Giedrius Surplys. Lithuania in the EU: memories, comparisons, opportunities

You only won the right – the Lithuanian Chess Federation was not able to cover the costs of participating in the European Championship. So my parents were very “happy” about that won right and searched for sponsors in Plunge with all their might. Found it. And they put 40 dollars into the trip themselves. For two weeks. It was a lot of money (the average salary in Lithuania at that time was about 100 dollars)! I lost them on the third day of the competition. I survived the rest of the “business trip” with an interest-free loan collected by my teammates. Such tat memories. By the way, are you wondering how we did in that competition? Viktorija Čmilytė became the European champion.

We are celebrating the twentieth anniversary of Lithuania’s membership in the European Union (EU). Next to the beautiful statistics about from 2004 to 2024. salaries and pensions have increased fivefold (in the old EU members, that growth is half as slow), each of us has our own personal story of how life changed after becoming “Europeans”. What is your story?

EU funds annually account for about 12 percent. Lithuanian budget revenues. From those funds, our environment is restored, and social and business promotion programs are implemented. Students and teachers travel around Europe under the Erasmus+ program. Lithuania’s annual contribution to the EU budget is approximately four times lower (about 660 million euros) than the benefits received (about 2.4 billion euros).

The free movement of people, goods, services and capital has already made it possible to forget what it means to queue for several hours at the border with Poland or the huge fees for international bank transfers. oh roam like home thanks to the initiative, you no longer need to send an SMS to your mother: “Call back, it will be cheaper” when you are on vacation in Spain or on the coast of Latvia.

A cup of coffee in Vilnius or Šakii costs more than in Vienna or Venice. Choking But the fact that we can afford that coffee shows how our standard of living has risen.

Remember an adventure you had in Europe around 2004. Today, the same adventure would probably be more dignified?

So let’s celebrate the anniversary of EU membership! There is something to celebrate.

However, in the commotion of the anniversary, let’s not avoid the debate about what percentage of real Europeans we have reached.

Why is it that when we compare the gross domestic product per capita, we are still hovering at 75 percent of the EU average?

Why is the average salary in Lithuania still almost four times lower than in Luxembourg, and in Zarasai – even 1000 euros lower than in Vilnius?

Why do pensions in Lithuania remain approximately half of the EU average?

Why are interest rates on home and business loans about one and a half times higher than the EU average?

Why are our farmers still receiving more modest direct payments?

Why can EU investments be used to polish roads in Poland, but not in Lithuania?

Yes, many of our “inequalities” are in areas outside of EU competence. Social policy constitutes the so-called third pillar, where the decision-making power is left to the Member States. However, this does not mean that we cannot make better use of the opportunities provided by the EU in Lithuania (both EU funds and proposals of the European Pillar of Social Rights). The main rule: let’s invest in the capabilities of our state, business and people, and not “eat” support.

Yes, many seemingly obvious solutions are constrained by the EU’s single market and fair competition rules. However, if it is possible to introduce a preferential rate of value added tax for the most necessary food products in Poland, maybe it will also be possible in Lithuania? If it is possible to set fair milk purchase prices in Spain, maybe it is worth trying in Lithuania as well? If the residents of France do not feel the mortgage interest shock, after the European Central Bank drastically raised the Euribor rates, maybe we can dream about it in Lithuania as well? We did not become EU citizens to squat under a broom. Let’s look for bold and useful solutions. And let’s not overburden EU programs and directives with additional redundant bureaucratic requirements.

Unfortunately, we still often blame Brussels, even though we ourselves are unable to adequately represent Lithuania’s interests and effectively use the opportunities provided by the EU.

After turning twenty, it is already legal to drink alcohol in Lithuania. Having reached twenty years of Lithuania’s membership in the EU, we should already start acting as adults and mature persons – to fight for ourselves and take responsibility, instead of blaming others for our failures.

It’s a happy anniversary, ladies and gentlemen!