Parliamentary ombudsman calls for greater public role in EU lawmaking

LRT reported that Parliamentary Ombudsman Aleksandras Radčenko has urged Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius and the foreign and justice ministries to involve the public more actively in shaping Lithuania’s positions on European Union legislation and to ensure more transparent implementation of EU law in Lithuania.

Radčenko backed a proposal from the Lithuanian Business Confederation to clearly identify and justify so-called EU law gold-plating, when additional requirements exceeding what is necessary to implement EU legislation are added to national law.

He said that a large share of legislation adopted in Lithuania is linked to EU law, meaning that the interests of social partners should be represented not only when EU legislation is implemented but also when it is being prepared.

“If we want society to be able to have a real influence on EU decisions, its representatives must participate in preparing Lithuania’s positions on draft legislation. When a legal act has already been adopted and the discussion is only about transferring it into national law, many of the essential choices have already been made,” Radčenko was quoted as saying in a statement.

He said non-governmental organisations, business associations and other interested parties should be able to participate as early as possible in forming Lithuania’s positions on EU legislative initiatives.

Radčenko said the current procedure for preparing Lithuania’s positions gives social partners only limited opportunities to participate. Although representatives of non-governmental organisations are not barred from taking part, the process is often conducted behind closed doors.

He proposed moving to a more transparent model under which institutions would be required to consult non-governmental organisations, business associations and other social partners at an early stage of the EU legislative process. He also called for a user-friendly, publicly accessible gateway to the relevant state information systems.

According to Radčenko, greater transparency and earlier public involvement would improve the quality of lawmaking and strengthen public trust in state institutions.