Analytics, Economics, EU – Baltic States, Lithuania

Vygaudas Usackas

The agreement, that was submitted for ratification defined the common point in the Baltic Sea, where the boundaries of exclusive economic zones and continental shelf of Lithuania, Russia and Sweden cross over.

This agreement implements the provisions of the Article 2 of the agreement between Lithuania and Russia concerning the delimitation of exclusive economic zones and continental shelf in the Baltic Sea, which was signed on 24^th of October 1997 and ratified on 19^th of October 1999 by the Seimas of Lithuania. The Article 2 defines the coordinates of the final point which is on the boundary of the exclusive zone of Sweden.

It corresponds with international practice that such common points are defined with the participation of a third country, and in this particular case Sweden is the country.

The ratification of the agreement would allow the start of legal settlement concerning the boundaries of exclusive economic zones and continental shelf between Lithuania and Sweden. These boundaries have not yet been defined with Sweden.

"The agreement with Sweden would be an important step in completing the definition of Lithuania's state terrestrial borders, exclusive economic zones and continental shelf," the Minister Usackas said at the Seimas.

The Minister also suggested for the Seimas to make a separate statement saying that all the international treaties and agreements which were signed by the U.S.S.R. during Lithuania's Soviet occupation period did not cause any legal consequences for Lithuania. Such a provision would apply to the agreement between the Government of Sweden and the Government of the U.S.S.R. on the delimitation of continental shelf, Sweden's fishing zone and Soviet Union's exclusive economic zone in the Baltic Sea which was signed on 18^th of April 1988 and is mentioned in the ratified agreement between Lithuania and Russia.