Lithuania
Parliament
-
Political system
Political systems: Presidential, Parliamentary, Presidential-Parliamentary, Monarchy, Communist, Transitional.
View field in the data dictionary -
Presidential-Parliamentary
-
Structure of parliament
Structure of parliament: Unicameral, bicameral
View field in the data dictionary -
Unicameral
-
IPU membership
Current membership status
View field in the data dictionary -
Yes
Openness and transparency
Information about access to parliamentary documents, parliament’s reporting to the public, parliament’s relation to Freedom of Information laws, and lobbying.
Parliamentary documents
-
The agendas of plenary meetings are published online in advance
The agendas of plenary meetings are published online in advance.
View field in the data dictionary -
All
-
The agendas of committee meetings are published online in advance
The agendas of committee meetings are published online in advance.
View field in the data dictionary -
All
-
Results of votes on draft legislation are published on the parliamentary web site
Results of votes on draft legislation are published on the parliamentary web site.
View field in the data dictionary -
All
-
Draft legislation is published on the parliamentary website
Draft legislation is published on the parliamentary website.
View field in the data dictionary -
All
- Citizens can submit comments on draft legislation on the parliamentary web site
-
Yes
Annual reporting by parliament
- Parliament publishes an annual report on its activities
-
No
- The annual report is available on the parliamentary web site
-
No information available
- Parliament publishes the parliamentary budget
-
Yes
-
Level of detail of the parliamentary budget made available to the public
Only the total amount; A summary of the main elements; The complete budget
View field in the data dictionary -
The complete budget
- The parliamentary budget is available on the parliamentary web site
-
Yes
- Link to the parliamentary budget
Access to parliament
- Plenary meetings are open to the public
-
Yes
Notes:
As a rule, Seimas sittings are open. Yet, at the request of the Speaker of the Seimas, the President of the Republic, or the Prime Minister, and at the decision of the Seimas, a closed sitting may be held as an exception. It may be attended by Members of the Seimas, those persons specially invited to the sitting, and by personnel of the Secretariat of Plenary Sittings(Article 101 of the Statute of the Seimas).
Citizens may submit comments on draft legislation here: https://www.lrs.lt/sip/portal.show?p_r=35386&p_k=2
- Committee meetings are open to the public
-
Yes
Notes:
Committee meetings may be closed when information is discussed relating to State or commercial secrets or other information the use and furnishing of which are restricted by law. A decision to hold a closed meeting is adopted by a majority vote of the Committee members. (Statute of the Seimas, art. 53 and 101)
All committee meetings are streamed online (with the exception of closed meetings). Members of interest groups may get invitations from the Chair of the committee if in-person participation is considered relevant.
-
There is a dedicated channel for broadcasting parliamentary meetings
A dedicated channel is one that is mainly about parliament, and is accessible free of charge to the general public. The channel might be owned by Parliament or a public or private company. Dedicated channels may be broadcast by parliament, government, or another broadcaster. They may be carried on television, radio or the Internet (webcasting).
View field in the data dictionary -
Yes
- Media used for the dedicated channel
-
TVRadioWebcast
- Meetings broadcast on the dedicated channel
-
Plenary sittingsCommittee meetings
Freedom of information
- There is a freedom of information law in the country
-
Yes
- Parliament is subject to the freedom of information law
-
Yes
- Parliament has an office/division dedicated to FOI requests
-
Yes
-
Categories of Information that are exempt from disclosure
Certain categories of information may be exempt from disclosure
View field in the data dictionary -
Law on the Right to Receive Information from State and Municipal Institutions does not apply to the following information:
- information, handling of which is not related to the fulfillment of functions delegated by legal acts to state and municipal institutions or agencies, except for information about the salary of employees of state and municipal institutions and agencies
- information that is the subject of industrial property rights of state and municipal institutions and agencies or of copyright or related rights of third parties or sui generis rights of database authors;
- information which according to laws is recognized as confidential for the reasons of national or public security, national defense interests or restricted use of statistical data or which includes state, official, commercial, professional, or bank secrets, as well as in other cases provided by laws
- where according to the procedure established by legal acts a person is required to justify the aim of the use of the requested information
- where information is exchanged between public administration institutions in cases of official assistance.
Lobbying
- There are rules about the activities of lobbyists in parliament
-
Yes
Notes: Lobbyists aren’t required to be registered in a particular state institution. Persons (legal or natural) intended to engage in lobbying activities are required to register in the Chief Official Ethics Commission (see article 9 of the Law on Lobbying Activities) and may perform lobbying activities in every state or municipal institution including parliament.
Sources:
Law on Lobbying Activities: https://e-seimas.lrs.lt/portal/legalAct/lt/TAD/9473b770a2a311e7a65c90dfe4655c64
Additional informaiton:
- There is a register of accredited lobbyists
-
Yes
- The register of accredited lobbyists is available on the parliamentary web site
-
No