Country report, gender equality : how are EU rules transposed into national law? : Lithuania [2024]

The Republic of Lithuania is a unitary state where legislative authority is vested in the central Government. The regulatory authority is vested in the Parliament (the Seimas), whereas the implementation and execution of legislation are among the main competences of the Government (Vyriausybė) and its ministries and agencies. Local administration or regional institutions have no significant competence in the implementation of the principle of equal treatment. The Parliamentary Human Rights Committee supervises implementation of equal opportunities policies and assesses legislative initiatives in this field. Draft legislation is mainly drafted at the level of the Executive by the Ministry of Social Security and Labour, which is responsible for the implementation of the principle of equal treatment. The independent Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson is appointed by Parliament and is entrusted with supervising the implementation of all equality legislation. He/she is the head of a public authority - the Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson - which is also responsible for the implementation of the principle of equal treatment on gender but also on many other grounds. The principle of non-discrimination has also been developed in the legislation on employment, namely in the Labour Code. The task of supervision and monitoring of the implementation of employment legislation is vested in the State Labour Inspectorate.