Brussels, 13/06/2002 (Agence Europe) - Commissioner Monti will meet senior competition and State aid officials of the thirteen candidate countries on 16 and 17 June at the eighth annual conference organised in Vilnius (Lithuania), as will the Director General for competition, Alexander Schaub. Participants will examine progress made by candidate countries in matters of competition and issues that remain to be settled before the closure of accession negotiations, and discuss how to organise collaboration following the first wave of accession. Mr. Monti will also meet Lithuanian Prime Minister Mr. Brazaukas and other members of the government. In Strasbourg on Tuesday, he recalled the difficulties candidate countries were running up against to integrate the acquis communautaire in the field of competition, and especially State aid. As we stand, only the Baltic States and Slovenia have closed negotiations on competition (see EUROPE of 12 June, p.6 and p.9).