October 22nd, 2021, the international conference marking Constitution Day, “Challenges of the Implementation of the Constitutional Principle of the Rule of Law” was held at the Seimas.
The Welcome Address was delivered by Seimas Chair Viktorija Cmilytė-Nielsen, MRU Law School Dean Prof. Lyra Jakulevičienė and Seimas Committee on Legal Affairs Chair Stasys Šedbaras.
October 25th marks the 29th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania. On the eve of the anniversary, on October 22nd, the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania organised the international, already ninth, conference.“ The Conference was translated via TV "Seimas - live" Conference day.
The participants of the conference discussed challenges facing the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania in resolving disputes between state authorities, about the relations between citizens and authorities, and the possibilities to avoid a conflict of power in a state governed by the rule of law. Attention was focused on issues relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, the challenges posed by quarantine as an administrative legal regime, human rights standards and the legitimacy of emergency restrictions. The challenges of implementing the principle of the rule of law were viewed from the perspective of other countries - the Czech Republic, Latvia, Poland and the U.S.
President of the Constitutional Court, MRU Prof. Danutė Jočienė drew attention to the fact that the closely related constitutional principles of the rule of law and the division of powers are the starting point for assessing the relations between state authorities and the disputes arising from them.
MRU Law Professor Vytautas Sinkevičius emphasised that the constitutional principle of the rule of law means that all government institutions, their officials, and all persons must obey the law, first of all, the Constitution.
The conference was organized by MRU’s School of Law, the Seimas Committee on Legal Affairs, the Constitutional Court, and the Lithuanian Bar Association.