Assessment of sustainable development in Lithuania in 1990-2004

This article aims to asses the outcomes of the transition period in terms of sustainable development in Lithuania in 1990-2004. The author aims to reveal the synergies and contradictions between the period of transition and the progress to sustainability. The research provides insights into assessment of national sustainable development methodology and supplies a framework of assessment for economies in transition. The framework is based on three principles of sustainable development: principle of carrying capacity, principle of intergenerational equity and principle of intragenerational equity. A three-tier system has been formed: each principle has been assigned two operational criteria and a number of sustainable development indicators. Finally, the framework was applied for Lithuania and the data shows that the transition period has moved the national development closer to sustainability according to the principles of carrying capacity and intergenerational equity, however, it was not so favourable, for the principle of intragenerational equity.