Springer, one of the world's most renowned academic publishers, has recently published a book entitled "The Crossroads of Competition Law and Energy Regulation" by Laura Rimšaitė, a researcher at the Law Institute of the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences. In this work, which has been carefully developed over several years, the author seeks to find a balance between promoting competitive energy markets and ensuring effective regulation.

The publication addresses the challenges of balancing a competitive market with regulatory objectives such as ensuring reliability, fairness and sustainability. These important areas are reconciled when the objectives of promoting fair competition and ensuring a reliable and sustainable energy supply coincide. "As the world moves towards cleaner energy solutions and technological advances, the balance between competition and regulation is vital to ensure a future of fair and resilient energy", emphasised Dr. L. Rimšaitė, while presenting her book.

The book also provides a comprehensive analysis of market dominance in the energy sector. This concentration of power often limits competition, reduces consumer choice and stagnates progress and innovation. "The twofold objective of tackling market dominance and promoting energy security is a major challenge", says the author. Drawing on a range of countries' case studies, national and international regulations and their analysis, she provides valuable insights into how a regulatory framework that promotes fair competition can help achieve long-term energy policy goals.

Rimšaitė, L. (2024). The Crossroads of Competition Law and Energy Regulation. Springer Cham. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-73238-6

The book is available in English here – https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-73238-6

One of Europe’s most famous academic blogs, Verfassungsblog, has published an article titled “AI in Ukraine’s Judiciary”, written by Dr Agnė Limantė, a researcher at the Law Institute of the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences, and Yuliia Moskvytyn, an intern in Institute via the UPinLT programme, that funds internships for foreign students in Lithuania. The publication examines the steps taken by the Ukrainian state to introduce AI technologies in the Ukrainian judiciary, despite the challenges posed by the ongoing war waged by Russia.

The article discusses the period from the 2014 initiative to reform the justice system to the 2018 phase of digitisation in the courts, the publication presents the technologies used and the initiatives proposed, and discusses policy and legal documents.

The large-scale war in Ukraine since 2022 has created many challenges for the functioning of the state and temporarily slowed down the development of AI technologies, but at the same time, the difficult times have spurred modernisation, especially in the public sector. One example of this is the integration of modern technologies and AI tools into the judicial system.

The authors note that in September 2024, the Code of Judicial Ethics in Ukraine was amended to allow judges to use artificial intelligence technologies in their professional activities “provided that it does not affect the judge’s independence and impartiality, does not influence the evaluation of evidence and the decision-making process, and does not violate the requirements of the law”. These amendments suggest that the use of artificial intelligence in Ukrainian courts is likely to increase.

Read more about the integration of AI in the Ukrainian judiciary, the opportunities and challenges here: https://verfassungsblog.de/ai-ukraine-judiciary/