The fund for the development of south-eastern Lithuania will not come into existence

47 deputies voted for rejecting the project, 20 – against, and 22 – abstained from voting.

“The state policy of regional development is regulated by the Act of Regional Development and in our opinion there is no need to create a separate law concerning the development of south-eastern Lithuania”, said the president of the parliamentary Committee of Finances and Budget Stasys Jakeliūnas.

The region of south-eastern Lithuania is considered to be one of the weakest regions in Lithuania in terms of economics. It includes regions of Vilnius and Šalčininkai.

A Conservative Laurynas Kaščiūnas said that such a fund would be “the first serious instrument to change the situation in the Vilnius region”, which in his opinion is not only poorly developed in social terms, but also multinational, which “causes some tension threatening national security”.

Establishment of the Fund was discussed in spring 2015. That time the idea was supported by President Dalia Grybauskaitė. According to her, the Fund would accelerate economic development of the region.