Novikovas, Andrejus

Purpose: The study aims to examine the legality of decisions adopted by the Lithuanian Migration Department concerning the change or non-extension of residence permits issued on the basis of family reunification. The analysis focuses on whether these administrative decisions comply with fundamental legal principles – namely proportionality, comprehensiveness, legality and the protection of legitimate expectations – as developed in Lithuanian constitutional doctrine, European Union law and national administrative case law. Methodology: The research applies a qualitative legal methodology combining document analysis of national and EU legal acts regulating residence permits, systematic analysis of the jurisprudence of the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania, and comparative assessment of administrative decisions. Supplementary methods include linguistic interpretation of legal concepts, statistical review of case outcomes and generalisation to formulate overarching conclusions regarding administrative practice and judicial review. Findings: The analysis reveals that Migration Department decisions frequently lack sufficient individualisation and rely excessively on generalised conclusions of the State Security Department, without conducting a comprehensive assessment of applicants’ personal, family, social and economic circumstances. Case law demonstrates that where courts genuinely apply the principles of proportionality, comprehensiveness and legality, decisions tend to be more favourable to applicants. Conversely, formalistic or declarative references to legal principles correlate with the dismissal of complaints. The principle of legitimate expectations remains largely absent from judicial reasoning and, in some cases, is explicitly rejected as irrelevant in permit modification procedures. Value: The study contributes to administrative and migration law scholarship by systematically linking abstract legal principles with concrete judicial outcomes in family reunification cases. It highlights structural deficiencies in administrative decision-making and underscores the need for a more substantive application of legal principles to ensure effective protection of fundamental rights, legal certainty and public trust in migration governance.

Industry 5.0 frames digital and circular investment as a capital-allocation problem under risk. This study examines how a small open economy allocates limited public capital between two demands. The first is civil protection against hybrid and military threats. The second is the transition to a digital circular economy. Lithuania serves as the case. The study combines doctrinal analysis of EU and national law with documentary analysis of budgetary and program data. It assesses three hypotheses on displacement, funding composition, and the early identification of dual-benefit investment. The data combine state budget allocations for 2021–2024 with planned needs and allocations up to 2030. All figures from 2025 onward are planning commitments, not outturns. Civil protection funding rose from EUR 12.7 million in 2021 to EUR 43.0 million in 2023. It stood at EUR 39.7 million in 2024. A further EUR 284.7 million is required for 2025–2030. Circular economy measures are planned at EUR 4.27 billion against an assessed need of EUR 4.44 billion (96.0% coverage). The displacement hypothesis is not supported. On a like-for-like annual basis, the circular program remains eight to thirteen times larger. The main constraint is composition. The circular industry receives 32.8% of its assessed need and accounts for 90.8% of the program’s funding gap. The horizontal line for digitalization, research, and coordination receives only 0.3% of planned funds. The findings have three policy implications. Project appraisal should include a dual-benefit test. Civil protection procurement should apply lifecycle criteria. Digital traceability infrastructure needs dedicated funding because both circular finance and supply-chain security depend on it.

Central state administration entities implement public administration functions at the territorial level through territorial state administration entities, which constitute a distinct component of the public administration system. This level is crucial as it directly ensures the provision of administrative and public services to individuals within the administrative units of the Republic of Lithuania, thereby serving the public interest. This article aims to analyse the organisational model of territorial state administration entities and the challenges associated with their organisation. The study of the layout model (organisational structure) of territorial state administration entities begins with an analysis of its legal regulation in the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania and other legal acts. The article first investigates whether the organisational model of these entities is established in the country s main law or other laws of the Republic of Lithuania, and how detailed this model is defined in the aforementioned legal acts. Special attention is also given to the actual arrangement of territorial public administration entities within the administrative units of the Republic of Lithuania. The criteria and principles guiding these arrangements are examined, as well as the powers granted to the heads of central public administration entities to make decisions regarding the organisation of these entities. The conclusions drawn from the research are presented at the end of the article.

