Lithuania - internal market

Short-term priorities:

• further alignment in the areas of phytosanitary and veterinary administration, intellectual and industrial property, public procurement and financial services;
• upgrading of independent standardisation and conformity assessment structures;
• establishment of a transparent State aid inventory;
• adoption of new competition legislation.

Assessment (October 1999)

These priorities have been implemented in part.

Progress has been made in alignment in the areas of public procurement and intellectual property. In the area of competition, significant progress has been made in the anti-trust field. However, proper State aid control is still lacking. Good progress has been made in financial services and in conformity assessment, but further efforts are required as regards standardisation and market surveillance.

Assessment (November 2000)

The legislation on public procurement has been applied. Some progress has been seen on combating piracy and the implementation of copyright. Alignment in the areas of the free movement of goods, direct investment, insurance companies, State aid and audiovisual policy has progressed well. Antitrust legislation has been applied. In the area of telecommunications, an independent regulatory body has been established.

Assessment (November 2001)

Lithuania has made good progress in implementing the legislation on public procurement and in aligning its intellectual and industrial property laws. The institutions required for the free movement of goods have been strengthened, particularly as regards standardisation and accreditation. Progress has been made with the legislation on direct investment and foreign insurance companies. Some restrictions on the free movement of capital do, however, need to be lifted. The laws on restrictive practices and State aid have been applied.

Assessment (November 2003)

Please refer to the fact sheets on the adoption of the Community acquis.

Medium-term priorities:

• capital liberalisation;
• alignment of public procurement legislation;
• strengthening competition authorities;
• efficient enforcement of competition law;
• continued alignment of competition law, particularly as regards State aid control;
• upgrading standardisation and conformity assessment structures;
• establishing a system of market surveillance;
• alignment of horizontal technical legislation on industrial products, indirect taxation and statistics;
• promoting business development (especially SMEs);
• alignment of legislation in the fields of telecommunications, consumer protection and the internal energy market.

Assessment (October 1999)

No significant progress has been made in these areas.

Assessment (November 2000)

No progress has been made in these areas.

Assessment (November 2001)

Public procurement and competition laws have been aligned to the acquis, unlike the data protection law. The administrative capacity of the institutions responsible for the intellectual and industrial property laws needs to be strengthened, as does that of those responsible for consumer protection. Further efforts still need to be made with the mutual recognition of diplomas. There has been good progress in aligning the legislation on VAT and excise duties.

Assessment (November 2003)

Please refer to the fact sheets on the adoption of the Community acquis.

Following the signing of the Accession Treaty on 16 April 2003, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia acceded to the European Union on 1 May 2004.

REFERENCES

Decision 98/265/EC of 30.03.1998Official Journal L 121, 23.04.1998

Decision 1999/856/EC of 06.12.1999Official Journal L 335, 28.12.1999

Commission Opinion COM(97) 2007 finalNot published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(98) 706 finalNot published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(1999) 507 finalNot published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2000) 707 finalNot published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2001) 700 final - SEC(2001) 1750Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2003) 675 final - SEC(2003) 1204Not published in the Official Journal

Treaty of Accession to the European Union [Official Journal L 236, 23.09.2003]

Last updated: 19.11.2004