Lithuania's Integration into the EU Single Market: the Regulatory Impact on Lithuania's Economy
The Lithuanian Free Market Institute (LFMI) is implementing a project to promote a structured approach to the policy making process regarding Lithuania’s accession to the European Union by providing independent expert analysis and policy advice.
The main goal of the project is to do analysis of regulatory and political economy implications of the adoption of the EU acquis communautaire on the business environment in Lithuania. The analysis will provide a basis for shaping a systematic approach to policy making and formulating policy recommendations regarding Lithuania’s accession strategy. Policy advocacy and dissemination activities will be designed to provide a targeted access to policy analysis and advice for decision makers and business leaders and thus inspire informed debates and facilitate the adoption of sound solutions.
The research will focus on the EU rules regulating the functioning of the Single Market. The aim will be to explore how the adoption of the acquis affects business conditions and different economic interest groups by looking at:
- how the implementation of membership obligations affects the regulatory and institutional framework in Lithuania, and
- how the acquis is transposed and interpreted by the Lithuanian authorities.
The evaluation of the regulatory impact will be essentially qualitative, focusing on the comparison of the situation after the adoption of the acquis with the anti-monde situations as well as the comparison of likely costs and benefits of regulation and strategies to minimise the former and maximise the latter.
Expected results:
The results of the research and policy recommendations generated as a result of the project will be outlined in a study which will be submitted to policy-makers, business leaders and general public. The research findings and policy proposals will help evaluate reform options regarding the aligning of rules regulating economic conditions in Lithuania to the EU acquis from the perspective of their impact on the regulatory and institutional framework and the business environment in Lithuania. The input to policy-making will also consist in defining possible trade-offs as to the content and sequencing of necessary changes. Research findings will help to particularise what specific problems would be addressed by adopting individual accession-related measures in light of their suitability and likely implications. The effects of adopting these rules will be assessed by comparing their likely costs and benefits for society in general and groups subject to regulation in particular. The policy analysis and proposals will provide a solid basis for formulating policy solutions that will help to maximise the efficiency and to reduce the costs of regulation. In addition to policy proposals for decision-makers, LFMI will specify integration-related constraints and opportunities for market participants.
A dissemination campaign will ensure a prompt and carefully targeted access to policy analysis and advice and will stimulate better informed debates. In addition to media outreach, dissemination activities will include a seminar that will facilitate policy debates by presenting the main concerns and solutions regarding the integration-related policy agenda to decision makers, government executives, business leaders, and reporters.
