Mr. Chairman,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure for me to speak before you today. I thank the organizers for giving me the floor in a session, which I consider extremely important. I wish this conference to gain solid ground among the political and intellectual circles of our continent and to develop a viable and interactive network of communication between the leaders of an enlarging Europe.

No doubt, it is a real challenge to address the issues that Europe will have to solve after the coming round of enlargement. These issues are more or less well known. Agriculture, energy and free movement of people, as well as cohesion policies, are among the "hottest potatoes" in the enlargement debate. I truly appreciate that this conference has taken the courage to address them in such a straightforward and provocative manner.

After enlargement, we will continue to search for answers to these and other questions. The accession negotiations will not solve all problems. In fact, our current negotiations are largely about building consensus on the rules and principles that will structure our relations in the post-enlargement period. And the success of integration -- and thereby enlargement -- will depend first and foremost on how working this consensus will be.

Today, I would like to draw your attention to several issues that, I believe, are of great importance. First, solidarity and mutual trust. In the course of negotiations, various speculations are raised. On the one hand, it is claimed that the European Union raises demands for the candidates which they are not able to meet. On the other, it is said that the new members will be no good for the Union, as they are backward, self-centered, and idealistic. Certainly, such speculations give people a feeling of unfair competition.

This feeling is absolutely wrong. Integration is a project of opening the family for new members, who share common values and pursue similar goals. Therefore, to emphasize solidarity as a family pillar is and will be important.

Let me give you the renowned example of the closure of the second unit in the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant. As I have said in Barcelona, what Lithuania has promised to do, it will. But let's face the facts: alone, Lithuania is not and will not be able to bear the costs of the shutdown.

A clear and longstanding EU involvement will help us cope with the challenges of the Ignalina closure. The Commission's current position, as well as the ongoing discussion among the member states, inspire the belief that solidarity will remain the guiding principle in solving the Ignalina issue. The point is -- and this applies not only to Lithuania -- that our commitments must be fulfilled if we want to be treated as reliable partners.

Another subject, which often evades our focus in the enlargement debate, is heavy concentration on political, technical and economic aspects of integration. This leaves an impression that enlargement is a technical process. But it is not. Enlargement is first of all about the integration of societies, and to make it successful, our countries have to develop a sufficient level of acceptance and cooperation at the grassroots.

Our awareness of the European integration is still rather low. According to the recent Eurobarometer polls, the EU citizens have little idea about what will happen after enlargement. More than 80% don't even know that Lithuania is a candidate country! There is a certain gap between public hopes and sentiments in Europe's West and East, and this gap is not shrinking.

To overcome this challenge we should focus on direct human contacts and the ways to enhance them. We must discover the areas in which people-to-people contacts can be expanded. In the past decade, our countries were offered the possibility to participate in the Erasmus/Socrates programs, which have produced numerous personal contacts between our students and academia. This was an extremely valuable contribution to developing the sense of community in Europe. Yet only a relatively small group have taken the advantage of this possibility.

Therefore, we should expand the scope of co-sponsored activities. With integration the need for learning in the new members will only grow. We have to find instruments for meeting these demands. It is not a mission impossible, especially in view of great human resources in the candidate countries. Our people have proved over the past decade that they are can work hard and have talent and motivation for learning. They will certainly make no trouble in an enlarged Union.

For example, let me mention the achievements of Lithuanian scientists in laser, bio- and information technologies, which are successfully applied in our continent. I am convinced that in an enlarged Union, the vast potential of the candidate countries in science and culture will further develop and generate benefits for all.

The economic aspect is also relevant to people. Today social and economic disparities still exist between the present Fifteen and the candidates. Their elimination is one of the primary tasks for the future of the European Union.

However, different levels of economic development do not mean that our countries cannot cooperate successfully. On the contrary, our countries benefited substantially from the removal of barriers in Europe. For example, Lithuania's market is only 3.5 million, but its trade with the European Union last year amounted to nearly 6 billion euros. This figure almost doubled in just five years! In the same period, the EU investments in Lithuania reached 3 billion euros, with Denmark, Sweden, and Germany being among the top investors.

Now consider that population in the twelve candidate countries totals 100 million. There is no doubt that after enlargement the focus on Central and Eastern European markets will only increase, and new business opportunities will open up for all EU citizens.

However, to guarantee smooth operation of this huge market, it is essential to ensure free movement between all parts of the Community. In the context of an enlarged EU, free and fast movement of people is far from being a closed issue. For example, it takes more than 7 hours by train to cover 300 kilometers between Vilnius and Riga. And it takes 10 hours to travel 400 kilometers from Vilnius to Warsaw. Can you believe this is still possible in the 21st century?

The infrastructure in our countries must be upgraded and connected to the European Union networks. This applies both to highways, railways, and the energy networks. Our region cannot remain a broken chain in the European infrastructure system.

Indeed, these projects are included in the European Union's TINA program. However, at the time of their drafting, nobody could expect that the enlargement processes will proceed so rapidly. Today, my question is: can we afford waiting until 2015 before these projects are completed?

The North-South connection in the Baltic Sea region is one of the most urgent tasks of the near future. Lithuania and Poland have already started the discussion about a possibility to link their capital cities by a modern highway and a railway line. The other Baltic states are also increasingly focusing on this issue. I am convinced that a closer political and financial involvement from the European Union countries and institutions is indispensable rather than desirable at this moment. Above all, interests of all EU citizens are at stake!

Finally, the new members will bring along their knowledge and expertise of dealing with states on EU borders. The Union has already taken advantage of these assets. For example, Lithuania's involvement was very important in activating the EU-Russia dialogue on the development of the Kaliningrad region. In doing so we firmly believed that enlargement will bring benefits to this region as well. Now we follow keenly the development of the EU-Russia dialogue and are interested in having a solution to the issues concerning Kaliningrad before Lithuania and Poland join the Union.

We also construct a special relationship with Ukraine, a country which is and will be of great importance to Europe.

I believe that in an enlarged Union, the countries like Lithuania will have a specific role in shaping and implementing the Common Foreign and Security Policy, as well as in Justice and Home Affairs. Lithuania is fully aware of its responsibility and is ready to deepen cooperation in the fields of border protection and expanding good-neighbor policies of the EU.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Enlargement is not new to the European Union. The challenges that I have pointed out were addressed in the past, although their scope and historical context was different. However, their positive impact on the Union should reinforce our belief that the current accession of new members will also be a success. This is undoubtedly a "win-win" project.

It is symbolic that this discussion on the post-enlargement Europe is arranged in Germany. In the past century, this country was divided and reunited and was one of the first to instantly face the challenges of political, economic, and last but not least, public integration. Therefore, I look forward to hearing the stories from Germany and other countries.

I also wish the conference an inspiring and fruitful discussion.

Thank you.