As a candidate for European Union (EU) membership, Ukraine is required to implement reforms in public administration, the civil service and prevention of corruption. The European Commission has acknowledged Ukraine’s progress in preventing corruption, but there is still room for improvement. Accepting gifts is one of the critical areas that can encourage corruption in the civil service. Examining the experience of EU Member States can provide valuable information to Ukrainian legislators to help them eliminate gaps in current Ukrainian laws and other legal acts. This article analyses and compares the specifics of the legal regulation of accepting gifts in the civil service in Ukraine and Lithuania. The authors compare the legal acts and case law of Ukraine and Lithuania, addressing the problem of accepting illegal gifts and establishing sanctions for such actions. The authors also analyse the challenges that both countries face in implementing their anti-corruption policies. Based on other countries’ experiences, the authors propose strategies that Ukrainian legislators could adopt to develop a more effective anti-corruption policy. The objectives of the article are to: (i) define the concepts of gifts and bribery; (ii) identify the lists of permitted and prohibited gifts in the civil service in Ukraine and Lithuania; and (iii) compare the liabilities arising from illegal gift acceptance in each country.

Resolving conflict of interest in public service is one of the key mechanisms for combating corruption. Its principles are defined in international legal documents. The United Nations (UN) Convention Against Corruption states that each State Party should strive, in accordance with the fundamental principles of its domestic law, to establish, maintain and strengthensystems that promote transparency and prevent the appearance of conflict of interest. All State Partiesshall endeavour to establish, maintainandstrengthen measures that promote transparency and prevent conflicts of interest, in accordance with the fundamental principles of their domestic law. The article raises the problem that the confusing legal regulation and the variety of situations that arise in public service result in public servants not always correctly identifyingconflictsof interest, not avoidingconflicts of public and private interests,andpersons who have ceased to work in the public service not complyingwith restrictions on work, restrictions on concluding contracts or using individual benefits,andrestrictions on representation. The aim of this article is to reveal the peculiarities of the legal regulation of conflict of interest, to analyse means of resolving conflicts of interest in the public service and restrictions for post-public servants in Ukraine and Lithuania. The authors set outa number of tasks in the article: (i) to define the concept of conflict of interest in the public service; (ii) to identify means of resolving conflictsof interest in the public service in Ukraine and Lithuania; (iii) to compare the restrictions (limitations) for post-public servants in each country. The research methods employed included: (i) comparative method, comparing the regulations on conflict of interest in each country; (ii) generalisation method, to formulate conclusions; (iii) document analysis method, focusing on the legal acts and documents of Ukraine and Lithuania; (iv) statisticalmethod, to reveal the number of investigation identifying conflictsof interest in public officials' activities.

Recently, ideas have been emerging in society and among politicians to increasingly prohibit or restrict the issuance of temporary or permanent residence permits in the Republic of Lithuania to citizens of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, to refuse to change already issued permits due to the threat posed by foreigners to national and state security. The purpose of this article is to review the specifics of changing residence permits issued on the basis of family reunification. Few issues are analysing in the article: problems of interpreting the concept of threat to state security; disproportionality of administrative effect measures applied in decisions of the Migration department; reflection of the balance of national security and other constitutional values in the decisions of the Migration department.

