International Contract Manual. The Republic of Lithuania (Chapter 68)

68:1 Preface

The Republic of Lithuania is the largest of the three Baltic States with a territory of 65,300 sq. km (around 25,200 sq. miles). The country is situated on the Eastern coast of the Baltic Sea. To the north, the Republic of Lithuania borders Latvia; to the east and the south, Belarus; and to the southwest, it has common borders with Poland and the Kaliningrad Region of the Russian Federation.

The population of the Republic of Lithuania is 2.9 million.1 The official language of the country is Lithuanian. The main religion is Roman Catholicism. Ethnic Lithuanians constitute approximately 83.45% of the total population. The capital is Vilnius, which is also the largest city in the Republic of Lithuania, with a population of 635,812.2 The other major cities are Kaunas, Siauliai, and Klaipeda.

Following a 90% positive vote in a referendum, the Republic of Lithuania joined the European Union on May 1, 2004, and adopted the euro (¬) on January 1, 2015.3

§ 68:2 Preface—State structure

The government system in the Republic of Lithuania is a parliamentary democracy. The state structure is based on the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, adopted by referendum held on October 12, 1992, with later numerous amendments. The parliament, the president, the government, and the courts exercise the state's power.

Legislative power lies with the unicameral parliament (Seimas), which consists of 141 members elected for a fouryear period1 Most state competencies and responsibilities are in the hands of the government,2 considered to be the highest executive authority. The state government is divided into 19 ministries, headed by the prime minister.3

The administrative division of the Republic of Lithuania is made up of 10 districts (Apskritys). The districts comprise 17 urban and 43 rural municipalities (Savivaldybes). The representative body of a municipality is the municipality council (Savivaldybes Taryba), elected for a period of four years.4

§ 68:3 Preface—Courts, arbitration courts

Lithuanian courts are organized in a four-level, threeinstance court system, which consists of (1) local courts, district courts and Vilnius District Court, (2) the Court of Appeal and (3) the Lithuanian Supreme Court.1

Non-criminal cases are divided into civil and administrative disputes. The latter are defined in the Code of Administrative offences2 and are dealt with within the administrative courts system, which consists of district administrative courts, regional administrative courts, and the Supreme Administrative Court of the Republic of Lithuania.3

The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania4 is not a part of the court system, but is an independent judicial body. Its mission is to "ensure the supremacy of the Constitution within the legal system as well as constitutional justice by deciding whether the laws and other legal acts adopted by the Seimas are in conformity with the Constitution, and whether the acts adopted by the President of the Republic or the Government are in compliance with the Constitution and laws."5

Most cases cannot be resolved in a single court hearing. Trying a case in a court of first instance may take several months, starting from the date of the receipt of the application by the court. Receipt of a final judgment on the average may last up to two years.

Proceedings in civil courts of general jurisdiction are currently governed by the Civil Procedure Code of the Republic of Lithuania (the...