Regional specialisation 2.0

Problem

The Comprehensive Plan of the Territory of the Republic of Lithuania (“Lithuania 2030”), the National Progress Plan 2021-2030 and the Lithuanian Regional Policy White Paper all mention Lithuania’s regional development and specialisation as important aspects of the country’s territorial development. These strategic state documents set the economic development objectives in the regions and advocate for clearly defined regional economic specialisations. Those objectives are also promoted by the EU’s Cohesion Policy and the Lithuanian concept of Smart Specialisation, which emphasise the benefits of this approach for regional efficiency, resilience to challenges and reducing regional inequality.

Nevertheless, the economic specialisation of Lithuania’s regions has not been consistently implemented: Lithuania’s territorial development strategies are not linked to economic specialisation, there is a lack of a vision and tools to deliver it, and the current institutional set-up is not delivering the desired results: only two counties of Lithuania reach the country’s average GDP per capita, while the values of the municipalities with the highest and the lowest life quality index differ by more than two times.

While all 10 Lithuanian counties presented their specialisation guidelines in 2018, today’s regional development policy lacks continuity, its plans are too similar and pay little attention to improving the business environment and economic development. Meanwhile, the European Commission argues that the implementation of the regional specialisation strategy is hampered by weak local and regional administrative capacity, low financial independence or insufficient incentives to attract investment and create jobs.

Goal

The aim of the project is to define a tangible data-based specialisation model, based on international success stories. Its measures and incentives will ensure a more targeted and sustainable regional economic development.

Participants

2024/25

Augustas Alekna

2024/25

Rytis Stankevičius