Anglu akimis - Lietuva ir Rolandas Paksas (rinkimai)
ROLANDAS PAKSAS, a right-wing conservative whose popularity is based partly on his daring acrobatic flying skills, was yesterday confirmed as the surprise winner of the Lithuanian presidential elections.
The 46-year-old pilot, who has been condemned by his critics as a Baltic version of Jean-Marie Le Pen, the French nationalist, is committed to Lithuanian entry into the European Union but has been scathing about the terms on offer from Brussels. 
His election — with 55 per cent of the vote against 45 per cent for the incumbent, Valdas Adamkus — is a sign of the new mood in Eastern and Central Europe as the region heads into a season of referendums about its future within the EU. Lithuania will hold a referendum on EU membership in May and while opinion polls show a clear majority in support, there is disillusion, especially in the countryside. Although farming accounts for only 7 per cent of Lithuania’s gross domestic product, 20 per cent of the population is dependent on it: EU membership will, therefore, directly affect many livelihoods.
Mr Paksas promised that his first overseas trip as President would be to Brussels, to meet the heads of the EU and “clarify some points which strike me as unsatisfactory”. This could set a trend for the region as the jubilation felt at the EU’s offer of membership in December gives way to scepticism about the exact terms negotiated. There may be attempts by nationalist- orientated politicians such as Mr Paksas to improve the deal from Brussels.
The first referendum in a Central European country will be held in Hungary in April, but the crucial one will be Poland’s in June. Already the Polish Government has been denounced for “selling out” the country by the Tribune of the Independent Farmers protest movement, and by Andrzej Lepper, the populist leader of the Self Defence Party.
Eurosceptical populists, not just among farmers but also in heavy industrial centres, are on the move: they expect 2003 to be their year, when the electorate denounces Brussels as emphatically as it once distanced itself from the Soviet Union.
In the Czech election next month to replace President Havel, who is retiring, there is one clear Eurosceptical candidate: Vaclav Klaus, once described as the Margaret Thatcher of Central Europe. Altogether eight Central and Eastern European states, as well as Malta and Cyprus, are due to join the EU in 2004. First, however, all have to secure a popular mandate.
Mr Adamkus was widely expected to be re-elected at the weekend. He won 35 per cent of the vote in the first round in December and was seen as a statesmanlike figure, balancing Lithuania’s contacts with the European Union with links to America (where Mr Adamkus once lived in exile), and keeping a careful, polite relationship with Russia, its neighbour. Instead, the unmistakably conservative Mr Paskas profited from a low turnout and swept to power.
"Some people call me Le Pen, others say I am a populist, a demagogue, a Fascist or a radical," he said. In fact, he emphasised yesterday, he did not fit into any of these categories. A large measure of his support comes from unhappy pensioners who believe that Mr Paksas will ensure that EU membership brings higher rewards and greater security for old people.
Despite his declared intention to continue foreign policy as it was shaped by Mr Adamkus, the likelihood is that he will be more sceptical towards both the EU and Russia, and warmer towards the United States, building on Lithuania’s status as a member of Nato.
The secret of Mr Paksas’s popularity may be in his aerial derring-do. Recently the politician, who was once a member of a Soviet acrobatic flying team, joined two other pilots to fly in formation at 150mph under a bridge arch only 23ft (7m) above water level.
TIME FOR BRITAIN TO WAKE UP TO REALITIES !!!
Sir, - Citizens of eight European countries are to win the right to work in the UK as soon as their countries join the EU in May 2004. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said “that opening the UK labour market would be good for Britain’s economy”. EU nations can delay employment rights to new members for up to seven years. But Poland, Hungary, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic will gain early access. Malta and Cyprus have also been accepted. Will this influx of migrant workers enhance our economy? Over the past few years immigration has become a lucrative business for quite a few people in this country. Be it legal or illegal. City councils, private landlords, law firms, transport companies - to name a few, all being paid out of grants from the Government - in reality our taxes. It has been said by politicians that there are thousands of menial jobs that the people of this country will not take, and yet there is at least a million people or more claiming benefits for unemployment. So tell me, if there are no suitable jobs for the migrants and they don’t want the menial work offered, what is going to happen? The people of this country need to wake up to what is happening. My vote goes to someone who will look after the interest of this country first. Just like the German and French politicians have always done.
Aišku, įdomu iš kokio laikraščio. Šiaip įdomu buvo pirmą kartą paskaityt apie užsienieči nuomonę, bet šiaip nieko ypatyngo.
tiem kam dar idomi uzsienieciu muomone isekokit http://www.cnn.com ar http://www.msnbs.com ar http://www.bbc.com ir pagal vietine paieska iveskit V.Adamku ar Paksa. Bet daugumoj uzsieni sraso labai lakoniskai. sekmes