Brussels, 11/12/2002 (Agence Europe) - The Lithuanian leaders are continuing negotiations with the EU on the financing of measures that are to be introduced to facilitate transit to and from the enclave of Kaliningrad through Lithuania, once the latter has joined the EU in 2004. Although the EU had guaranteed that it would finance the additional costs entailed by such measures, mainly for the FTD (facilitation of transit document) and the FRTD (facilitation of rail transit document), "we should like to know what the words 'additional cost' mean in concrete terms", one Lithuanian diplomatic source said. "The FTD and the FRTD cost less than visas and we shall lose EUR 7.5 million annually", the same source explained.
Furthermore, from 2003 on, Lithuania would like to have part of the EUR 135 million that the EU is to make available for it for 2004-2006, i.e. EUR 10 million, in order to help it to comply with the Schengen acquis (mainly with regards external border controls), the same source said. "We should like to clarify these two points before the European Council in Copenhagen", the source said, considering, however, that such points would be more likely to be resolved during the Summit.