Straipsnyje analizuojami leidimų užsieniečiams laikinai gyventi Lietuvos Respublikoje (ne)išdavimo ypatumai ir problemos. Autorius, remdamasis nacionalinių ir tarptautinių teismų praktika, kelia problemą, ar Migracijos departamentas, priimdamas sprendimus atsisakyti išduoti leidimą užsieniečiams laikinai gyventi Lietuvos Respublikoje, atlieka išsamų visų užsieniečio individualių aplinkybių vertinimą; ar Valstybės saugumo departamento išvada dėl grėsmės valstybės saugumui gali būti vienintelis šaltinis atsisakyti išduoti užsieniečiui leidimą laikinai gyventi Lietuvos Respublikoje; ar konstatuojant užsieniečio grėsmę valstybės saugumui nesivadovaujama vien hipotetiniais, į ateitį nukreiptais teiginiais; ar įrodinėjimo našta dėl grėsmės valstybės saugumui nėra perkeliama užsieniečiui. Straipsnyje keliamas tikslas išanalizuoti atsisakymo užsieniečiui išduoti leidimą laikinai gyventi Lietuvos Respublikoje teisines prielaidas, teismų praktiką ir įvertinti institucijų veiksmų pagrįstumą atsisakant išduoti leidimą užsieniečiams laikinai gyventi Lietuvos Respublikoje. Straipsnyje keliami uždaviniai: atskleisti teismų praktiką, susijusią su grėsmių valstybės saugumui vertinimu; ištirti Migracijos departamento atliekamą užsieniečio individualių aplinkybių visumos vertinimą; išnagrinėti įrodinėjimo naštos paneigti Migracijos departamento sprendimuose nurodytas faktines aplinkybes perkėlimo užsieniečiui pagrįstumą. Atlikto tyrimo objektas yra atsisakymo užsieniečiui išduoti leidimą laikinai gyventi Lietuvos Respublikoje teisinis reguliavimas.

This scholarly investigation conducts a comparative legal analysis to identify the optimal model for state supervision of local self-government and municipal rulemaking in Ukraine, with a focus on European Union (EU) practices. The study's dual objectives are to enhance theoretical understanding of local self-governance aligned with international legal norms, and to contribute to the jurisprudential development of local governance in Ukraine, particularly in the context of European integration. Employing a methodical approach, the research juxtaposes international standards with current literature to identify effective state supervision models. This involves analyzing legal and policy frameworks at both national and EU levels, alongside case studies from diverse governance systems, to evaluate their suitability for the Ukrainian context. The findings underscore the importance of a coherent, well-defined supervision model in improving the efficacy of local governance mechanisms in Ukraine. The study emphasizes the need for a legal framework that resonates with international standards, yet is tailored to Ukraine’s unique legal and political landscape. In conclusion, the research advocates for Ukraine's adoption of an optimal state supervision model, incorporating best practices from the EU and considering domestic realities. Such a model is essential not only for advancing local governance but also for ensuring national resilience and stability amid ongoing reforms and external challenges, including economic and geopolitical pressures.

Straipsnyje analizuojama ūkio subjektų administracinė atsakomybė. Viešojo administravimo įstatyme numatyta, kad ūkio subjektai gali būti tiek fiziniai, tiek juridiniai asmenys. Viešojo administravimo įstatymo kontekste fiziniai asmenys suprantami kaip asmenys, savarankiškai (individualiai) pagal verslo liudijimą, pažymą ar leidimą vykdantys verslo veiklą. Tyrime daugiau dėmesio skiriama juridinių asmenų kaip ūkio subjektų (įmonių) administracinei atsakomybei atskleisti, taip pat siekiama atriboti įmonių kaip juridinių asmenų ir jų vadovų kaip fizinių asmenų administracinės atsakomybes ypatumus. Tuo tikslu straipsnyje siekiama nustatyti įmonių ir jų vadovų administracinės atsakomybės atribojimo kriterijus ir analizuoti teismų praktiką, atskleidžiančią šių subjektų patraukimo administracinėn atsakomybėn ypatumus. Pirmoje dalyje nustatomi įmonių ir jų vadovų patraukimo administracinėn atsakomybėn atribojimo kriterijai, tokie kaip administracinės atsakomybės teisinio pagrindo atribojimo, atsakomybėn traukiamų asmenų statuso, administracinių nusižengimų teisenos, taikomų sankcijų, sprendimų apskundimo ir kiti kriterijai. Antroje straipsnio dalyje analizuojama įmonių ar jų vadovų patraukimo administracinėn atsakomybėn teismų praktika, atskleidžiamos kylančių ginčų šioje srityje priežastys ir pateikiami ginčytinų situacijų teismų išaiškinimai.