The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania,

having regard to:

Resolution of the Seimas of 19 December 2001 “On Lithuania’s Negotiations for EU Accession”;

Resolution of the Seimas of 4 July 2002 “Regarding the Debates on the Future of Europe”; and

Resolution of the Seimas of 29 May 2003 “On the Discussion on the Future of Europe”;

having read  the Draft  Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe adopted by the European Convention on the Future of Europe;

having considered the views of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania in respect of the approval of the Draft Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe to be discussed at the Intergovernmental Conference of the European Union;

having listened  to the opinions of the political groups of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania  and of the members of the Seimas  concerning the approval of the Draft Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe to be discussed at the Intergovernmental Conference of the European Union;

noting the enormous significance of the Draft Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe for both the European Union and Lithuania;

realising that it is the Government of the Republic of Lithuania that has to assume a major role and responsibility for the results of Intergovernmental Conference;

recommends to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania to adhere to the following points in its position at the Intergovernmental Conference:

 

- the Draft Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe adopted by the European Convention on the Future of Europe is a good  basis for starting in the Intergovernmental Conference and it should be retained as such;

- the quality of the results of the Intergovernmental Conference is more important than closing it by the end of 2003;

-  the Christian roots of Europe might be mentioned in the Preamble of the Draft Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe;

draws the attention of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania to the fact that the EU member states and the acceding countries hold divergent opinions in the discussions regarding the institutions and therefore proposes to seek agreement:

- to retain the institutional balance of the European Union;

- to support further improvement of the legislative process ensuring its openness, democracy and transparency, and making legislation more understandable to EU citizens;  

- to approve of the double qualified majority system based on equal proportions of the EU Member States and the number of the population for reaching qualified majority at the Council. If an agreement on this issue cannot be reached, the decision-making system by qualified majority provided for in the Nice Treaty, reflecting an adequate balance between big, medium and small member states, should be given preference;

- not to approve of the proposal to  reduce the minimum number of members of the European Parliament;

- to retain the provisions laid down in the Draft Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe defining the role of national Parliaments in the process of European integration;

- to retain the principle that each Member State of the European Union should have a European Commissioner with an equal status;

- to seek that the competencies and functions of the President of the European Council should be explicitly defined and that the European Council chaired by him should be convened not only in Brussels;

recommends to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania to take an active part in the Intergovernmental Conference;

draws the attention of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania to the necessity to provide the public with extensive information about the Draft Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe and to set aside appropriate funding for the purpose;

urges Lithuania's political parties, interest groups, NGOs and the entire civil society to give due attention to the Draft Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe and to seriously prepare for Lithuania's membership in the European Union.

 

CHAIRMAN OF THE SEIMAS

OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA                   ARTŪRAS PAULAUSKAS