NEWS

Last year, the court system faced challenges of different nature that were important for the entire judiciary. Steadily increasing caseloads, shortages of human resources and funding, as well as significant one-off incidents affecting court security had an impact on the day-to-day functioning of the courts.

“The Lithuanian courts maintain a high quality of work and are able to adapt to changing conditions. However, to ensure the long-term stability of the system, consistent solutions are needed to guarantee the safety of courts and their participants, strengthen judicial teams, reinforce financial independence, improve the quality of processes and services, and foster open dialogue with society,” said the Chairperson of the Judicial Council, Dr Danguolė Bublienė.

The Chairperson noted that one of the most important achievements of the past year was the development of a physical and psychological security model, defining the necessary protection measures in courts and the principles for ensuring staff well-being. Clearer criteria for workload assessment and a more balanced distribution of cases have significantly contributed to improving judges’ working conditions.

According to the Chairperson, although the number of judges has remained relatively stable in recent years, it is necessary to further enhance the attractiveness of the judicial profession, strengthen judicial teams, and ensure adequate remuneration.

The efficiency of court activities remained high: in 2025, 1.3% more cases were resolved than in 2024, even though the number of incoming cases remained almost unchanged. Only 4.3% of decisions were appealed, and just 1.3% were modified or overturned, indicating consistently high quality of decisions and effective court performance.

Digitalisation remains one of the key indicators of progress—93% of civil and administrative cases were handled electronically. This helps accelerate proceedings and increases accessibility of services to the public.

An important part of strengthening the system is consistent cooperation with state institutions. Regular meetings of the Judicial Council with the President, the Government, the Seimas, and the Ministry of Justice enable coordinated decisions that reinforce judicial independence and authority. Considerable attention is also given to informing the public. Through the implementation of an external communication strategy, efforts are made to increase transparency, clearly present court activities, and highlight their importance in public life.

The Chairperson of the Judicial Council emphasized that court funding remains a critical priority, particularly the involvement of Judicial Council members in the strategic planning of the state budget, aiming to create a sustainable court budgeting model that ensures adequate funding for Lithuanian courts. In 2024, court funding amounted to 0.18% of GDP; according to the state budget plan, it will decrease to 0.15% in 2027 and drop further to 0.14% in 2028. The 2025 EU Justice Scoreboard by the European Commission confirms that Lithuania ranks second from the bottom in the EU in terms of court funding per capita. This highlights the need for strategic decisions at the national level.

The 2025 Activity Report of the Courts is available here.