NEWS

On 28 October, the Law Institute of the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences (LCSS) celebrated the 35th anniversary of its establishment! To mark this special occasion, legal scholars, experts and friends of the Institute were invited to a conference entitled “Law and (In)Vulnerability: Between Standards, Reality and Visions for the Future.” The event, held in the Conference Hall of the Ministry of Justice, was opened by Martynas Dobrovolskis, Vice-Minister of Justice of the Republic of Lithuania. Congratulatory addresses were delivered by Prof. Dr Milda Ališauskienė, Director of the LCSS, and Assoc. Prof. Dr Dovilė Pūraitė-Andrikienė, Head of the LCSS Law Institute. In recognition of long-standing cooperation and productive partnerships, representatives of the Law Institute presented certificates of appreciation to their longstanding social partners: the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport of the Republic of Lithuania, the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Lithuania, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania, the Faculty of Law of Vilnius University, the Supreme Court of Lithuania, the Seimas Committee on Legal Affairs and Law Enforcement, the Faculty of Law of Vytautas Magnus University, the Lithuanian Prison Service, and the Faculty of Philosophy of Vilnius University. Special tributes were also paid to individuals whose contributions to the Institute's history and community life have been particularly significant. Dr Algimantas Čepas, former Head of the Institute, was honoured for his longstanding dedication to nurturing the identity of the Law Institute, while Nijolė Mažylienė, the Institute's administrator since its establishment, was recognised for her many years of fostering its spirit of community and togetherness.

The conference explored topics reflecting contemporary trends and challenges in the development of law.

Session 1: “Vulnerability in Law: Concepts, Diversity of Groups and Protection Models” The first session featured three presentations examining the situation of and protection afforded to three vulnerable groups. Dr E. Žiobienė discussed the essence and significance of children's rights and the changes in the child protection system over recent decades. Dr E. Leonaitė presented possible approaches to protecting women from systemic violence, while Dr R. Vaičiūnienė analysed issues relating to the social reintegration of persons serving custodial sentences.

Session 2: “The ‘Untouchable’? The Limits of Criminal Sanctions” The second session focused on analysing the limits of criminal justice and its capacity to address various forms of wrongdoing. In his presentation, Dr D. Pranka examined a proposal currently under consideration in the Seimas to criminalise and control even very minor thefts. He shared his insights into the legal paradoxes that could arise if the proposed amendments to the Criminal Code were adopted. Dr S. Bikelis reviewed Lithuania's progress in the confiscation of criminal assets, while also drawing attention to certain anomalies in the application of liability for illicit enrichment that are inconsistent with the principle of proportionality as interpreted by the European Court of Human Rights. An expert discussion on accountability gaps concerning political parties and politicians explored how certain criminal proceedings in Lithuania had contributed to improvements in the legal system. Participants also discussed current problems relating to the scope of parliamentary and political immunity, inconsistencies between the Criminal Code and the Electoral Code, and a combination of legal provisions that can allow a municipal mayor who has given a substantial bribe to continue their political career virtually unhindered. 

Session 3: “Equal Opportunities and Non-Discrimination Issues” The third session was devoted to the postdoctoral research project conducted by Dr R. Bublienė at the LCSS Law Institute, entitled “Multiple Discrimination and Labour Income: A Comparative Analysis of Legal Regulations in European Countries” (MEDALIC). The session marked the concluding part of the project, which was funded by the Research Council of Lithuania. Dr R. Bublienė discussed the impact of multiple and intersectional discrimination on employment opportunities and income; Dr A. Burinskas addressed issues relating to women's economic freedom; Dr I. Povilaitienė examined the challenges and prospects of transposing and implementing the Pay Transparency Directive; and Dr G. Taminskaitė-Kočiūnė explored the balance between family and work. 

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all the speakers, to the participants in the discussions held after each session, and to the LSMC Law Institute researchers who expertly moderated the sessions and discussions – Dr M. Lankauskas, Dr S. Bikelis and Dr R. Bublienė.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating this important anniversary and who contributes to the work of the LSMC Law Institute and the advancement of legal scholarship!

In October, Dr Raimonda Bublienė, a research fellow at the Law Institute of the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences, appeared on two programmes to discuss the digital divide in the labour market and the discrimination arising from it.

She noted that technology is becoming an increasingly important part of everyday professional life. It is therefore essential to assess not only whether people have access to technology, but also whether they can use it effectively. Employees need to engage in continuous learning and update their knowledge, while employers must provide opportunities for professional development. Lifelong learning is becoming not only an opportunity for personal growth but also a key condition for remaining active in the labour market.

During the interviews, Dr Bublienė also presented her research, which analysed ten years of statistical data from 27 European Union Member States. The study used non-use of email as an indicator of the digital divide and examined its associations with unemployment and employment across different age and gender groups. The researcher emphasised that the findings demonstrate a statistical association but do not prove that not using email directly causes unemployment.

