Lithuania to be represented by Zuokas in Venice over LRT law

Artūras Zuokas will represent Lithuania’s parliament in Venice this week as the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission reviews the country’s public broadcaster LRT law, the Seimas announced on Wednesday.

The Seimas board decided to send Zuokas, a member of the Mixed Group of MPs, to the Venice Commission’s plenary session on June 12–14. Zuokas was part of the working group led by Seimas Speaker Juozas Olekas that drafted amendments to the LRT law, which overhaul the governance of the national broadcaster.

Olekas, a Social Democrat, said the Venice Commission had invited either the Speaker or an authorised representative. “The Venice Commission invites whom it wants. In this case, it asked for the Speaker or an authorised person. I propose Artūras Zuokas because he worked in the working group until the end and is familiar with our positions,” Olekas told the board.

He added that Zuokas, as a member of the Mixed Group, “does not represent either the majority or the opposition, which makes him the most suitable.”

Opposition MPs questioned the choice. Liberal Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen asked why no opposition representative was being sent, arguing that Zuokas effectively represents the ruling majority’s stance.

The Venice Commission is expected to finalise its opinion this week on the LRT law amendments, which the Seimas adopted in late May. The commission had previously recommended corrections, including a proper assessment of LRT’s funding model and avoiding ad personam legal changes to the dismissal procedure for the broadcaster’s director. The Seimas did not incorporate the latter recommendation.

The new law introduces a management board for LRT, expands its council from 12 to 15 members, sets term limits for the director-general and council members, and tightens candidate requirements. Editorial policy will now be shaped by the heads of news services and the editor-in-chief of the online portal.