The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania,

complying with the will of the Lithuanian nation expressed in the 10-11 May 2003 referendum on Lithuania’s membership of the European Union and stating that membership in a strong, single, unified and properly functioning European Union is in line with Lithuania’s interests;

considering that it is such a European Union alone that is capable of successfully ensuring implementation of the key goals of all the Member States, which are unified by the will to co-operate on a partnership basis with a view to achieving the equal security and welfare of all countries, including Lithuania;

noting that Lithuania’s membership of the European Union provides conditions for Lithuania’s citizens to achieve a welfare on a par with citizens of other Member States and ensures a reliable prospect of progressive development for Lithuania’s society;

acknowledging that fostering of Lithuania’s cultural, religious and historical inheritance and customs constitutes a vital interest of the Republic of Lithuania;

underlining that ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon amending the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty establishing the European Community, signed at Lisbon, 13 December 2007, is in line with the fundamental interest of the State of Lithuania, as it includes the majority of the key provisions of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, previously ratified by the Seimas, which has not entered into force;

taking into consideration the fact that the Treaty of Lisbon creates proper preconditions for Lithuania’s active participation in the process of decision-making in the European Union;

being aware that when participating in the process of decision-making in the European Union, the Government of the Republic of Lithuania will be under the obligation to seek that decisions adopted by institutions of the European Union be in line with the country’s national interests, especially in the fields where decisions are adopted by qualified majority;

especially emphasising that energy security is an inseparable part of national security and a vital interest of Lithuania;

reminding that integration of Lithuania’s gas and power systems, which remain isolated, into the systems, networks and the common internal market of the European Union is a strategic goal approved by the Seimas;

particularly evaluating the purpose embedded in the Treaty of Lisbon to develop a common energy policy based on solidarity between Member States, as well as the aim to promote the interconnection of energy networks;

when ratifying the Treaty of Lisbon, is fully convinced that:

1) by implementing the values declared in the Treaty of Lisbon, the European Union will help to foster Lithuania’s cultural, religious and historical inheritance, the customs and traditions ensuring continuity of such inheritance as well as the fundamental values of Lithuania’s society derived from these customs and traditions;

2) by implementing the principle of solidarity declared in the Treaty of Lisbon, the European Union will be unanimous with the countries supplying energy resources, help to expeditiously and efficiently solve urgent problems of Lithuania’s energy security, seeking the earliest possible connection of Lithuania’s energy networks with the neighbouring networks of Member States of the European Union, elimination of Lithuania’s energy isolation, full integration of Lithuania’s energy systems into the appropriate systems of the European Union and the subsequent ensuring of Lithuania’s energy security  comparable to the energy security of other Member States.

SPEAKER OF THE SEIMAS                                                       Česlovas juršėnas