You can listen to Dr R. Bublienė’s interview on the Vilniaus ritmu programme (Vilnius FM radio) here

You can watch and listen the interview on the Labas rytas, Lietuva programme (LRT TV) here

A new research article by Dr Dovilė Pūraitė-Andrikienė of the Law Institute of the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences (LSMC), entitled “Constitutional Supremacy without Conflict: Lithuania’s Constitutional Court and EU Law”, has been published in the international open-access journal “Access to Justice in Eastern Europe”.

The relationship between the supremacy of national constitutions and the primacy of EU law remains a central challenge of European constitutionalism. In some European countries, this relationship has generated significant constitutional tensions. But is conflict inevitable? The article examines the Lithuanian Constitutional Court’s approach to EU law since Lithuania joined the EU in 2004. It focuses on the constitutional doctrine governing the relationship between the Constitution and EU law, the Court’s two preliminary references to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), and the growing importance of EU law and CJEU case law in constitutional interpretation. The article argues that Lithuania offers a distinctive model of constitutional accommodation, demonstrating that constitutional supremacy and EU law primacy can coexist through judicial dialogue and cooperation rather than confrontation. The article also considers critical assessments of this model, including questions about the limits of judicial dialogue, the Constitutional Court’s role, and potential tensions between constitutional supremacy and the primacy of EU law.

The full open-access article is available here: https://ajee-journal.com/constitutional-supremacy-without-conflict-lithuania-s-constitutional-court-and-eu-law

Could digital exclusion be associated with labour market inequality? An analysis of data from 27 European Union Member States for 2016–2025 found that, among people aged 25–54, higher rates of email non-use were associated with both higher unemployment and lower employment. However, this association became considerably less clear when alternative statistical models were applied.

Lithuanian researchers examined this relationship in the context of intersectional discrimination. The study’s lead researcher, Dr Raimonda Bublienė, a researcher at the Institute of Law at the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences, points out that as job searching and communication with employers become increasingly digitalised, it is important to consider not only access to technology but also whether non-use of digital tools creates additional barriers.

“Email non-use does not, in itself, tell us whether a person lacks digital skills, nor does it explain why they are unemployed. However, the observed association between email non-use and unemployment among people aged 25–54 raises the question of whether everyone retains equal opportunities to participate in the labour market as it becomes increasingly digitalised. If digital tools become a standard channel for job searching and communicating with employers, we need to pay closer attention to the barriers that may arise as a result,” says Dr Raimonda Bublienė, the study’s lead researcher and a researcher at the Institute of Law at the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences.

Different Age Groups, Different Results

According to the study, a 10-percentage-point increase in the email non-use rate was associated with an average increase of 1.09 percentage points in the unemployment rate among men aged 25–54 and 1.39 percentage points among women in the same age group. This is a statistical association, but it does not, in itself, mean that email non-use causes unemployment.

A similar pattern was observed for employment. In the same age group, a 10-percentage-point increase in the email non-use rate was associated with an average decrease of 1.38 percentage points in the employment rate among men and 1.09 percentage points among women.

Among men and women aged 55–74, the estimated relationships followed a similar direction, but the evidence was insufficient to draw reliable conclusions about unemployment or employment.

When country-specific long-term trends were included in the statistical model, the association between email non-use and unemployment almost disappeared among men aged 25–54. Among women in the same age group, higher email non-use was associated with higher unemployment in the initial model, but the association became negative when the model was changed, indicating the opposite direction. These changes show that the results depend on the statistical model selected and do not support the conclusion that email non-use causes higher unemployment.

What Do These Figures Actually Show?

The study examined the proportion of the population that does not use the internet to send or receive emails. However, email non-use does not, in itself, indicate whether a person lacks digital skills, prefers other means of communication, or faces barriers to internet access.

It is also important to note that the analysis used aggregated data from 27 EU Member States rather than individual experiences. The study identifies statistical associations but does not establish causality. For example, email non-use rates in later years were also statistically associated with unemployment in earlier years. This makes it difficult to reliably determine the direction of the relationship between these factors or to rule out other possible explanations.

Thus, the findings raise the question of whether digital exclusion may be associated with labour market inequality, but this study alone cannot establish how or why such an association arises.

Intersectional Discrimination in the Digital Age

Intersectional discrimination refers to situations in which a person’s position is affected by multiple, intersecting grounds of discrimination, such as sex and age or sex and disability. Examining each factor separately may leave some forms of inequality unnoticed.

This issue is also important in European Union law. The Pay Transparency Directive recognises that sex-based discrimination may intersect with discrimination on other grounds, such as age, disability, religion or ethnic origin.

The issue is also relevant to Lithuania’s legal framework. A new version of the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on Equal Opportunities will enter into force in 2027, transposing into national law the provisions of the Pay Transparency Directive and the Directive on standards for equality bodies in the field of equal treatment and equal opportunities for women and men in matters of employment and occupation. Notably, the revised law will, for the first time, establish and define the concepts of “multiple discrimination”, “intersectional discrimination” and “discrimination by association”.

The study raises an important question for Lithuania and other EU Member States: could differences in digital communication be associated with unequal opportunities to obtain employment? Answering this question would require more detailed data on people’s digital skills, job-search experiences and employers’ decisions. Such data would help identify the barriers faced by people who do not use conventional digital communication tools and determine how these barriers affect different groups’ opportunities in the labour market.

