of expenditure
arrears at the municipal level. Pension reform and land
restitution also need to be completed. Generally speaking,
administrative capacity should be strengthened, notably
in areas relevant for the business sector. Unemployment
remains high and burdens the economy. Further information
on Lithuania's economy is covered under the 2002 Regular
Report - Economic criteria (/enlargement/key_documents/pdf/2002/lt_en.pdf)
Bilateral trade
According to the Lithuanian Statistics Department, between
January and November 2002, 48.9% of Lithuanian exports (main
partners: UK, Germany, Sweden) and 45.3% of imports (main
partners: Germany, Italy, France) were made with the European
Union. Looking at trade by sectors, machinery and vehicles
represent the largest sector for EU exports to Lithuania.
Textile and mineral products are the largest sectors for
EU imports from Lithuania.
The Protocol to the Europe Agreement on Conformity Assessment
and Acceptance of industrial products (PECA), was signed
in May 2002 and ratified in September 2002. The PECAs aims
to extend internal market rules on conformity assessment
for manufactured goods to the candidate countries before
accession.
Lithuania signed on 30 January 2003 a mutual recognition
agreement with EEA countries. Further information on Lithuania's
bilateral trade is covered under chapter 26 of the 2002
Regular Report : /enlargement/key_documents/pdf/2002/lt_en.pdf
6. LITHUANIA-EU RELATIONS
The main steps towards EU membership Official relations
and co-operation between Lithuania and the European Community
started on 27 August 1991 when the European Community recognised
the independence of Lithuania. On 11 May 1992, Lithuania
and the European Community signed the Agreement on Trade
and Commercial and Economic Co-operation, which came into
force on 1 February 1993, and adopted the Declaration on
a Political Dialogue between the EC and the Republic of
Lithuania.
On 18 July 1994, a Free Trade Agreement between the EU and
Lithuania was signed. At the end of the same year, i.e.
on 16 December 1994, negotiations on the Europe Agreement
started, ending in April the following year. The Europe
Agreement, which forms the basis of trade relations between
the EU and the candidate countries and aims to bring down
barriers to trade, was signed on 12 June 1995, and came
into force on 1 February 1998. The Europe Agreement replaced
the Agreement on Free Trade and Trade-Related Matters, and
changed the Agreement on Trade and Commercial and Economic
Co-operation. Critically, it recognised Lithuania's aspiration
to become a member of the European Union and created conditions
for Lithuania's participation in the Pre-accession Strategy
for Candidate Countries. It also provides for regulations,
according to which movement of goods, services, capital
and persons is being liberalised, as well as regulations
on co-operation in law harmonisation, finance, environmental
protection, culture and other areas. Link: http://www.euro.lt/upl_images/20011126172422.doc
Where Europe Agreements set the ground rules for trade
relations between the EU and the Candidate Countries, Accession
Partnerships concern measures to be taken by each Candidate
Country in order to make progress towards accession. Accession
Partnerships therefore set out in a single framework (i)
the priority areas for further work identified in the Commission's
Regular Report; (ii) the financial means available to help
Candidate Countries implement these priorities; (iii) the
conditions which will apply to this assistance.
Each candidate has drawn up and adopted a National Programme
for the Adoption of the Acquis (NPAA) which specifies how
they intend to fulfil the priorities of the Accession Partnership
and to prepare for their integration into the EU. In this
way, the NPAA complements the Accession Partnership: it
contains the timetable for achieving Partnership's priorities
and objectives and, where possible and relevant, also indicates
the human and financial resources to be allocated.
Both the Accession Partnerships and the National Programmes
for the Adoption of the Acquis are revised on a regular
basis, to take account of progress made, and to allow for
new priorities to be set.
Lithuania presented a revised version of the National Programme
for the Adoption of the Acquis in June 2001. This document
was called Lithuania's European Union Accession Programme.
The revised version takes into account the recommendations
made by the Commission in the 2000 Regular Report.
On 8 December 1995 the Government of the Republic of Lithuania
submitted an official membership application.
In its July 1997 Opinion, the Commission noted that, on
the basis of current levels of readiness, only the Czech
Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia would be
ready for EU membership within five years.
Lithuania was invited to start the negotiations in 1999
on the basis of the European Commission's advice in its
1999 Regular Report on the progress made by the Candidate
Countries. In December 1999, the European Council approved
this recommendation and decided on the start of the negotiations.
On 15 February 2000, Lithuania started negotiations for
EU membership. EU negotiations are co-ordinated by the European
Committee under the Republic of Lithuania, headed by Petras
Auštrevicius. The Ambassador of the Lithuanian Mission
to the European Communities is H.E. Oskaras Jusys.
