On 4 December, 2003, LFMI, in co-operation with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation and companies Ernst & Young Baltic and Coca-Cola Bottlers Lietuva, held a conference “Ready for the European Union accession? Getting into the details of implementing EU norms.” The aim of the event was to provide an opportunity for Lithuanian entrepreneurs to discuss unclear issues regarding the regulations of the European Union and practical implementation of the EU regulatory norms, as well as to discuss what difficulties Lithuanian business people still faced as the membership in the EU was approaching. The conference drew participants from the business sector and state institutions that are responsible for the implementation of the EU norms.

 

Although the European Commission has recognised Lithuania as the one of the best candidate countries in transposing the EU norms into the national laws, recently there has been an apparent gap between these optimistic official evaluations and Lithuanian entrepreneurs’ fears about how specifically the legal acts regulating individual business sectors will change. For this reason, LFMI organised this conference to give an opportunity for business representatives to learn about the coming changes as regards EU membership, and for the state institutions to present the information that is essential to the business community.

 

It was concluded at the event that the most serious challenges for the Lithuanian companies will be to prepare for competing in the common market and for operating in a changing environment. The basic challenges that the state institutions will come up with were enumerated as proper representation of Lithuania’s interests in the EU and the implementation of the decisions by the EU.

 

 

10:00-10:20 Transposition and implementation of EU norms in Lithuania: is it all going smoothly?

Petras Auštrevičius, the European Committee under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania

 

10:20-10:35 Accession into the European Union and changes in the business environment: the main changes

Ramūnas Vilpišauskas, Lithuanian Free Market Institute

 

10:35-11:50 Regulatory changes to business during the implementation of EU norms: certifications and other regulations to internal market

Vitalius Skaržinskas, Ministry of Economics of the Republic of Lithuania
Nijolė Dudlauskienė, Lithuanian Standards Board
Vilius Šileika, the State Non Foods Products Inspectorate under the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Lithuania
Darius Remeika, State Food and Veterinary Service of the Republic of Lithuania

 

11:50-12:40 Regulatory changes to business during the implementation of EU norms: international trade and custom procedures

Dr. Alvydas Jablonskis, Lithuanian Association of Customs Intermediaries
Šarūnas Avižienis, Lithuanian Customs department
Raimundas Karoblis, Department of Economics, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

 

12:40-13:40 Lunch

13:40-14:40 Regulatory changes to business during the implementation of EU norms: accounting and taxes

Elena Semionova, Ernst & Young Baltic
Vitas Vasiliauskas, Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania
Eidris Karevičius, State Tax Inspectorate under the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania
Jonas Markelevičius, Department of the Statistics under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania

 

14:40-15:30 Regulatory changes to business during the implementation of EU norms: other important issues

Gintautas Bartkus, Ernst & Young Baltic
Šarūnas Pajarskas, Competition Council of the Republic of Lithuania
Deividas Kriaučiūnas, European Law Department under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania

 

15:30-16:30 Discussion and closing speech

16:30 Reception