Twenty years ago eight CEE countries joined the EU: Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. That May, the EU embarked on a historic fifth enlargement that was not just a political milestone but also a significant economic turning point for the accession countries.
Former minister of European affairs Laima Andrikienėwas one of the key figures in Lithuania’s EU accession process. She is also a former member of the European Parliament, the national parliament Seimas, and a signatory to the Act of Independence. Now Lithuania’s delegated member of the European Court of Auditors in Luxembourg, Andrikienė’s insights underscore the profound impact of EU membership on Lithuania: from security and economic development to individual freedoms. In an interview with LRT.lt, she noted that Lithuania made an official application for EU membership on December 8, 1995, leading to the start of formal negotiations on February 15, 2000.
There were many challenges to overcome, such as the large-scale privatization program, including Lithuanian Telecom, the Mažeikiai oil refinery, Klaipėda seaport stevedoring companies, the Lietuva Hotel, Lietuvos Kuras with all its gasoline stations across the country, etc.
A huge task was the implementation of the “acquis communautaire” – legal acts and court decisions that constituted European Union law, the EU’s legal system. More than 35,000 pages of different EU regulations and directives had to be integrated into Lithuanian law, after discussion and approval by parliament. It required setting up a special legal section in the EU Ministry.
One of the most contentious issues was the abolition of the death penalty, which she advocated as a minister to meet EU demands and because Lithuania is a Christian country. The Catholic Church in Lithuania was not supporting the abolition until the then archbishop of Vilnius, Audrys Juozas Bačkis, stated that he was in favour of abolishing the death penalty. Finally, this0 was done on December 31, 1998.
Another sensitive issue was Lithuania’s energy policy, specifically related to the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant with its two Chernobyl-type reactors in Visaginas (north-eastern Lithuania) and a clear demand from the European Commission to close that power plant. The Visaginas plant was finally closed in 2009. In total, eight nuclear sites were closed in new EU member states Lithuania, Slovakia, and later in Bulgaria.
Another challenge arose when EU Commissioner Hans van den Broek visited Vilnius in 1997, with a large delegation, and brought a new, prominent issue to the forefront: reparations and restitution of property to the Jewish community.
We now live in a union that respects European values, whether they are called human, Christian, or European values, the rule of law and human dignity.
Being part of the EU offers a safe haven, noted Andrikienė, “It feels like paradise in comparison to what Russia does in Ukraine, and the situation in Belarus. Our European borders are respected, but we have dangerous neighbours”.
EU membership has strengthened democratic institutions and fostered a vibrant civil society. Significant financial assistance was received from the EU. Almost 30 billion euros from the EU between 2004 and 2022 helped to transform the country “remarkably and irreversibly”.
In addition, Lithuanians enjoy the freedom of movement within the EU for people, goods, services, and capital. Some may criticize emigration, but it is about the freedom of people, one cannot keep them by force.
As to the energy security problems, she explained that after the first European elections in Lithuania in 2004, when she and Vytautas Landsbergis arrived at the European Parliament, the issue of energy security was high on their agenda. One nuclear reactor of the Ignalina plant had already been closed and the second one would be soon thereafter. And there was the issue around the Mažeikiai oil refinery with the cut-off oil supplies from Russia.
A common energy policy wasn’t part of the EU constitution, she noted, yet slowly but surely, members moved in the direction of having an EU energy security strategy, and established the EU Energy Union in 2015. “It required an enormous effort. We reduced and mostly eliminated our dependency on Russian energy. Now we are interconnected, no longer an energy island, and that feels a lot safer.”
As part of the EU, Lithuania can trade with the entire world, from the USA, Canada, and Asia to Latin America, without negotiating and signing bilateral trade agreements with all those countries.
Larger cities with universities, colleges, industrial enterprises, and tax-free zones have benefited from EU membership, but there has also been a positive impact on smaller towns. Success stories like Anykščiai, Palanga, and Molėtai demonstrate that smaller towns have reinvented themselves, for example with Teltonika’s high-tech investment in Molėtai.
The Common Agricultural Policy is expected to result in fewer farmers producing more food due to technological advancements. While younger farmers feel more optimistic and are adapting, older farmers may feel disadvantaged, and both groups complain about subsidy distribution
“We will be a forward-looking and modern country. We are a competitive regional leader, especially in areas such as fintech, within the EU. Of course, we have a much larger neighbour, Poland. Our highly educated society is one of our solid foundations and assets to make significant contributions to the EU’s future.”