Financial assistance for the reform process
In the years 2000-2002: € 126 million for PHARE (plus
a top-up amount of € 18.5 million for reinforcement
of administrative capacity in 2002), € 90 million for
SAPARD (Special Accession Programme for Agricultural and
Rural Development) and around € 155 million for ISPA
(Instrument for Structural policies for pre-accession).
The indicative allocation for Sapard in Lithuania for 2002
is € 31.8 million and the ISPA allocation for 2002
is € 61million and € 48 million for 2003.
During the period 1992-1999, the PHARE program allocated
€ 328 to Lithuania, €50 million in 2000 and €
48.5 in 2001. The 2002 Phare programme for Lithuania consisted
of an allocation of € 43.7 million for the National
Programme complemented by €18.5 million under the Phare
2002 supplementary institution building facility.
Lithuania is expected to receive in total around €200
million in pre-accession assistance during 2003, including
assistance for nuclear decommissioning.
Further information is available on the following sites:
- DG Agriculture: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/external
/enlarge/countries/lithuania/index_en.htm and http://europa.eu/comm
/agriculture/external/enlarge/countries/lithuania/overview/lit_en.pdf
- Lithuania:
http://www.zum.lt/europa/eng/Progress/Lithuanian_Agriculture_Progress
.htm
- EC Delegation in Lithuania: http://www.eudel.lt/en/eu_assistance/sapard.htm
What next after the end of negotiations ?
At the Copenhagen European Council on 13 December 2002,
Lithuania successfully concluded accession negotiations
with a view to signing the Accession Treaty in Athens on
16 April 2003 and becoming Member State from 1 May 2004.
The final package is positive for Lithuania since it is
one of the countries, with the highest rate per capita of
EU funds (€ 769 for 2004-2006, out of which €
208 are devoted to agriculture). In terms of EU allocations,
Lithuania will be, a net beneficiary: its per capita contribution
to the EU budget will amount to € 147, while receipts
will total € 535. Lithuania also received additional
support (included in the above calculations) of € 47
million comprising payments to ease the national budget
situation (€ 34.8 million in 2004 and € 12.6 million
in 2005-2006).
Lithuania and the EU managed to reach fair compromise on
two key sectors: agriculture quotas, and decommissioning
of Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (NPP).
- As regards agriculture, an agreement was reached on
progressive introduction of direct payments of 25% in
2004, 30% in 2005 and 35% in 2006. Lithuania has been
given the possibility to top-up the amounts to 55/60/65%
by using co-financing from other EC funds (up to 40%)
and national funds. Increased levels for reference quantities
were offered on a number of product groups such as milk,
sugar, fibres and potato starch. In setting the milk quota
the EU took into account the specific situation of agriculture
in the Baltic States (comprehensive restructuring and
Russian crisis). The total milk quota amounts to 1.704.839
tonnes. The reference yield was increased from 2.3 to
2.7 tons per hectare.
- As regards Ignalina NPP, the results of the negotiations
are enshrined in an Ignalina Protocol for the Accession
Treaty. The Protocol stipulates that Lithuania committed,
at EU request, to close Unit 1 of INPP before 2005 and
Unit 2 by 2009. The EU committed to continue, also after
2006, to support Lithuania's decommissioning efforts on
the basis of Community solidarity. For 2004-2006 the EU
committed an amount of €285 million. In this context
the Union acknowledged that this effort is of unprecedented
nature and that it represents for Lithuania an exceptional
financial burden not commensurate with the size and economic
strength of the country.
- As regards Kaliningrad, although the European Council
has agreed on a separate Protocol and Declaration, modalities
of Kaliningrad transit are still under discussion.
Once a Member, Lithuania will have 12 EP seats for the
2004-2009 European Parliamentary term (13 during the observership
period), 3 votes in the Council for the period from 1 May
to 31 October 2004 and 7 as for 1 November 2004.
The major task ahead for Lithuania is to continue the strengthening
of administrative capacity, while ensuring the necessary
stability of the public administration. Adequate administrative
capacity is the key for successful membership, in particular
in preparation for the structural funds. Lithuania also
needs to maintain the prudent macroeconomic policy it has
been pursuing since 2000. Lithuania still needs to complete
the transposition of the acquis during 2003. In certain
key areas, such as environment, a substantial amount of
transposition is still outstanding.
Conclusions of negotiations, list of TPs
Monitoring process
Since 1998, the Commission has issued yearly reports -
e.g. regular reports- on progress achieved by Lithuania
on its way towards accession. The 2002 Regular Report released
on 9 October 2002 provides a comprehensive overview on Lithuania's
progress: /enlargement/key_documents/pdf/2002/lt_en.pdf
In the 2002 Strategy Paper, the Commission confirmed that
up until accession, it would continue to monitor the implementation
of commitments made by Lithuania during the accession negotiations.
