Lithuania's membership in the EU
The Impact of the EU Membership
Influence of the OCM on Lithuanian public administration and public policy
Influence of the OCM on Lithuanian public administration and public policy
A research group from the Institute of International Relations and Political Science (Vilnius University) lead by dr. Vitalis Nakrošis assessed how the European Union Open Coordination Method (OCM) was applied in Lithuania. OCM is a method of EU governance defined by the Lisbon European Council in 2000 and applied to the public policy sectors where EU institutions do not have the exclusive competence or competence shared with the EU Member States but is aiming at jointly decided goals.
The research examined two particular examples of the method application in Lithuania – the implementation of the Lisbon strategy and poverty and social exclusion reduction policy were reviewed. Various methods were employed: analysis of primary and secondary sources, a survey conducted via e-mail, interviews of the civil servants and the representatives of the concerned interest groups, case studies etc.
It was found that Lithuanian representatives report to the EU institutions the progress in the sectors of OCM application mostly formally as attention is given to quantitative indicators set for the Member States instead of adopting the best practice of the EU members or comparing Lithuania with other countries. There is a lack of cooperation among the institutions in implementing the Lisbon and social inclusion strategies on the national level.
