CONTENTS
The European Union and Lithuania 3
Economic terminology 5
Literature 7
THE EUROPEAN UNION AND LITHUANIA
The European Union (EU) is the European supranational organization dedicated to increasing economic integration and strengthening co-operation among its member states. At the moment EU counts countries, including Lithuania.
Firstly, The European Union history established on 1 of November in 1993, when the treaty on European Union was ratified by the 12 members of the European Community. Under the Treaty on EU, customs and immigration agreements were enhanced to allow European citizens greater freedom to live, work or study in any of the member states, and border controls were relaxed
Secondly, such as organization has to work properly, so decision – making in the EU is divided between supranational European institutions and the governments of the member states.
Lithuania was invited to start the negotiations in 1999 and on 15 February 2000, Lithuania started negotiations for the EU membership. Lithuania enters to the EU on 1 May2004. Lithuania has issues and tackles a problem:
Political criteria. Efforts should be sustained to improve the operation of the judicial system, to intensify the fight against corruption and to improve prison conditions.
Economic criteria. Economic policy needs to stimulate proper training of the labour force with a view to increasing flexibility and orientation towards a market economy.
Internal market without frontiers:
a) Free movement of goods
b) Free movement of services
c) Free movement of persons
Innovations. Institutional reforms and curricula development should support education in those professional areas which contribute directly to accession. Efforts are needed in developing European studies curricula, new courses on regulated professions, applications of modern technologies and establishment of quality assurance systems.
Economic and monetary union. Macroeconomic policy should seek to keep inflation and interest rates low and ensure confidence in the economy.
Industry. To enhance competitiveness, further efforts should be made to pursue policies aimed at promoting open and competitive markets.
Agriculture. Substantial efforts must be made to ensure the alignment of legislation with EU requirements. With regard to veterinary and phytosanitary requirements, special attention must be paid to the upgrading of establishments and the inspections and control arrangements for protecting the EU external borders.
Fisheries. The fisheries must be strengthened to ensure the effective implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy, in particular as regards the conservation and the management of resources, the implementation of a monitoring and control system, the management of the common organization of the market in fishery and aquaculture sector, the implementation of a structural policy in the fisheries and aquaculture sector, the keeping of the fishing vessel register, the collection of statistical data as well as the implementation of EU fishery policy on environmental protection.