ES struktūrinė politika ir jos administravimas žinių visuomenės aplinkoje ; EU Structural Policy and it's Administration in Knowledge Society

Abstract

Two years ago Lithuania became a member of European Union in equal rights. It means that our country took all rights and responsibilities that are related to membership of EU. Economic changes of globalization were accompanied with growing local economic parts of systems. Under such conditions regional politics gained a big meaning because each region that gets not the same use from above mention changes, tries to improve their position and national Governments and appropriate institutions of EU tries to decrease these inter-regional differences. Relevance of this Thesis is defined by importance of structural policy for Lithuania's economic and social development, variety of tools nominated for implementation of this policy, also problems that administrating institutions, legal entities or natural person face up with while trying to use funding from structural funds. This paper object is EU structural policy and its administration of knowledge in public environment. The main object of this Thesis is to analyze implementation of EU structural policy in Lithuania also to introduce the main priorities of this policy now and in the nearest future till year 2013. Main tasks of the Thesis is to overlook aims of EU structural funds, instruments and main initiatives; explore EU structural funding and its administration in Lithuania; carry out questioning of citizens and identify their level of information regarding handling of structural funds also prove or deny stated hypothesis and finally to make conclusions and recommendations. First part of Thesis is designed to overlook structural policy, emphasizing main goals of policy, its implementation tools, main initiatives of structural funds. In the second part of work EU support administration prerequisites in Lithuania are overlooked highlighting General Programming Document and its priorities also dynamics of assimilation and problems of structural funds in the country. Third part mainly talks about analysis of EU structural funding administration system in Lithuania, pointing out managing, paying and mediating institutions and describing their main functions. In the final part analysis and results of implemented interviewing of citizens are presented estimating level of information of Lithuanian citizens on EU structural funds handling and assimilation and comming to conclusions that Lithuanians are interested in getting funding from EU and would participate in this process but due to lack of clear and systematic information all possible tools of support from EU are not fully used by Lithuanian people. Results of this Thesis could be used by differnet institutions responsible for EU support and structural funds administration, also organizations responsible for spread of information and education of society. Also students studying EU or political sciences and all other people interested in administration of EU structural funds and assimillation of funding in Lithuania.