The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe has urged Lithuanian authorities to further strengthen local self-government, for example by clearly defining local versus state responsibilities and strengthening municipal financial capacities.
In a recommendation based on a report by rapporteurs Cecilia Feliczitasz Friderics (Hungary) and Gobnait Ní Mhuimhneacáin (Ireland), the Congress welcomes the meaningful progress made by Lithuania since its previous recommendations in 2018, including the decentralisation of state land management rights to municipalities and improved consultation mechanisms. The report also highlights the active role played by the Association of Local Authorities of Lithuania in representing local interests at national level.
However, the report identifies several areas requiring further attention to fully align with the principles of the European Charter of Local Self-Government. These include an unclear division of responsibilities between state and local authorities, excessive national regulation, limited legal standing for the Association of Local Authorities of Lithuania before administrative courts, and the lack of a special legal status for the capital city, Vilnius. In addition, municipalities remain highly dependent on state transfers, with limited fiscal autonomy and borrowing capacity.
The Congress therefore calls on Lithuanian authorities to clarify the allocation of local and state responsibilities in line with the subsidiarity principle, ensure municipalities have adequate financial resources and stronger tax-raising powers, expand borrowing capacity, grant legal standing to the Association of Local Authorities to defend local self-government in court, and introduce a specific legal status for Vilnius as the capital.
Addressing the session, Lithuanian Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovič outlined local self-government reforms undertaken in recent years that served to strengthen the role of municipalities in times of crisis and municipal finances, advance decentralization, increase democratic resilience and improve good democratic governance. He acknowledged that further improvements were needed, including a clearer distribution of competences, greater financial autonomy and continued strengthening of the legal framework. “At the same time, we can state with confidence that local self-government in Lithuania is becoming stronger and more resilient,” he said, reaffirming Lithuania’s commitment to implementing Congress recommendations.
The report follows the fourth monitoring visit to Lithuania since the country ratified the European Charter of Local Self-Government in 1999.
Contact: Congress Communication Unit, +33 (0)3 88 41 38 90
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