Der Beitritt und die neuen Mitgliedliedstaaten

Abstract

Membership of the Republic of Lithuania in the EU is the result of a national foreign policy of integration. The notion of remaining outside the EU and NATO did not find support in Lithuanian society. The development of relations between the Lithuanian Republic and the EU reflects the typical procedure used for most of the new Member States, for example the accession negotiations were based on standard programmes. In the case of Lithuania this was the "Partnership for the Accession of Lithuania".5' Public opinion polls and the result of the referendum on accession provided very strong arguments in favour of accession to the EU. The above analysis of the public opinion polls has demonstrated the high level of support for the activities of the EU among Lithuanian citizens. Matters particular to Lithuania include the issue of transit through Kaliningrad and the closure of two units of the Ignalina power station. The results of the negotiations on these issues are to be regarded as compromises between Lithuania and the EU and thus these two parties have committed themselves to act in a spirit of solidarity in the future. The provisions relating to the agricultural and other policy sectors are applicable in Lithuania according to the transitional periods laid down in the Act of Accession. The status of international and EU law in Lithuania is based on the rules of the Lithuanian Constitution and the Constitutional Act of the Lithuanian parliament. Importantly, the Constitutional Act guarantees the supremacy of EU law over domestic legislation. The Constitutional Court is responsible for controlling Lithuanian legislation in this field and the case law of the Constitutional Court is reflected by the legislative acts passed.