The city of Klaipėda remained the first in the municipalities’ rating with the score of 69.4 points out of the total possible 100 (up from 59.1 points last year), the Lithuanian Free Market Institute (LLRI) said on Wednesday in a report on its Municipalities’ Index 2012.
The municipality of Vilnius moved to the second position with the score of 63.9 points and the local authority of Panevėžys moved down to rank third with the score of 62.9 points.
“Strange though it may seem, the biggest obstacles are posed by the barriers that we have created ourselves. Internal factors – the period of time it takes to obtain a construction permit, the period of time required to get all paperwork done – all this concerns the managing of your own yard. The aim of this index is to help local authorities to manage their economy better,” LLRI president Žilvinas Šilėnas said at a news conference on Wednesday.
Lithuania's local authorities have been assessed by the level of the freedom of choice they ensure for people, promotion of private initiatives, provision of favorable business environment, efficient use of resources, and measures to ensure the transparency of their activities.
The study covered nine areas in the activities of local authorities, including utilities, education, healthcare, social care, investments and development, taxes, administration, property management, and budget.
The think-tank assessed municipalities of seven cities and towns and 53 districts. The index was first introduced in 2011.
