Bitė, Virginijus

Ar notarinė forma akcijų perleidimo sandoriuose visada užtikrina didesnį teisinį saugumą, ar kartais tampa pertekliniu formalumu? Šis klausimas pastaraisiais metais vis dažniau keliamas teisininkų ir verslo atstovų bendruomenėje. 2025 m. gruodžio 6 d. Lietuvos notarų rūmų rengtoje konferencijoje šiai temai skirtame pranešime prof. dr. Virginijus Bitė, Mykolo Romerio universiteto Teisės mokyklos profesorius, analizavo notarinės formos reikalavimo taikymo praktiką, atskleidė probleminių aspektų ir diskutavo dėl galimų šio instituto tobulinimo krypčių.

Straipsnyje analizuojami 2025 m. birželio 30 d. priimti Akcinių bendrovių įstatymo (toliau – ABĮ) pakeitimai, sudarantys antrąjį bendrovių teisės reformos etapą, iš esmės orientuotą į kapitalo formavimo liberalizavimą. Aptariamas išperkamųjų akcijų institutas, sprendimų dėl įstatinio kapitalo didinimo delegavimas valdymo organams, finansinės pagalbos akcijoms įsigyti reglamentavimo sušvelninimas ir akcininko teisės prieštarauti pavienių valdybos narių rinkimui panaikinimas. Straipsnyje vertinama, kaip šie pakeitimai prisideda prie bendrovių finansavimo lankstumo didinimo ir kartu lemia galios perskirstymą tarp akcininkų ir valdymo organų. Daroma išvada, kad 2025 m. ABĮ pakeitimai tęsia ankstesnių reformų kryptį, tačiau kelia naujų klausimų dėl mažumos akcininkų teisių apsaugos ribų, kurių sprendimas ateityje gali priklausyti tiek nuo teismų praktikos, tiek nuo tolesnio teisėkūros proceso.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many jurisdictions around the world embarked on a path towards the speedy digital transformation of their corporate governance regulations. Lithuania is one of the countries where electronic participation in the general meetings of shareholders was stipulated back in 2009. Based on the experience gained during the pandemic, this was substantially changed in November 2022. This development raises the question of whether these novelties will suffice, or whether the further enhancement of Lithuanian company law is required. Therefore, this article aims to study the regulation of electronic participation in corporate bodies in Lithuania in a comparative context and to suggest improvements. To achieve this goal, two EU jurisdictions were selected for comparative analysis: Estonia and Germany. In addition, two surveys were carried out among Lithuanian law firms: one in 2022 and the other in 2023. Our study shows that practitioners treat the new amendments as sufficient and effective, but some amendments regarding the identification and verification of shareholders would be welcomed.

This paper discloses the situation, specifics, tendencies, and limitations of employers’ adjustment to employee financial participation (sharing shares) in companies in Lithuania. Three main tools are analyzed: the issuance of employee shares (known since 1990); a share granting (effective since 2018); and employee stock options. The empirical part of the paper is based on interviews conducted in 2019 and repeated in 2022–2023 with expert lawyers from Lithuanian law firms, alongside a survey of Lithuanian companies. The following aspects were analyzed: employers’ knowledge of the possibilities of involving employees in company management (activities); instruments used by employers to implement employee financial participation; reasons that prevent successful employee involvement and barriers from the perspective of employees; tax-related issues; and measures that could facilitate greater employee involvement within the company. The research results show that there is a tendency that promotion via shares is becoming more popular and that business culture is slowly evolving. Employee stock options are the most used instrument, surpassing the use of statutory tools to grant shares to employees.

The advancement of digital technologies leads to more legislative initiatives in this area. The 2018 draft law in Lithuania on the introduction of a virtual registered office was prepared but has not yet been approved and it is not clear whether it will be adopted. This article takes a closer look at the reasons for this, discusses the concept of a virtual registered office and analyses the future perspectives of its introduction. For this purpose, EU law as well as the laws of two jurisdictions, Lithuania and Estonia, are studied to evaluate the proper way in which this concept might be introduced. To this end, the concept of a registered office is assessed in more detail from different angles. The article proceeds with an analysis of the main functions of a virtual registered office and how they can be achieved: connection to applicable law and jurisdiction, and communication with third parties. Based on the above, the authors devise solutions and recommendations for EU law.

For many years, paper was the main format for the registration of companies. The Digitalisation Directive, adopted in 2019, obliged European Union (EU) Member States to provide founders with the option to form private companies digitally. Although for Lithuania, where online formation of legal entities had already existed even before 2019, these regulatory developments did not bring about radical change, they forced the national legislator to introduce the required amendments. This article aims at studying the provisions of the Digitalisation Directive and the results of its implementation in Lithuania to suggest possible improvements in the online registration of companies. The laws of both EU jurisdictions (Estonia, Latvia, and Poland) and one non-EU jurisdiction (Ukraine) with experience of online registration of companies are investigated in comparison with Lithuanian law. In addition, the results of a survey Among Lithuanian law firms are presented and contribute to the analysis and interpretation of the legislation at hand. The article’s conclusions about the state of implementation of the Digitalisation Directive and the recommended steps beyond the Directive’s transposition provide for further enhancement of statutes and practices in this area.