![handle is hein.journals/wrorwolwa4 and id is 1 raw text is: *E DGRUYTER Wroclaw Revie
ofLaw, Admrinis traton & Enomics
THE STATUS OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES OMBUDSMAN
IN THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA: SELECTED
PROBLEMATIC ISSUES
INGA ZALENIENE*
DANGUOL1 GRIGOLOVICIENE**
INTRODUCTION
The common principle of equality is set forth in Article 29 of the
Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania. Implementation of this
fundamental principle is set out in detail in the norms of various fields of
law, including special legislation, which forbid discrimination on the
grounds of sex, age, sexual orientation, disability, race, ethnic origin,
religion, believes, social status and other criteria. The main acts regulating
the implementation of this principle are the Act of the Republic of Lithuania
on Equal Treatment' and the Act of the Republic of Lithuania on Equal
Opportunities for Women and Men2. These are special pieces of legislation
which implement the European Union's anti-discrimination Directives in
Lithuania. The office of Equal Opportunities Ombudsman operates in order
to supervise the process of implementing these laws. This institution is
overseen by the Lithuanian Parliament and was established in 1999 as the
Office of the Ombudsman for Equal Opportunities for Women and Men,
and following adoption of the Equal Treatment Act in 2005 it was renamed
as the Equal Opportunities Ombudsman's Office.
It is a paradox, but in the Lithuanian legal system there is no definite
attitude to the legal force of decisions by the Equal Opportunities
Ombudsman's Office, frequently the question is raised of whether these
decisions can be appealed. This is a very serious problem as the number of
discrimination cases heard in courts is growing, and judicial practice in this
field risks becoming highly inconsistent. If this situation remains
DOI: 10.1515/wrlae-2015-0001
* PhD; Professor of Institute of Constitutional and Administrative Law; Mykolas Romeris
University; izalemene~dmru
** Senior Advisor of the Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsman; da grig,lrs.lt.
1 The Law on Equal Treatment of Republic of Lithuania [2003] OJ 114-5115.
2 The Law on Equal Opportunities of Women and Men of Republic of Lithuania [1998] OJ
112-3100.
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