Lithuania, a country with a population of about 2.8 million, has achieved a rapid socio-economic and political transformation since the re-establishment of its independence in 1990. The period has been marked by a number of significant economic, social and political structural changes. In 2004, Lithuania reached two of its major foreign policy goals related to the European Union and NATO membership. Lithuania‘s accession to the EU and NATO is an act of immense political, economic and symbolic significance. It meant the final step in getting reunited with Europe following the period of Soviet occupation and transition to democracy in the wake of the country‘s regained independence. Lithuania is becoming a stable democracy implementing a market economy and reforms in various sectors of its economic activities.