THE EVOLUTION OF LEGAL FRAMEWORKS IN LITHUANIAN STATE FORMATION: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES AND THE IMPACT OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION

Active European integration processes, which gained a new impetus in 2004, have demonstrated a new intensification of the geopolitical vector of the European community’s enlargement. The study of different aspects of the European Union (EU) enlargement process is of particular importance, given the need to conceptualise future development strategies of the potential EU member states. It aims to analyse the dynamics of the legal framework of the state-building process in Lithuania from 1990 to 2022. The study conducts a comparative analysis of historical aspects of the experience in the context of the period before and after the European integration processes. The research identifies a significant regulatory and systemic gap between these periods in terms of the development of the legislative field. Significant concepts in the context of the vectoriality of integration processes and the formation of longterm economic policy in the region are identified. The specifics of Lithuania’s integration into the European environment are analysed. The main stages of the studied process are allocated. The basic mechanisms and principles of implementing an effective European integration policy are revealed. The problems accompanying the process of adaptation of the legal framework to the requirements of the European Union in the context of state-building processes are studied. It is proved that the historical experience of the Republic of Lithuania in terms of the active influence of foreign policy processes on the strategy and practice of integration into the EU is positioned as indicative of Ukraine since both countries have similar initial conditions and are characterised by historical proximity. The study identifies the states that had the most significant impact on the processes of democratisation and state-building in Lithuania. It is proved that Lithuania’s integration into the European community has a specific individuality due to the institutional support and specificity of constitutional processes, which is determinative in settling issues between the Lithuanian government and EU institutions.