Darbas:
European UnionThe European Union (EU) is a family of democratic European countries, committed to working together for peace and prosperity. It is not a State intended to replace existing states, but it is more than any other international organisation. The EU is, in fact, unique. Its Member States have set up common institutions to which they delegate some of their sovereignty so that decisions on specific matters of joint interest can be made democratically at European level.
The historical roots of the European Union lie in the Second World War. The idea of European integration was conceived to prevent such killing and destruction from ever happening again. It was first proposed by the French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman in a speech on 9 May 1950. This date, the “birthday” of what is now the EU, is celebrated annually as Europe Day.
In the early years, much of the co-operation between EU countries was about trade and the economy, but now
Europe is a continent with many different traditions and languages, but also with shared values. The EU defends these values. It fosters co-operation among the peoples of Europe, promoting unity while preserving diversity and ensuring that decisions are taken as close as possible to the citizens.
In the increasingly interdependent world of the 21st century, it will be even more necessary for every European citizen to co-operate with people from other countries in a spirit of curiosity, tolerance and solidarity.
EU - Lithuania Relationship
A Brief History
Official relationship and co-operation between Lithuania and the European Community started on 27 August 1991 when the European Communities (as the predecessor of the EU, which was founded only through the Maastricht Treaty in 1992) decided to recognise the independence of Lithuania. The following year, an Agreement on Trade and Commercial and Economic Co-operation was signed between the EC and the Republic of Lithuania.
In 1993 at the European Summit Meeting in Copenhagen the EU for the first time clearly formulated its position on the membership of the Central and East European countries in the EU (referred to as the Copenhagen Criteria): countries that wanted to become a member of the EU had to comply to the political and economic basic principles of the Union and to be able to adopt the body of EU-laws (Acquis Communautaire)
In 1994, a Free Trade Agreement between the EU and Lithuania was signed, followed in 1995 by a Europe Agreement (also known as Association Agreement), which completed and extended the scope of the Free Trade Agreement.
On 8 December 1995 the Government of the Republic of Lithuania submitted an
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