Communicate changes on legislation or public policy decisions in simple language (LT0037)

Develop co-creation practices across the public sector by establishing a network for sharing good practices and fostering partnerships among different social groups

June 2026 - June 2028

Brief description of the Action
This action aims to develop public-engagement and co-creation practices in the public sector by establishing a good-practice network and testing various formats for public engagement and cooperation throughout Lithuania.

Main implementing entity/institution
The Office of the Government, the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of the Interior

Stakeholders
• Public-sector institutions: ministries and bodies subordinate to ministries
• Representatives of civil society: NGOs, experts, and researchers in the field of open government and public engagement
• Other stakeholders: The Seimas Chancellery, municipal administrations

Problem Definition
Main problem addressed
The challenge addressed by this action is the insufficient and uneven public engagement in decision-making processes due to a lack of information and skills, as well as the inevitable complexity of the issues addressed.

Although public engagement in decision-making is becoming standard practice, this process is not always smooth - stakeholders report various barriers to participation, while civil servants encounter public passivity. The Law on Local Self-Government and other laws establish the obligation of municipalities to create conditions that allow local residents to participate in the management of municipal affairs. Other laws establish the obligation to inform residents about decisions made by municipalities and to conduct consultations on proposed decisions if these may affect residents' interests (for example, changes to the boundaries of residential areas affect the asset management interests of residents in the relevant area, therefore, consultations with them regarding the establishment and abolition of residential areas, the assignment and change of their names, as well as the establishment and modification of their territorial boundaries, must be conducted in a manner that includes all interested groups of residents).

Nevertheless, civic participation in Lithuania remains low and uneven, especially at the local level. According to the Ministry of the Interior, in 2024, 42% of residents participated in addressing public affairs in their locality. Of these, only 10% expressed their views in a residents' survey or public hearing, 8% contacted their local community representative on community matters, 5% expressed their views in person to representatives of the municipality or ward, and 4% did so through civic-initiative portals.

In a survey commissioned by the Office of the Government, two thirds of respondents (69.7%) stated that they had never participated in deciding matters of importance to the state or society. One third of the public has participated in addressing such matters at least once. These participants are predominantly middle-aged residents with higher education and average or above-average incomes, while socially vulnerable groups remain on the sidelines.

Main causes of the problem
Lack of trust in government institutions. This is one of the most significant factors limiting citizen engagement. Although levels of trust in Lithuanian institutions vary, residents often perceive decision-making as a closed process and the activities of these institutions as lacking sufficient transparency.

According to data from sociological surveys conducted in 2025, public trust in most of the country's institutions is declining, particularly in the Seimas (56.7% of the population does not trust it) and the Government (46.5% of the population does not trust it). In addition, nearly half of the public considers decision-making to be closed - 22% of residents believe that decision-making in Lithuania is closed, while 20% believe it is completely closed. According to a 2025 survey commissioned by the Office of the Government, the main factors limiting citizens' participation in decision-making are a lack of information (38.9%), a lack of knowledge about how to participate (24.4%), and disbelief that participation can have a real impact on decisions (34.6%).

Only 6.3% of respondents say they are not interested in decision-making, so citizens are not apathetic and, if the conditions were right, would participate in decision-making.

Thus, mistrust stems not only from negative past experiences (such as not receiving a response or having suggestions ignored), but also from the fact that the public does not see that participation has a real impact.

Shortcomings in public engagement in law-making. Although the mechanisms for lawmaking and public consultation are regulated in Lithuania, the quality of implementation is lacking, and public participation still does not take place in the early stages of the legislative process. It is anticipated that public consultations should begin as early as the impact assessment stage of the proposed legislation, when efforts are made to define the problem to be addressed, its causes, and to compare possible alternatives for a solution. However, this is a practice that is rarely followed.

During the public consultation on the Open Government Plan, many participants pointed to recurring problems. Although public consultation is regulated, implementation quality is lacking: too little time is allowed for engagement processes, and consultation takes place at later stages of law-making, when draft legislation has already been prepared and it is difficult to change the fundamental principles and provisions of the planned decision. This was also noted during the preparation of the previous Open Government Plan.

Lack of transparency and feedback. When public consultations and other participatory initiatives are organised, the public often does not know how the proposals submitted were evaluated, and there is a lack of information about opportunities to participate in decision-making.

Among the shortcomings cited by the stakeholders, it was also noted that there is a lack of trust in institutions due to previous negative experiences (e.g., failure to receive responses to inquiries and proposals), which is why they no longer participate in the processes.

Another frequently cited issue is the uneven representation of organisations, influencers, and lobbyists in the decision-making process; Stakeholders argue that it is more difficult for smaller organisations to participate due to a lack of time and unequal access to policymakers.

Description of the Action
Efforts have been made to address the problem for some time, including under the most recent 2024-2025 Open Government Plan. It provides for two related actions:
- Streamline law-making for decisions taken at institutional and Government level and establish a common law-making monitoring system (Responsible entity: the Ministry of Justice and the Office of the Government).
- Create the conditions for and ensure the development of the co-creation process (responsible entity: the Office of the Government).

In implementing these actions, regulatory amendments were made to law-making processes in ministries and methodological recommendations were issued to support high-quality implementation in practice. In order to develop co-creation practices, the public consultation methodology has been updated and expanded, and supplemented with additional phases of public engagement (empowerment, consultation, collaboration, and empowerment), and a public engagement training platform called 'Learning Openness' was created. A database of good public-engagement practices is being developed on the portal. In order to further inform public sector employees about opportunities for public engagement, a training series for civil servants titled "Democracy Code" was organised in 2025, with the goal of raising awareness of the benefits of civic engagement and improving practical knowledge of civic engagement. In 2024-2025, four pilot co-creation and public consultation initiatives were organised. More information about the previously implemented Open Government Plan can be found here.

