The paper stems from dissatisfaction with the present state of research carried out in the domain of development policy elaborated by the new member states (NMSs) of the EU. The present research programme is notably characterized by its normative orientation due to a weak conceptualization of both national and global realities in international development; an ambiguous causality between variables (for example, political will, underdeveloped institutional capacities, lack of interest from civil society); and by the fact that Europeanization seems to be privileged as a conceptual framework, which results in largely mitigated analytical contributions. The conclusion advanced by this research programme is basically that Europeanization was shallow in the sphere of aid policy. The paper will argue for the adoption of a broader reality of development aid, which, notably by its historic evolution and operating manner, is to be conceived of as a global policy. Consequently, the inscription of Lithuanian development policy within international reality (references to the United Nations, the World Bank) allows for emphasizing the dominant role of the EU in the diffusion process of this policy in Lithuania.
