Lithuania: membership application and partnership, 8 December 1995

The committee adopted the report by Magdalene HOFF (PES, D) on Lithuania's application for membership of the EU and the state of negotiations. The report called for negotiations to be conducted in such a way as to enable Lithuania to join the first wave of enlargement. While welcoming the great strides the country had made in developing its frontier controls, the report called for effective measures to be taken to combat trafficking in human beings. The committee noted that Lithuania clearly satisfied the political criteria for EU membership but should continue the fight against corruption and broaden its approach to the fight against crime. It also said that the current timetable for the decommissioning of the two Chernobyl-type units of the Ignalina nuclear power plant must not be relaxed. Lastly, Lithuania was encouraged to focus its economic policy on creating conditions that promote long-term growth. �