In addition to the actions listed in the Open Government Plan for 2024-2025, from 2023 to 2025 the Ministry of the Interior organised events aimed at increasing community involvement and encouraging communities to participate more actively in decision-making, as well as to raise awareness about the role of the seniūnaitis (a ward representative elected by the municipality's residents). The Ministry regularly provides guidance to municipalities that request assistance in organising public consultations regarding the establishment and abolition of residential areas, the assignment and change of their names, and on establishing and modifying the boundaries of their territories.

The problem has therefore been addressed for some time, but it requires changes in culture and behaviour that can be achieved only through sustained attention. It is therefore useful to continue developing actions that strengthen the capacity to engage the public in decision-making in the public sector at central and local-government level.

Planned solution to the problem / action
To address the problem, activities will continue to improve public-sector employees' knowledge and capacity to engage the public and to build a community committed to change in this field. Building such a community will contribute to the sustainability of change and create a space for sharing good practices and knowledge.

This action will continue the transition towards more inclusive methods, going beyond access to information and public consultation to promote deeper forms of cooperation.

Since the Working Group identified climate change as a priority topic in the Plan, the implementation of this action will also focus on involving the public in addressing climate change and environmental protection issues. Another important theme highlighted by the Working Group and during public consultations is the need to engage socially vulnerable groups, including young people, older people and people experiencing poverty.

Thus, the solutions to these problems include activities aimed at:
1. Strengthening the public sector's capacity for cooperation and public consultation at both central and local-government level.
2. Bringing together a community of public-engagement and co-creation practitioners.

The following specific actions are planned:
1. An annual large-scale forum will be organised to share good co-creation practices and identify new opportunities for public engagement.
2. Co-creation initiatives will be organised in the regions.
3. A public-engagement training series will be delivered.
4. A Climate Week will be organised, with a focus on public engagement in climate-change issues.
5. Consultations will be organised for representatives of municipal administrations and municipal community-organisation councils, providing information on how to improve local residents' engagement in the management of municipal affairs and sharing good municipal practices.

This action will promote the development of good engagement practices at central and local-government level. Implementation period: until June 2028. Expected outputs:
• a co-creation forum held
• two co-creation initiatives held in the regions
• a public-engagement training series delivered
• a Climate Week held
• two consultations held for representatives of municipal administrations and municipal community-organisation councils

Expected results
The Open Government Division of the Government Communications Department within the Office of the Government will monitor public engagement efforts carried out by ministries. During monitoring, the impact of the action will be assessed based on the following aspects:
- Public sector employees are more likely to use various methods and practices for public engagement at different stages of the decision-making process.
- There is increasing public involvement in the early stages of decision-making (defining the problem and considering alternatives).
- The quality and consistency of public engagement processes are improving.
• Engagement processes become more accessible to different groups in society.

Relevance of the Action to Advancing Openness
How will this action contribute to increasing transparency, promoting accountability, and fostering public participation in decision-making?
The action aims to improve the substance and effectiveness of public-engagement processes organised by public-sector employees, including representatives of municipal administrations, shifting the focus from formal implementation to meaningful results.
It is also expected that, following the training, municipalities will make more consistent efforts to ensure the accessibility and diversity of information, taking into account the specific characteristics of different population groups (age, field of employment, social and cultural needs). This will create more favourable conditions for various groups of residents to participate in decision-making processes.

Action Implementation Plan

Milestones Table (clean format):

| Milestones | Expected Outputs | Implementation Deadline | Stakeholders |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Organise a forum on public-engagement practices | Forum activities | Q2 2028 | Responsible entity - Office of the Government; Stakeholders: ministries and other public sector organisations, municipal administrations, the Association of Local Authorities in Lithuania, and NGOs |

| Organise co-creation initiatives in the regions | Completed two initiatives | Q2 2028 | Responsible entity - Office of the Government; Stakeholders: ministries and other public sector organisations, municipal administrations |

| Organise a public-engagement training series | Completed training sessions | Q2 2028 | Responsible entity - Office of the Government; Stakeholders: ministries and other public sector organisations, municipal administrations |

| Organise Climate Week | Climate Week activities | Q4 2026 | Responsible entity - Ministry of the Environment; Stakeholders: ministries and other public sector organisations, municipal administrations, NGOs |

| Organise consultations for representatives of municipal administrations and municipal community-organisation councils | Two consultations | Q2 2028 | Responsible entity - Ministry of the Interior; Stakeholders - municipal administrations |

Contact Information
Given name and surname, position, email address and telephone number of the responsible person:
Ieva Kimontaitė-Astrauskienė, Advisor to the Open Government Division of the Government Communications Department at the Office of the Government, [email protected], +370 664 65 831
Justina Maslinskaitė, Senior Advisor in the Strategic Communications Division of the Ministry of the Environment, [email protected], +370 615 75 980
Alma Bulkevičienė, Head of the Public Administration and Local Self-Government Policy Group at the Ministry of the Interior, [email protected], +370 5 271 7105
Dagnė Padegimė, Advisor to the Public Administration and Local Self-Government Policy Group at the Ministry of the Interior, [email protected], +370 5 271 8839

Which civil society organisations, private sector representatives or other stakeholders do you plan to involve in the implementation of this commitment?
Various stakeholders will be involved in the implementation of the Plan: NGOs, experts in open government and/or open public sector, municipal community-organisation councils, the Association of Local Authorities in Lithuania, public-sector employees