Lithuania - Justice and Home Affairs

Short-term priorities:

• further efforts to implement measures to combat corruption and organised crime;
• to improve border management;
• to improve refugee reception facilities.

Assessment (October 1999)

These priorities were implemented in part.

Some measures were taken, but the fight against corruption needed to be pursued further. Improvements were made in border management and refugee reception facilities.

Assessment (November 2000)

Border demarcation progressed. A new law on border control was adopted. Legislation relating to border control and immigration was implemented. Significant progress was made in the alignment of the right to asylum. Bodies responsible for implementation needed to be modernised and coordination needed to be improved. The fight against money laundering had to be stepped up. The European convention on criminal law had been ratified but the Convention of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on Corruption still had to be signed.

Assessment (November 2001)

Legislation on border controls, immigration and asylum continues to be enforced. Further efforts are required to reform the judiciary and combat money laundering. As such, this priority was achieved only in part.

Assessment (October 2002)

Substantial progress has been made in tightening checks at borders, including maritime borders. This has been backed up by an intensive training programme for border guards.

Progress has been made in the prevention of money laundering but legislative alignment is not yet complete. Efforts must also be made to step up cooperation between the authorities responsible for fighting organised crime.

Assessment (November 2003)

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

Medium-term priorities:

• to complete the process of demarcating borders;
• to develop an efficient system of border controls;
• to implement migration policy and new legislation on asylum with a view to applying the Schengen Agreement;

Assessment (October 1999)

Progress was made in the area of visa policy.

Assessment (November 2000)

No significant progress was made in this area.

Assessment (November 2001)

Good progress was made in legislation on visas, border controls, immigration and asylum. Lithuania managed to establish procedures designed to combat illegal immigration. Further efforts were needed to combat organised crime, particularly smuggling, drug trafficking, the trade in human beings and money laundering.

Assessment (October 2002)

Land and sea borders now have adequate infrastructure and equipment. Demarcation of the border with Belarus has continued. Lithuania has drawn the attention of the Russian authorities to the need to ratify the agreement on borders.

Lithuania is in the process of completing legislative alignment in respect of visas, asylum and immigration and increasing the administrative capacity of the authorities responsible. It needs to adopt a uniform format for visas and to make provision for carrier liability. It also has to put in place minimum guarantees for asylum procedures., drugs trafficking, the trade in human beings and money laundering.

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 of 23.04.1998

Decision 1999/856/EC of 06.12.1999Official Journal L 335 of 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(2002) 700 final - SEC(2002) 1406Not 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