Seimo committee rejects proposal to assess laws’ demographic impact

The Seimas Legal Affairs Committee has rejected a proposal to require evaluations of how draft laws would affect national and regional demographics, LRT reports.

Eight committee members voted on Tuesday to reject amendments to the Seimas Statute that would have mandated such assessments. The full Seimas will make the final decision.

If approved, the changes would have required draft law authors to include an explanation of the expected demographic impact in their documents. Justice Minister Rita Tamašunienė, who supports the proposal, argued it would ensure a consistent legal approach to addressing Lithuania’s demographic crisis.

“We aim for all legal acts to be evaluated in terms of their impact on the country’s and regions’ demographic situation. We already assess crime, corruption, and business development impacts, but this essential evaluation is missing. It is irresponsible for the state not to examine this important issue,” Tamašunienė said during the committee meeting.

Jurgita Meškienė, head of the Public Law Division at the Seimas Chancellery’s Law Department, argued that current regulations already allow for such assessments in explanatory notes. She stated that existing rules provide an opportunity to outline expected positive and negative demographic effects and how to mitigate them.

Committee chairman Julius Sabatauskas called the proposed requirement excessive and disproportionate, stating it would not improve demographic conditions or the quality of legal acts.

Currently, draft laws in Lithuania must include assessments of their impact on crime, corruption, business conditions, and strategic planning, but demographic effects are not mandatory.

Earlier, on May 7, parliament rejected similar Statute amendments that would have required evaluations of how draft laws affect family welfare and birth rates.