Photo by Olga Posaškova, Office of the Seimas

Model of consideration of EU matters at the Seimas

The Constitutional Act of the Republic of Lithuania on Membership of the Republic of Lithuania in the European Union lays down the framework for involvement of the Seimas in considering and addressing EU matters. Pursuant to the Act, a model of active participation of the Seimas in considering EU matters was established. Its mechanism is governed in detail in Chapter XXVII¹ of the Statute of the Seimas. Under the model, all committees of the Seimas (referred to as ‘specialised committees’ in the Statute of the Seimas) are engaged in consideration of EU matters. Two of them, however, the Committee on European Affairs and the Committee on Foreign Affairs, have exclusive powers. In accordance with the procedure laid down in the Statute of the Seimas, they may present an opinion of the Seimas regarding draft EU legislative proposals to the Government.

Therefore, consideration of EU matters in the committees of the Seimas includes proposals from the European Commission, initiatives from a group of Member States of the European Union, initiatives from the European Parliament, requests from the Court of Justice of the European Union, recommendations from the European Central Bank, and requests from the European Investment Bank. The committees also consider other EU strategic documents of legislative planning or policy, in particular the European Commission’s annual work programme, the European Commission’s Annual Growth Survey, draft annual budgets of the European Union, the Multiannual Financial Framework, white and green papers, the annual report of the Court of Auditors, the annual report of the European Police Office (Europol), and the Eurojust’s annual report.

Identification of priorities

Once the Seimas receives an annual work programme of the European Commission, the specialised committees of the Seimas, within one month, consider the Commission’s annual work programme and submit to the Committee on European Affairs and the Committee on Foreign Affairs their reasoned conclusions regarding the relevance to Lithuania of the EU legislative proposals presented in the programme. In view of the relevance to Lithuania of an EU legislative proposal provided for in the Commission’s work programme, the committees assign it to one of the following three categories:

1) highly relevant;

2) relevant;

3) moderately relevant.

Coordination of Lithuania’s position

After receiving the conclusions of the specialised committees of the Seimas, the Committee on European Affairs and the Committee on Foreign Affairs summarise them at a joint meeting and communicate them to the Government. An institution responsible for the formulation of Lithuania’s position concerning highly relevant and relevant EU legislative proposals develops the position and submits it to the Seimas. The Committee on European Affairs and the Committee on Foreign Affairs consider the position and present to the Government the opinion of the Seimas taking into account the conclusions of the specialised committees. The Committee on European Affairs and the Committee on Foreign Affairs may, where appropriate, express a parliamentary reservation, which means that a Government representative cannot present Lithuania’s position at the Council of the EU as long as it is not coordinated with the Seimas.

Government reports following the meetings of the Council of the EU

After each meeting of the European Council and the Council of the EU, the Prime Minister, the Minister and other representatives of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania present a report to the Committee on European Affairs and the Committee on Foreign Affairs concerning the issues addressed at the meeting and Lithuania’s positions on these issues.

Control of the principle of subsidiarity

Control of the principle of subsidiarity is one of the key functions of the Seimas committees in the consideration of EU matters, which is carried out in accordance with the procedure established under the Statute of the Seimas.

Consideration of other EU matters at the Seimas

The Seimas and its committees are also engaged in the consideration of other important EU matters, as provided for in the Treaty on European Union and the Protocol on the role of national Parliaments in the European Union annexed to this Treaty:

– by taking part, within the framework of the area of freedom, security and justice, in the evaluation mechanisms for the implementation of the Union policies in that area, and through being involved in the political monitoring of Europol and the evaluation of Eurojust’s activities;

– by taking part in the revision procedures of the Treaties;

– by being notified of applications for accession to the Union;

– by taking part in the inter-parliamentary cooperation between national Parliaments and with the European Parliament.