Annual Report 2014
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA ANNUAL REPORT ANNUAL2014 REPORT 2014 Vilnius 2015 THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA ANNUAL REPORT 2014 Vilnius 2015 ISSN 2424-404X © The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania, 2015 Contents GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT 5 ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2014 BY THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT OF THE REPUBLic OF LITHUANIA 17 FOREWORD BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA 18 1. THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT IN 2014: THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENTS AND NUMBERS 22 2. THE COMPOSITION OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT 28 3. THE PETITIONS AND INQUIRIES RECEIVED AT THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT 31 3.1. Refusals to consider petitions 33 3.1.1. The refusal to investigate a petition filed by an institution or a person who does not have the right to apply to the Constitutional Court 33 3.1.2. The refusal to investigate a petition whose consideration does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Constitutional Court 34 3.1.3. The refusal to investigate a petition indicating a legal act whose compliance with the Constitution has been investigated and the relevant ruling of the Constitutional Court passed on this issue is still in force 36 3.2. Returning petitions to petitioners 36 3.2.1. The requirement to substantiate a petition on legal arguments 37 3.2.2. Other shortcomings of petitions 41 3.3. The admissibility of inquiries 41 3.4. Summarising the practice of the admissibility of petitions and inquiries in 2014 43 4. A SURVEY OF THE JURISPRUDENTIAL ACTIVITY OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT 44 4.1. Fundamental constitutional values and alteration of the Constitution 47 4.1.1. The procedure of and limitations on the alteration of the Constitution 47 4.1.2. The organising and calling of referendums 56 4.2. Criminal liability for international crimes 65 4.3. Higher education 73 4.4. Social rights 78 4.4.1. The reduction of the size of the pension contributions accumulated in pension funds 78 4.4.2. The reduction of the coefficients of the positional salaries of prosecutors and some other state officials 80 4.4.3. Compensation for the losses incurred due to the reduction of old age pensions 82 4.4.4. Compensation for the losses incurred due to the disproportionate reduction of the remuneration of state servants and judges 83 4.4.5. The method of paying unemployment insurance payments 84 4.4.6. The allocation of payments from the Guarantee Fund for employees of insolvent enterprises 86 4.4.7. The right to the state annuity of the widow(er) of the President of the Republic 87 4.4.8. The funding of healthcare services 89 4.5. The independence of the Judiciary 91 4.5.1. The remuneration of judges 91 4.5.2. The disciplinary liability of judges 94 4.6. Elections 96 4.6.1. The changing of the final results of the election to the Seimas 97 4.6.2. The right of election committees to choose their name 99 4.7. The restoration of the rights of ownership 101 4.7.1. The right of heirs of former owners to restore the rights of ownership 102 4.7.2. The restoration of the rights of ownership to urban land 103 Contents 4.8. Other constitutional justice cases 104 4.8.1. The constitutional status of prosecutors 104 4.8.2. The writing of names and family names in the passports of citizens 106 4.8.3. The powers of the Minister of Finance to establish the amount of late payment interest 109 4.8.4. On the obligation to manage oil waste 110 4.8.5. The selling of state-owned land without an auction 112 4.8.6. Constitutional liability (impeachment) 113 5. THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ACTS OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT 117 5.1. Not implemented rulings of the Constitutional Court for the implementation of which the adoption of a legal act (legal acts) establishing a new legal regulation is necessary 119 5.1.1. Not implemented rulings of the Constitutional Court adopted prior to 2014 119 5.1.2. Not implemented rulings of the Constitutional Court adopted in 2014 122 5.2. Rulings of the Constitutional Court for the implementation of which the repeal of legal regulation conflicting with the Constitution is necessary 125 5.3. The argumentation presented in acts of the Constitutional Court which should be taken into consideration in the process of law-making 126 6. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION 129 6.1. Activity in international organisations 129 6.1.1. Membership in the World Conference on Constitutional Justice 129 6.1.2. Membership in the Conference of European Constitutional Courts 131 6.1.3. Cooperation with the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) 132 6.2. Cooperation with foreign constitutional courts and ties with international courts 134 6.2.1. Cooperation with the Constitutional Tribunal of the Republic of Poland 134 6.2.2. Cooperation with the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Latvia 136 6.2.3. Cooperation with the Constitutional Court of Ukraine 137 6.2.4. Ties with other constitutional courts and international courts 139 6.2.5. Participation in international conferences 140 7. THE RELATIONS OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT WITH THE PUBLIC 142 ANNEXES 146 Annex 1. PETITIONS AND INQUIRIES FILED WITH THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT 146 1.1. Petitions and inquiries filed in 2014, their admissibility and consideration 146 1.2. Subjects filing petitions and inquiries in 2014, a subject matter of these petitions and inquiries 148 1.3. Petitions and inquiries filed with the Constitutional Court in 1993–2014 149 Annex 2. THE ACTS OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT 151 2.1. The acts of the Constitutional Court adopted in 2014 151 2.2. The acts of the Constitutional Court by which the petitions were considered in substance in 1993–2014 152 2.3. The rulings of the Constitutional Court adopted in 2014 153 2.4. The Constitutional Court’s decisions requesting construction adopted in 2014 157 2.5. The conclusion presented by the Constitutional Court in 2014 163 2.6. International and EU law in the Constitutional Court’s acts adopted in 2014 163 Annex 3. PENDING CASES (31 December 2014) 168 Annex 4. NOT IMPLEMENTED RULINGS OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF WHICH THE ADOPTION OF A LEGAL ACT (LEGAL ACTS) ESTABLISHING A NEW LEGAL REGULATION IS NECESSARY 178 GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA he Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania adopted by the 25 October 1992 referendum Tstipulates that in Lithuania the constitutional control is carried out by the Constitutional Court. The activities of the Constitutional Court are regulated by the Law on the Constitutional Court passed on 3 February 1993. The Constitutional Court was formed and began its activities in 1993. In 1997, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania was admitted to Full Membership in the Conference of the European Constitutional Courts. The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania held chairmanship of the Conference of European Constitutional Courts from 2005 until 2008. 7 GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT FUNCTIONS AND POWErs he Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania ensures the supremacy of the TConstitution 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. The Constitutional Court does not perform any preliminary judicial review of laws. The Constitutional Court decides the constitutionality issues of enacted laws and other legal acts (a posteriori control). The Constitutional Court examines a case only when the entities prescribed by the Constitution address the Constitutional Court with a petition requesting for the determination of the conformity of a law or a legal act with the Constitution. The right to file a petition with the Constitutional Court concerning the constitutionality of a legal act is vested in: (1) the Government, groups consisting of at least 1/5 of all members of the Seimas, and the courts for cases concerning a law or other act adopted by the Seimas; (2) groups consisting of at least 1/5 of all members of the Seimas and the courts for cases concerning an act of the President of the Republic; and (3) groups consisting of at least 1/5 of all members of the Seimas, the courts, and the President of the Republic for cases concerning governmental acts. The Constitutional Court gives rulings on these issues. The case for a hearing of the Constitutional Court is prepared by the justice-rapporteur appointed by the President of the Court. At the beginning of Constitutional Court’s hearing the Court announces which of the summoned persons are present, informs parties to the case of their rights and duties, hears and settles requests of parties to the case. The justice-rapporteur delivers their report in which the substance of the case is presented. After this, the statements of the parties to the case are heard, the evidence is examined and court pleadings take place. The ruling must be made within one month after the end of the investigation of the case. After the Court’s hearing the Constitutional Court retires to the deliberation room to make a ruling. Rulings of the Constitutional Court are pronounced in the name of the Republic of Lithuania.