The president signed the decree on Monday, and it will be handed over to the parliament by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis or his deputy Egidijus Meilūnas.
Lithuania's government had greenlit Croatia's membership in the European Union (EU) earlier. Following the government's approval, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis said that Lithuania supports EU's balanced "open-door" policy towards states carrying out reforms and capable of fulfilling membership requirements.
Ažubalis noted that developing a common market in the Western Balkans should provide new business and export opportunities for Lithuanian business people.
According to the ministry, Croatia's membership in the EU will have positive influence on the entire EU enlargement policy and will give new momentum to it eastern neighborhood policy.
EU member states and Croatia signed the treaty last December. President Grybauskaitė signed the treaty on behalf of Lithuania. The treaty will come into force after all EU member states ratify it.
Should all member countries deposit the ratification documents in time, Croatia would become an EU member on 1 July 2013, immediately after Lithuania takes over presidency of the organization.
Lithuania's exports to Croatia were estimated at 57 million litas (EUR 16.5 m) last year, indicating an increase by 22.3 million litas from 2010. Some 20.3 million worth of commodities were imported from Croatia in 2011, up by 3.4 million year-on-year.
