Lithuanian parliament speaker to address opposition questions over Venice Commission responses

The speaker of Lithuania’s parliament, Juozas Olekas, will answer opposition lawmakers’ questions on Thursday regarding responses sent to the Venice Commission about proposed amendments to the country’s public broadcaster law, LRT reports.

A group of nine opposition MPs—including conservatives Vytautas Juozapaitis, Jurgis Razma, Giedrė Balčytytė, Ingrida Šimonytė, Mindaugas Lingė, Paulė Kuzmickienė, Vytautas Kernagis, liberal Simonas Kairys, and democrat Rima Baškienė—submitted a letter in late May demanding transparency over the government’s replies to the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission.

The lawmakers noted that during a May 6 meeting of the parliamentary Culture Committee, its chair, Kęstutis Vilkauskas, revealed that Olekas had prepared the responses on behalf of the Seimas—but MPs were never shown the submitted remarks. They called for the speaker to present the Venice Commission’s preliminary conclusions and explain why the Culture Committee, which typically handles such matters, was not tasked with drafting the reply.

The Venice Commission had requested Lithuania’s feedback on its initial assessment of the proposed Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT) law amendments, which were fast-tracked for review. The bill, spearheaded by a working group led by Olekas, introduces changes to LRT’s mission, governance structure, and procedures for dismissing its director general. It was approved last week in a 77–1 vote, with opposition MPs abstaining in protest.

Opposition critics have raised concerns over transparency in the legislative process, particularly after Vilkauskas confirmed in early May that Olekas personally submitted the responses to the Venice Commission without broader parliamentary consultation.