The findings have been published in the peer-reviewed international journal Social Sciences in an article entitled „Intersectional Discrimination in Employment in the Digital Age: Sex, Age, Email Non-Use and Unemployment in the EU“. The authors are Raimonda Bublienė, Ingrida Mačernytė Panomariovienė and Aurelija Burinskienė.

The research was conducted as part of the MEDALIC project (“Multiple Discrimination and Labour Income: A Comparative Analysis of Legal Regulations in European Countries”), funded by the Research Council of Lithuania (agreement No. S-PD-24-155).

Read the article: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/15/9/638.

Prepared by Dr Raimonda Bublienė,
Research Fellow at the Institute of Law, Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences.
Media enquiries: raimonda.bubliene@lcss.lt | +370 5 210 1672

The 26th Annual Conference of the European Society of Criminology, EUROCRIM 2026, took place at the University of Warsaw, Poland, on 9–12 September. One of the largest and most important annual events in European criminology, this year’s conference brought together 1,740 researchers and practitioners in the field from Europe and around the world. The theme of this year’s conference was “Frontiers of Criminology”.

On September 29, the Lithuania Prison Service hosted the final seminar “Social Relations in Prison: Practices and Opportunities” of the project “Strengthening social relations in prisons: interplay and synergy between prisoners’ needs, effective measures and their implementation” (NARYS), implemented by the Law Institute of the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences. The event was dedicated to commemorating Social Workers' Day.

On 30 September 2026, at the “Grand Hotel Vilnius”, the Lithuanian Ministry of Social Security and Labour hosted the conference „Ilgaamžiškumo era: kuriame sistemas ilgesniam ir kokybiškam gyvenimui“ (eng. The Era of Longevity: Building Systems for Longer and Better-Quality Lives), dedicated to the International Day of Older Persons. Dr. Sarmitė Mikulionienė, a sociologist at the Institute of Sociology of the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences (LCSS), who is involved in the VAM research project implemented by the LCSS Institute of Law, delivered a presentation entitled „Kaip kurti lanksčią, amžiui ir lytims jautrią darbo rinką ilgaamžiškumo eroje? Darbinio gyvenimo ilginimo prielaidos“ (eng. How to Build a Flexible, Age- and Gender-Sensitive Labour Market in the Era of Longevity? Preconditions for Extending Working Life).
Drawing on K. Nilsson’s (2024) theoretical model of Sustainable Working Life for All Ages – SwAge and SHARE data (N=2,745) on workers aged 55 and over in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, analysed using CHAID algorithms, the researcher emphasised that mechanically raising the statutory retirement age no longer ensures sustainable labour market participation in later life.
The study revealed a substantial impact of the legal regulatory framework. Estonia’s “soft” model, which allows greater flexibility in combining pension benefits with employment income, results in only 16% of working women and 18% of working men aged 55 and over wanting to leave the labour market as soon as possible. In contrast, Lithuania’s “strict” model is associated with widespread employee fatigue: as many as 83% of working women and 86% of working men in this age group wish to retire at the first available opportunity.
To create favourable conditions for longer working lives, the researcher proposes introducing greater legal flexibility, allowing employees to choose combinations of employment and pension benefits that best suit their individual circumstances. She also emphasises the need to strengthen occupational health monitoring and disease prevention, as well as improve workplace ergonomics.
At the same time, workplaces should adopt gender-sensitive standards that promote greater autonomy in performing work tasks and non-discrimination, while strengthening employees’ social inclusion and emotional well-being. Particular attention and resources should be devoted to improving working conditions and opportunities for skills development among workers with lower levels of education, as they are particularly vulnerable in terms of maintaining long-term employment.
Such adaptations of social institutions can help transform longevity into a source of societal strength.

On September 17–19, Dr Rūta Vaičiūnienė, Chief Researcher, and Goda Dainauskaitė, Junior Researcher at the Law Institute of the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences (LCSS), participated in the 6th Annual International Conference "Punishment in Global Peripheries", held this year in Astana, Kazakhstan. This Central Asian country was not chosen for the conference by accident—the area around Astana was an important site of Soviet convict settler colonialism, and Kazakhstan today is a country experiencing dynamic processes of penal change. This year, Nazarbayev University (Kazakhstan) joined the conference organisers—the University of Oxford (UK), the National University of the Littoral (Argentina), the University of A Coruña (Spain), and the University of Sheffield (UK) - as a co-host.

R. Vaičiūnienė and G. Dainauskaitė delivered a presentation titled "Penal Modernity at the European Periphery: Glocal Prison Governance in Lithuania." The researchers highlighted that Lithuanian prisons remain a site where European penal norms continue to encounter the enduring legacy of Soviet punishment practices. Decades of reform have introduced Western managerial elements, yet Soviet-era practices have not disappeared. Rather than displacing one another, both coexist, producing a distinctively glocal form of prison governance. Here, global and European penal models are reinterpreted and fused with locally entrenched institutional logics and informal power arrangements. The presenters' research reveals that this situation should be understood not merely as hybridisation, but as the active encounter between global penal models and local institutional realities.