To this end, a regular monitoring exercise will take place,
involving one detailed monitoring report, which will consist
of a compilation of tables (one for each of the acquis chapters).
This report will be available by the end of 2003.
Public opinion and referendum on accession
The latest Eurobarometer (November 2002) shows 48% of Lithuanian
population in favour of EU accession (32% against, 12% undecided).
In a referendum, 53% of those voting would vote "yes",
whilst 16% would vote "no". According to Lithuanian
sources, 67% of voters would vote favourably. For a general
overview of Lithuania's support to EU accession from 1999
to 2003, see http://www.euro.lt/showitems.php?TopMenuID=42&
;MenuItemID= 2019&LangID=2
The referendum on EU accession will be held on 11 May 2003.
The actual turnout will be a key factor for a positive outcome
in the referendum, as Lithuanian legislation prescribes
that voter turn-out reaches and that a simple majority of
vote are cast in favour. In addition, the risk of populist
euro-scepticism should not be underestimated, in particular
in the rural areas. Importantly, the Catholic Church has
recently expressed itself in favour of the EU accession.
Lithuania has earmarked €3.3 million for the organisation
of the referendum and the European Committee under the Government
has set up an action plan for the pre-referendum period.
Lithuania has created two new bodies in charge of preparing
the referendum: a Working Group for the Information Campaign
under the Government (charged with operative decisions and
review of the implementation of the information campaign)
and a Special Coordinating Council for the Information Campaign,
set up by the Seimas (this political body will oversee the
implementation of the information campaign and regularly
monitor public opinion on integration into the EU).
The Commission Delegation is actively supporting these
initiatives in the framework of the Communication and Information
campaign.
Scheme on monitoring
the information campaign before the referendum on Lithuania's
membership of the EU
7. LITHUANIA IN FIGURES
Main Economic trends 1998-2002 (source Eurostat)
| |
1998
|
1999
|
2000
|
2001
|
2002
|
2003
|
2004
|
| Basic
data |
in
thousand |
| Population
on 1. January of each year
Total area |
3.704
|
3.700
|
3.698
|
3.493
|
3.482
|
:
|
:
|
| in
kmē |
| 65
300 |
65
300 |
65
300 |
65
300 |
65
300 |
65
300 |
:
|
| National
accounts |
In
thousand Mio. ECU / Euros |
| Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) at current prices
Gross Domestic Product per capita
at current prices
Gross Domestic Product at constant
prices Employment growth
GDP per capita at current prices (EU-15
= 100)
Labour productivity (EU-15 = 100)
|
9.6
|
10.0
|
12.2
|
13.4
|
*14.8 |
*15.6
|
:
|
| ECU
/ Euros |
| 2700
|
2
840 |
3 490 |
3
850 |
*4250
|
*4520
|
:
|
| %
change on previous year |
| 5.1
|
-3.9
|
3.8
|
5.9
|
*4.9
|
*3.5
|
*4.5
|
| -0.8
|
-0.5
|
-3.7
|
-4.0
|
:
|
:
|
:
|
| in
Purchasing Power Standards |
| 36.52
|
34.54
|
35.96
|
38.59
|
38.00
|
:
|
:
|
| 33.16
|
31.74
|
34.58
|
38.90
|
35.65
|
:
|
:
|
| Structure
of production |
%
of Gross Value Added |
| - Agriculture |
10.3
|
8.4
|
7.7
|
7.0
|
:
|
:
|
:
|
| - Industry
(excluding construction) |
23.9
|
22.9
|
25.8
|
27.8
|
:
|
:
|
:
|
| - Construction |
8.6
|
8.0
|
6.1
|
6.1
|
:
|
:
|
:
|
| - Services |
57.3
|
60.8
|
60.4
|
59.0
|
:
|
:
|
:
|
| |
| Structure
of expenditure |
%
of Gross Domestic Product |
| - Final consumption
expenditure |
87.5
|
87.7
|
85.9
|
83.9
|
*84.7
|
*83.8
|
*82.8
|
| - household
and NPISH |
64.6
|
67.4
|
65.7
|
65.0
|
*65.0
|
*64.3
|
*63.7
|
| - general
government |
24.4
|
22.2
|
21.4
|
20.1
|
*19.7
|
*19.5
|
*19.1
|
| - Gross fixed
capital formation |
24.3
|
22.1
|
18.5
|
19.3
|
*20.4
|
*20.9
|
*21.9
|
| -
Stock variation |
0.1
|
0.6
|
2.0
|
2.6
|
*2.6
|
*2.4
|
*2.2
|
| -
Exports of goods and services |
47.2
|
39.7
|
45.3
|
50.4
|
*50.2
|
*57.2
|
*54.7
|
| - Imports
of goods and services |
59.1
|
50.1
|
51.7
|
55.9
|
*46.5
|
*48.1
|
*49.6
|
|