Regionalism and Regional Development

Abstract

After the restoration of independence, Lithuania faced a rather difficult task: in a period of several years it had
to catch up with the democratically, economically and socially developed countries of the western world that had
succeeded to achieve their present level over many decades. The ambition to produce fast results preconditioned
different problems in a number of political spheres.
The creation of the regional policy was not an exception either. Despite the fact that quite a speedy improvement
of the regions shows a positive progress in this sphere, problems could not be avoided in the process of
formation and implementation of the regional policy. Hesitation in solving these problems may bring the situation
under threat.
The article analyses factors that have contributed to the problems in the sphere of regional policy, and stresses
the significance of regionalism on the regional development.