. /.RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/ACC/LTU/32
12 April 1999
(99-1441)
Working Party on the
Accession of LithuaniaOriginal: English
ACCESSION OF LITHUANIA
Communication from Lithuania
The Permanent Mission of the Republic of Lith uania has submitted the following information
on Lithuania's progress in legislation required for the accession to the WTO (second half of 1998 –
1 March 1999).
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– New Law on Competition No. VIII-1064 was adop ted by the Parliament on 11 February 1999
and contains WTO TRIPS-consistent additional provisions on intellectual property.
– In December 1998, Lithuania ratified the Rome Convention for the Protection of Performers,
Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting Organizations. In accordance with Government
Resolution No.219 of 26 February 1999, the Geneva Convention on the Protection of
Producers of Phonograms against Non-Authoriz ed Duplication of their Programmes have
been transmitted to Parliament for ratification. Ratification is foreseen in April-May 1999.
– The draft Law on Copyrights and Related Rights is under final consideration in Parliament
and will be adopted in March-April 1999.
– In the second-half of 1998, the Government of Lithuania established a special Intellectual
Property Rights section at the Ministry of the Interior.
– The draft Law on Standardization to be presented for Government consideration shortly.
– Law on Conformity Assessment was approved in October 1998.
– The preferential excise tax treatment of small breweries, as a transitional measure, will be
abolished by 1 January 2000 by the Amendmen t to the Law on Excise Taxes No. VIII-982 of
21 December 1998.
– The Government has decided that the new Orde r of Customs Valuation, which fully conforms
to WTO provisions, would enter into force on 1 January 2000.  Respective documents are to
be adopted by the Government in March 1999.  The minimum import prices and "prices-in-
checking" are to be eliminated by 1 January 2000.
– The ban on the importation of mead containing alcoholic beverages with alcohol content of
more than 50 percent was abolished on 10 December 1998 as an Amendment of the Law of
Alcohol Control.WT/ACC/LTU/32
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– Lithuania is preparing the Notification on State Trading Issues regarding the exclusive right
for the production of products with ethyl alcohol strength exceeding 22 percent.
– The annual stamp taxes for activity licensing, related to importation and domestic trade on
alcohol and alcoholic beverages, were equalized in June 1998 by the Governmental
Resolution No. 774.
– The annual stamp taxes for activity licensing, related to the importation and domestic trade on
petroleum, is to be equalized by the Governmental Resolution in March 1999.
– The commitments concerning sanitary and phytosanitary measures, foreseen in document
WT/ACC/LTU/22 of 14 May 1998, have been practically fulfilled and the remaining issues in
the SPS area are not essential. The updated document on SPS measures in Lithuania, already
submitted to the WTO Secretariat, reflects the latest developments in this area.
– The following Inquiry Points have been established and already notified to the WTO
Secretariat: SPS Inquiry Point, TBT Inquiry Point, Inquiry Point on Services, Inquiry Point on
TRIPS.
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