Lithuanian politician compares discussions about PM’s dissertation to political mudslinging

Discussions surrounding Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius’s 2015 doctoral dissertation resemble political mudslinging, according to Aurelijus Veryga, leader of the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LVŽS).

“I’m starting to see a certain tendency: whenever this side of the political parties comes to power, there’s suddenly a great interest in dissertations. Lithuania has many interesting dissertations—I suggest reading those by politicians whose every move makes the public shudder, or by some former Constitutional Court judges who lecture on how to behave according to the Constitution. There are good dissertations on the militia and other topics. If we’re reading them, let’s read them all,” Veryga told Žinių Radijas on Tuesday.

He argued that if the discussion about the quality of academic work is serious and not politically motivated, it should take place in academic settings rather than in media studios. “Let’s sit down with rectors and scientists, discuss whether quality is truly lacking, and what can be done to improve it. Maybe additional funding is needed so that doctoral students can conduct higher-quality research. Right now, this looks like political mudslinging, and I’m already seeing a pattern,” he said.

Veryga noted that the evaluation of whether a dissertation is of high quality and honest is not the public’s responsibility but that of designated university bodies. “This isn’t done by people from the street. There’s an entire structure for this—defense councils, opponents. All of this is in place to prevent plagiarism and poor-quality work. The university where the dissertation is defended bears responsibility for it,” he explained.

Recent public discussions have focused on Sinkevičius’s dissertation, defended at ISM University of Management and Economics in 2015, particularly its absence from Lithuania’s electronic theses and dissertations system (ETD, now eLABa) and potential academic ethics violations.

In response to questions about why his dissertation was not accessible in the eLABa system, Sinkevičius signed a consent form for its publication. ISM University representatives informed ELTA that the dissertation was uploaded to the system on July 16.

Public concerns have also been raised about possible plagiarism. ISM University confirmed it received an official inquiry from the Academic Ethics and Procedures Controller’s Office regarding a potential academic ethics violation related to the prime minister’s dissertation. The university stated that the inquiry would be assessed and reviewed in accordance with ISM’s procedures.

Sinkevičius has expressed confidence that any investigations into his dissertation would conclude in his favor, stating that he wrote the work himself and that discussions on the topic should therefore end. Meanwhile, President Gitanas Nausėda has urged allowing the prime minister to continue his work, and ISM Rector Dalius Misiūnas has suggested that the discussions are aimed at damaging Sinkevičius’s reputation.