The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania,

having regard to

- the conclusions of the European Council of 17 December 2004,

- the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament of 10 February 2004 regarding Policy Challenges and Budgetary Means of the Enlarged Union for  2007-2013,

- the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament of 14 July 2004 regarding Financial Perspectives for 2007-2013,

- the “negotiating box” for the Financial Perspectives 2007-2013 presented by the Luxembourg Presidency,

having heard:

- the report on the Financial Perspectives for 2007-2013 delivered by Dalia Grybauskaitė, Member of the European Commission responsible for Financial Programming and Budget,

- the opinion of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania on the priorities of the Republic of Lithuania in the negotiations on the European Union’s Financial Perspectives for 2007-2013,

- the opinions of the Committees and parliamentary groups of the Seimas on the European Union’s Financial Perspectives for 2007-2013,

emphasizing that the decision on the new financial perspectives represents the foundation of the future of the enlarged European Union, creating preconditions for Lithuania to reach the EU’s average for economic and social development by the end of the Financial Perspectives 2007-2013 period and become a prospering, competitive state of modern social market economy,

supports Luxembourg’s desire to reach an agreement on the main issues relating to the European Union’s financial perspectives for 2007-2013 at the European Council Summit meeting to be held in Luxembourg in June of 2005.

In respect of the negotiations on the European Union’s financial perspectives for 2007-2013, the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania

speaks out for:

- proper financing of the priorities set by the Lisbon Strategy outside the financial framework of the cohesion policy,

- creation of appropriate conditions for equal participation of all Member States in the European Union programmes on enhanced competitiveness and employment with a view of achieving the Lisbon Strategy goals,

- adequate financing of education, research, scientific and experimental base, information society and innovation development,

- proper financing of the reduction of social exclusion and regional disparities, the increase of access to health care services and the development of public infrastructure,

- adequate financing of the development of trans-European networks in the energy and transport sectors,

- adequate financing of long-term commitments to the sustainable use and management of natural resources and environmental protection,

- allocation of the European Union structural assistance to the poorest Member States as well as a flexible application of the 4 % of GDP rule for EU structural assistance by taking account of the characteristic features of the fast-growing Member States and on the basis of the latest statistics, country-specific forecast of the growth of the countries’ GDP and the level of assistance per capita,

- financial solidarity of the European Union with regards to the strengthening of the European Union’s external borders,

- prioritisation of the European Union neighbourhood policy, its geographical balance and the importance of cross-border co-operation,

- simplicity and transparency of the European Union’s own resources system,

underlines that, with respect to the new EU financial perspectives, it is important to ensure the financing of the obligations assumed by the European Union under the Treaty of Accession, in particular:

- to provide for adequate sustainable financing of consequences of the decommissioning of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant from a single source according to provisions of the Treaty of Accession,

- to continue the financing of the scheme on transit of persons to and from the Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation,

- to ensure the proper fulfilment of obligations in the field of the agricultural policy with a view to providing, in the shortest possible time, equal conditions of financial support to farmers of all Member States of the European Union,

urges all responsible institutions of the Republic of Lithuania to focus on dealing with the main issues of negotiations on the next EU financial perspectives,

and

supports the efforts of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania to achieve, through the negotiations, the best possible outcome both for Lithuania and for the European Union.

The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania

proposes to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania:

- to hold wide-ranging discussions on the priorities of Lithuania’s national development for 2007-2013 and to involve the public, experts, socio-economic partners, non-governmental organizations in these discussions,

- to collaborate actively with the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania in the setting of priorities of the European Union’s financial assistance for 2007-2013 and the drafting of a national strategy (programming document) and action programmes, by engaging representatives of the Seimas in an organizational committee and an interdepartmental working group for the drafting of programming documents,

- to familiarize in the short term the Seimas with the procedure pursuing to which a national strategy (programming document) and action programmes will be drafted,

calls on all political parties to shortly prepare, through maintaining an active dialogue with the public and the socio-economic partners, an agreement of the political parties of Lithuania on the priorities of the European Union’s financial assistance to Lithuania for 2007-2013 when implementing the Long-term Development Strategy of the State, which is in line with the goals of the Lisbon Strategy.

 

 

CHAIRMAN OF THE SEIMAS

OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA                               ARTŪRAS PAULAUSKAS