20 years together : Lithuania.
Date: 2024-05-24
Institutions: Directorate-General for Communication
Subjects: EU policy, EU situation, EU strategy, European Union, European Union membership, European identity, European security, Lithuania, accession to the European Union, cultural heritage, cultural policy, democracy, economic growth, economic policy, enlargement of the Union, food safety, higher education, medical research, promotion of the European idea, self-sufficiency in energy, social policy, sustainable mobility, the EU's international role, transport infrastructure, vision of Europe

20 years 
together
Lithuania

Twenty years ago, Lithuania officially joined the European Union, an important moment in 
our Union’s history. Since then, Lithuania has witnessed positive changes: from economic 
growth to vital investments in crucial infrastructure. At the same time, Lithuania has 
contributed to the security, cultural and social environment of the European Union. With 
energy interconnectors and clean investments, sustainable mobility, Lithuania is helping 
Europe to push the twin transitions forward. Two decades since it joined the European 
Union, the Lithuanian economy now forms a strong part of the Single Market. And Lithuanian 
citizens play a key role in European society, inspiring with their adherence to freedom and 
democracy. Lithuania has made the EU stronger. And the EU has made Lithuania stronger. 

 Creating opportunities and growth since 2004

Since 2004, Lithuania has seen strong economic 
growth, with its Gross National Income 
increasing by almost 8% per year on average.

Since 2015, Lithuania has used the euro as its 
currency, taking full advantage of the benefits of 
the EU’s single currency.

The Lithuanian economy continues converging 
to the average of the EU-27. In 2004, the 
country’s Gross Domestic Product per capita 
stood at 50% of the EU-27, while it increased to 
89% in 2022.

As part of the Single Market, Lithuania has 
benefitted from the free movement of goods 
across the European Union. Today, the EU is 
the first destination of Lithuania’s exports of 
goods, taking over 60%. The values of these has 
increased from €4.6 billion in 2004 to almost 
€24 billion in 2023.

In the two decades since Lithuania joined the EU, 
the Lithuanian employment rate has increased 
from 69% in 2004 to 79% in 2022.

With the support of EU funds, the percentage of 
Lithuanian households with internet access has 
increased over the past twenty years, going from 
12% in 2004 to 89% in 2023.

LITHUANIA© Adobe Stock 
 
 
 
Supporting Lithuania’s economy and society 

Over the past twenty years, the EU’s cohesion policy has strengthened the economic, social and territorial 
cohesion of EU Member States. More than €15 billion in Cohesion Policy funding has been invested in 
Lithuania, benefitting citizens living in the country. 

Driven by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), Lithuania has experienced significant progress in 
agriculture and rural development. An investment of €10.6 billion in CAP funding has been directed 
towards the country, nurturing sustainable growth and prosperity in rural regions. 

With the support of up to €2.3 billion in grants, and up to €1.5 billion in loans from the EU’s 
NextGenerationEU, Europe is helping Lithuania transform its economy and society, by investing in:

Climate 
37%

Digital 
23%

Social 
21%

Investing in local infrastructure 

Over the past 20 years, Lithuania has benefitted from 
access to EU funds and infrastructure investments. 
With the assistance of EU Cohesion Policy funding, 
Lithuania has been able to build more than 3 000 
kilometres of bicyle paths across cities and 
regions throughout the country. In addition to more 
cycleways, Lithuania has also gained better sports 
infrastructure, including multifunctional sports 
centres, swimming pools, playgrounds, skateparks 
and other recreational spaces.

Supporting European medical 
research 

Since 2004, Lithuania has contributed to important 
European research in the medical field. As part 
of Lithuania’s NextGenerationEU recovery plan, 
the Baltic State is supporting EU-wide research 
on genomic and clinical data. The study has the 
potential to support the development of more 
targeted personalised medicines, therapies and 
interventions. It could also enable better diagnostics, 
boost prevention and make more efficient use of 
scarce resources. With its scientific expertise and 
knowledge, Lithuania will contribute to this important 
EU-wide project, completing 1 570 genome 
sequencing tests and analysing genomic data.

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Supporting European 
energy independence 

Lithuania has already staked its claim as a pioneer 
of energy independence, becoming one of the 
first Member States in the entire EU to move 
completely away from Russian gas and oil. Thanks 
to financial support from the Connecting Europe 
Facility, as well as other EU instruments, Lithuania 
is now better integrated into the EU internal energy 
market and has access to gas supplies from all 
over the world. The GIPL - Gas Interconnector 
between Poland and Lithuania is among the many 
initiatives which have helped secure diversified 
gas supplies in Europe. The last mile will be the 
synchronization of the Baltic States’ power grids 
with the Continental European Network.

Boosting renewable energies 

In the 20 years since Lithuania joined the EU, the 
country has benefitted from more investments 
in renewable energy. EU cohesion support has 
recently led to the financing of over 5 600 solar 
panel installations in households across Lithuania. 
With around 45 megawatts in installed capacity, 
Lithuanian residents will help Europe save around 
27 000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions 
every year. EU funds have also helped with the 
development of remote solar parks across 
Lithuania.

Standing in solidarity 

Over the past 20 years, Lithuania has offered 
critical assistance as part of the EU’s emergency 
response efforts across the world. Since Russia 
launched its war of aggression against Ukraine, 
Lithuania has supported the EU’s response by 
providing aid, including generators, transformers 
and other emergency relief items. For the past two 
years, Lithuania has also provided military aid to 
Ukraine. Since the beginning of the war, Lithuania 
and its people have provided refuge to tens of 
thousands of Ukrainians.

 
 
Creating study opportunities

In the two decades since Lithuania joined the 
EU, young Lithuanian citizens have gained more 
opportunities to study abroad. Since 2004, almost 
65 000 higher education students from Lithuania 
have participated in the Erasmus+ programme. 
Through Erasmus+, almost 31 000 EU citizens 
have also enjoyed the opportunity to attend 
universities in Lithuania.

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Enjoying Lithuania’s quality food

Today, EU citizens have easier access to high-
quality products and goods from Lithuania, 
including rye bread from Daujėnai, which holds 
an important place in Lithuanian tradition. EU 
membership gives European consumers access 
to authentic, high-quality and distinctive products 
from Europe. 

© European Union, 2024

Reuse of this document is allowed, provided appropriate credit is given and any changes are 
indicated (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license). For any use or reproduction 
of elements that are not owned by the EU, permission may need to be sought directly from 
the respective right holders. All images © European Union, unless otherwise stated.

Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2024 

PDF 

ISBN 978-92-68-14598-2 

doi: 10.2775/42299 

NA-09-24-241-EN-N

Enriching our cultural heritage 

Since 2004, the EU has supported and promoted 
Lithuania’s culture and heritage. Lithuania has 
twice hosted the European Capital of Culture, 
an initiative supported by the EU. In 2009, for 
instance, Vilnius became one of the European 
Capitals of Culture. The country’s capital city 
welcomed many thousands of visitors over 
the course of the year. Kaunas also hosted the 
European Capital of Culture in 2022, exhibiting 
artwork from Lithuania, Ukraine, South Africa, and 
other countries.

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