REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA LAW ON THE PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SEIMAS OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA TO THE EUROPEAN UNION 31 October 2002 No IX-1165 (Revised version passed on 20 December 2005 – No X-454) Vilnius Article
- The Purpose of the Law This Law shall lay down the legal grounds for appointment, activities and end of activities of a permanent representative of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania to the European Union (hereinafter referred to as the “representative), as well as his legal status. Article
- The Representative
- The representative shall assist in enhancing and developing co-operation of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania and institutions of the European Union, provide information to the institutions of the European Union about the activities of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, regularly inform the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania about the activities of the institutions of the European Union.
- A career civil servant, holding the position of at least an adviser of the Office of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania and having work experience in the field of international relations shall be appointed the representative.
- A deputy representative may be assigned to the representative. A deputy representative must meet the requirements set out in paragraph 2 of this Article.
- The representative may have an assistant (assistants).
- For the fulfillment of his functions, the representative, deputy representative and assistant (assistants) to the representative shall have a status equivalent, respectively, to the status of a special attaché, deputy special attaché and assistant (assistants) to the special attaché, working at the Permanent Representation of Lithuania to the European Union. Article
- Appointment of the Representative, Deputy Representative and Assistant (Assistants) to the Representative
- The representative shall be appointed by the decision of the Secretary General of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, on the motion of the Board of the Seimas, with the written approval of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, in compliance with Article 19 of the Law on Civil Service. The Chairman of the Seimas Committee on European Affairs shall present to the Board of the Seimas a candidate for the representative, after consultation with the Seimas Committee on Foreign Affairs and taking into consideration the results of deliberation in the Committee on European Affairs.
- The representative shall be appointed for a three-year term of office. The term of office of the representative may be extended up to one year in compliance with the procedure laid down in paragraph 1 of this Article.
- A deputy representative shall be appointed for the term of office not in excess of three years by the decision of the Secretary General of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, on the motion of the Board of the Seimas, with the written approval of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, in compliance with Article 19 of the Law on Civil Service. The Chairman of the Committee on European Affairs shall present to the Board of the Seimas a candidate for a deputy representative.
- An assistant (assistants) to the representative shall, at the request of the representative, be appointed by the decision of the Secretary General of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, after consultation with the Board of the Seimas. The Chairman of the Committee on European Affairs shall present to the Board of the Seimas a candidate for an assistant (assistants) to the representative. Article
- The Functions of the Representative
- The representative shall: 1) regularly inform the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, the Committees of the Seimas, the Board of the Seimas about the activities of the European Parliament, Council, Commission, Court of Justice and the Court of Auditors; 2) inform the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, the Committees of the Seimas, the Board of the Seimas about the activities of other institutions of the European Union with regard to the issues topical to Lithuania; 3) provide information to the institutions of the European Union about the activities of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania; 4) participate in sessions of the European Parliament, sittings, hearings held by the Committees, meetings of political groups, other events and, in cooperation with the appropriate Committees, Commissions and divisions of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania and within his competence, organise the cooperation of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania and the European Parliament; 5) participate in hearings, deliberations held by other institutions of the European Union, meetings of working groups dealing with important political issues; 6) cooperate and coordinate his activities with the Permanent Representation of Lithuania to the European Union; 7) participate in meetings of speakers of European Union parliaments, meetings of the secretaries general of European Union parliaments, meetings of the Conference of Community and European Affairs Committees of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC), and other important joint events of the institutions, as well as in events and working groups, organised by the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania; 8) in cooperation with the appropriate divisions of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania and within his competence, organise visits of the members of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania in institutions of the European Union; 9) following the end of a regular session of the Seimas, prepare a report on his own activities and submit it to the Seimas Committee on European Affairs, the Seimas Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Secretary General of the Seimas, the Permanent Representation of Lithuania to the European Union; 10) at the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other institutions of the Republic of Lithuania, provide them with the information on his own activities; 11) be responsible for rational use of the funds appropriated for his activities in the institutions of the European Union.
- A deputy representative shall, entrusted by the representative, carry out the functions referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article. Article
- Accountability of the Representative The representative shall be directly accountable to the Secretary General of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania and to the Head of the Permanent Representation of Lithuania to the EU. Article
- Financial Support of the Representative, Deputy Representative and Assistant (Assistants)
- For work abroad the representative, deputy representative and assistant (assistants) shall be paid remuneration in the amount established by the legal acts of the Republic of Lithuania. The representative, deputy representative and assistant (assistants) shall be reimbursed expenses related to the work abroad. If the spouse of the representative, deputy representative and assistant (assistants) and/or their children (adopted children) under 18 years of age live together with them in the state of stay, the representative, deputy representative and assistant (assistants) together with the remuneration shall be paid allowances for supporting the spouse and the children (adopted children). The Government of the Republic of Lithuania shall fix the amount of allowances. Not exceeding the norms established by the Government, the representative, deputy representative and assistant (assistants) shall be reimbursed for the expenses for pre-school and secondary education of children (adopted children) living with them in the state of stay until they finish secondary school (but not longer than until the children (adopted children) reach 20 years of age).
- According to the procedure laid down by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania the representative, deputy representative and assistant (assistants) shall be provided in the state of stay with flats in the number corresponding to the number of their family members; the expenses of resettlement from the Republic of Lithuania to a foreign state and from a foreign state to the Republic of Lithuania of the representative, deputy representative and assistant/s and their family members shall reimbursed.
- The maintenance expenses of the representative, deputy representative and assistant (assistants) shall be paid from the allocations assigned to the Office of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania. Article
- End of Activities of the Representative, Deputy Representative and Assistant (Assistants)
- The representative or his deputy may be removed from office prior to the expiry of the term of office by the decision of the Secretary General of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania and on the motion of the Board of the Seimas, upon prior notification of the Minister of Foreign Affairs: 1) on the grounds established by the Law on Civil Service; 2) on the grounds established by international law; 3) if the Seimas Board expresses non-confidence in the activities of the representative or his deputy.
- Assistant (assistants) of the representative may be removed from office by the decision of the Secretary General of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, by agreement with the Seimas Board: 1) on the grounds established by the Law on Civil Service; 2) on the grounds established by international law; 3) by the decision of the Seimas Board. I promulgate this Law passed by the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania. PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC VALDAS ADAMKUS