PROVISIONS ON THE TRANSIT OF PERSONS BY LAND BETWEEN KALININGRAD AND RUSSIA

Article 57

The Union rules and arrangements on transit of persons by land between the region of Kaliningrad and other parts of the Russian Federation, and in particular the Council Regulation (EC) No 693/ 2003 of 14 April 2003 establishing a specific Facilitated Transit Document (FTD), a Facilitated Rail Transit Document (FRTD) and amending the Common Consular Instructions and the Common Manual ( 1 ), shall not in themselves delay or prevent the full participation of Lithuania in the Schengen acquis, including the removal of internal border controls.

Article 58

The Union shall assist Lithuania in implementing the rules and arrangements for the transit of persons between the region of Kaliningrad and the other parts of the Russian Federation with a view to Lithuania’s full participation in the Schengen area as soon as possible. The Union shall assist Lithuania in managing the transit of persons between the region of Kaliningrad and the other parts of the Russian Federation and shall, notably, bear any additional costs incurred by implementing the specific provisions of the acquis provided for such transit. Article 59 Without prejudice to the sovereign rights of Lithuania, any further act concerning the transit of persons between the region of Kaliningrad and other parts of the Russian Federation shall be adopted by the Council on a proposal from the Commission. The Council shall act unanimously. Article 60 This Title shall apply in the light of the Declaration on the transit of persons by land between the region of Kaliningrad and other parts of the Russian Federation, which incorporates, without altering its legal affect, the wording of the preamble to Protocol 5 to the Act of Accession of 16 April 2003.

TITLE 6

PROVISIONS ON THE ACQUISITION OF SECONDARY RESIDENCES IN MALTA

Article 61 Bearing in mind the very limited number of residences in Malta and the very limited land available for construction purposes, which can only cover the basic needs created by the demographic development of the present residents, Malta may on a non‑discriminatory basis maintain in force the rules on the acquisition and holding of immovable property for secondary residence purposes by nationals of the Member States who have not legally resided in Malta for at least five years laid down in the Immovable Property (Acquisition by Non‑Residents) Act (Chapter 246). ( 1 )

Malta shall apply authorisation procedures for the acquisition of immovable property for secondary residence purposes in Malta, which shall be based on published, objective, stable and transparent criteria. These criteria shall be applied in a non‑discriminatory manner and shall not differentiate between nationals of Malta and of other Member States. Malta shall ensure that in no instance shall a national of a Member State be treated in a more restrictive way than a national of a third country. In the event that the value of one such property bought by a national of a Member State exceeds the thresholds provided for in Malta’s legislation, namely 30 000 Maltese lira for apartments and 50 000 Maltese lira for any type of property other than apartments and property of historical importance, authorisation shall be granted. Malta may revise the thresholds established by such legislation to reflect changes in prices in the property market in Malta.

TITLE VII

PROVISIONS ON ABORTION IN MALTA

Article 62 Nothing in the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe or in the Treaties and Acts modifying or supplementing it shall affect the application in the territory of Malta of national legislation relating to abortion.