91997E1402

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1402/97 by Concepció Ferrer (PPE) to the Council (22 April 1997)

Subject: Signature of the association agreement with Lithuania

On 12 June 1995 a European Agreement was signed in order to establish an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Lithuania, of the other. On 13 November 1995, certified copies thereof were sent to the parliaments of the EU Member States.

Fifteen months after the dispatch of the certified copies of the agreement there are still certain parliaments which have not ratified the association agreement.

In view of the importance of the agreement to Lithuania, does the Council not think that action of some kind should be taken in order to urge the Member State parliaments which have not so far done so to ratify the agreement without delay?

Answer (14 July 1997)

The Europe Association Agreement with Lithuania, like those with Estonia and Latvia, was signed on 12 June 1995. Since then ratification procedures have been initiated at national level. At this stage, on the basis of the notifications sent to the Council Secretariat, the depositary of the Agreement, ratification procedures have been completed in ten Member States.

As the Honourable Member will be well aware, each Parliament has its own procedures and practices. Matters proceed at different rates in the various Parliaments. The process of ratifying the Europe Agreements with the Baltic countries is taking much the same time as did the ratification of other agreements such as the Europe Agreements with the other Central and East European countries.

Nevertheless, the Council is doing its utmost to draw Member States' attention to the need to speed up ratification of the various outstanding agreements, including the Europe Agreements with the Baltic countries. It would also point out to the Honourable Member that this is an area where Members of the European Parliament could themselves exert a positive influence on their colleagues in the national Parliaments.