Press Release: Anna Diamantopoulou welcomes Lithuania’s agreement to shadow Community employment policy in run-up to accession

European Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs, Anna Diamantopoulou, met Lithuanian social security and labour minister, Vilija Blinkeviciute, on 12 February 2002 to sign a joint assessment by the European Commission and Lithuania of the country's progress in preparing its jobs market for EU membership. The assessment already carried out for eight other candidate countries recognizes the headway Lithuania has made in becoming a market economy that should, with more structural reform, be able to stand competitive pressures when it joins the EU.