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EACEA National Policies Platform
Lithuania

Lithuania

2. Voluntary Activities

2.10 Current debates and reforms

Last update: 24 January 2025
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  1. Ongoing debates
  2. Forthcoming policy developments

Ongoing debates

The Seimas declared 2022 as the Year of Volunteering, which aimed not only to mark the decade of legalization of volunteering in Lithuania, but also to draw attention to the importance of public involvement in voluntary activities and the contribution of volunteers in contributing to the control of the consequences of Covid-19, the reception of war refugees from Ukraine, and the employment of their children and etc. In addition, 2022 was also declared the Year of Youth, and at the end of 2022, for the first time in Lithuania, Marijampole city was declared the Lithuanian Youth Capital of 2023, where considerable attention will be paid to youth volunteering issues:  will be held training for mentors, discussions on volunteering issues, youth volunteer awards, etc.

Kretinga city was declared the Lithuanian Youth Capital of 2025. Jonas Laniauskas, director of the Agency of Youth Affairs, which is responsible for the implementation of youth policy in Lithuania, says that the idea of ​​a youth capital was born in Klaipėda, when the port city became the European Youth Capital in 2021. “We noticed how significantly such a title can strengthen the voice of youth and encourage the municipality to solve current problems. We wanted this not to be a one-off initiative. Therefore, the Youth Affairs Agency decided to announce a competition for funding Lithuanian Youth Capital projects every two years,” recalls J. Laniauskas (source). 

Forthcoming policy developments 

At the end of 2024, the Ministry of Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania announced that the National Collective Agreement will be applied to even more employees, according to which additional paid leave for self-education or volunteering will be provided. According to the Labour Code, employees are not paid for self-education days, unless otherwise agreed in collective agreements or by agreement of the parties. The National Collective Agreement establishes that trade union members will be able to take 2 working days of longer leave for self-education or volunteering every year, while the agreement is in force, and they are paid for. The additional leave must be used by the end of 2025. If the additional days are not used during this period, they cannot be accumulated. However, when an employee leaves work or is dismissed on the grounds established by law, unused leave must be compensated in proportion to the period worked in that year.