Lietuvos teritorijos administracinė reforma: pirmojo etapo patirties įvertinimas
TERRITORIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM IN LITHUANIA: EXPERIENCES OF THE FIRST STAGE

Summary/Abstract: From the point of view of territorial decentralization, Lithuania has quite a specific position among other post-communist countries: its municipalities are relatively too big. There is not enough exhaustive analysis of Lithuania's experiences of the first stage of its territorial reform (establishing 5 new municipalities), which was implemented in 2000. Having a task of an in-depth analysis of the territorial reform, we have chosen three new municipalities - Elektrėnai, Pagėgiai, and Rietavas - as a research object. Analysis of statistical data, legal acts, opinion polls, as well as in-depth interviews is used followed by the content analysis of local mass media. It has been shown that defining the size of new established municipalities, unified qualitative criteria alone (such as general number of inhabitants, distance between new and fragmented municipality, prognostic financial capacities of new territory) seem to be not acceptable. The establishment of Lithuanian government centralized criteria did not become stimulus to continue and complete the reform. The analyses of formation and activities of three new municipalities formed in 2000 (such as lack of appropriate infrastructure, shortage of establishing funds, division of municipal property and liabilities, lack of competence of employees and lack of transparency of recruitment, avoidance of central government to develop in time network of their local agencies) are just temporary. The analysis of economic situation shows that the establishment of new municipalities of Elektrėnai, Pagėgiai, and Rietavas was followed by investments of both local and foreign investors. Advantages rather than shortages of the reform results are stressed by the authorities of the new territories, local media, and the majority of inhabitants. A "strong centralized" position is typical for older municipalities: instead of supporting decentralization, they rather tend to suggest the keeping of existing administrative units, partially de-concentrating government (for instance, increasing rights of sub-municipal units). The central government supports the idea of establishing new municipalities. The reform is successful when the interests of local inhabitants and politicians do coincide. The analysis supports the possibility and necessity of the second stage of the territorial administrative reform in Lithuania. Advantages of bringing public services closer to local people, combined with economic rationality, clearly exceed temporary losses of the establishing period. It has been recommended to abandon unified qualitative criteria used for establishing new municipalities as they rather complicate than help in decision making. When forming a new municipal unit, the central government must strictly follow obligations on delivering funds for initial infrastructure and covering establishing expenses. The division of liabilities between new and old municipalities should be strictly legally regulated: long-lasting ne

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