Lithuania appoints new representatives to Venice Commission

Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė has appointed Constitutional Court judge Artūras Drigotas and Deputy Chair of the Supreme Administrative Court Ernestas Spruogis as Lithuania’s representatives to the Venice Commission, the government announced Tuesday.

Drigotas will serve as the permanent member, while Spruogis takes the alternate position. Their nominations were submitted to Ruginienė by Justice Minister Rita Tamašunienė.

“It is important for Lithuania to be an active and reliable partner in shaping the rule of law standards in Europe,” Ruginienė said in a statement. “By delegating such highly competent legal experts, we strengthen not only the authority of our state institutions but also contribute to higher-quality lawmaking at the international level.”

Drigotas brings nearly 24 years of experience at the Supreme Administrative Court. A graduate of Vilnius University’s Law Faculty, he has previously served as a bailiff, judge, and chair of Vilnius District Court, as well as holding roles in the Justice Ministry and Vilnius Regional Court. He was appointed to the Constitutional Court in March by Seimas Speaker Juozas Olekas and also lectures at Mykolas Romeris University.

Spruogis, a docent at Mykolas Romeris University, worked as a judge at Vilnius Regional Administrative Court from 2008 to 2021. Since 2021, he has been a judge at the Supreme Administrative Court and has served as its deputy chair since 2023.

The Venice Commission is an advisory body of the Council of Europe, uniting independent constitutional law experts from various countries. Though not an EU institution, its conclusions and recommendations are widely regarded as objective, non-political benchmarks for legal assessment.