Services - Lithuania

To transpose the provisions of the Services Directive into national legislation, the following law was passed:

• Law of the Republic of Lithuania on Services, which came into force on 28 December 2009

The purpose of the Law on Services - to establish the principles and measures to ensure effective implementation of the freedom of establishment, the freedom to provide services and the economic freedom of service provision, herewith creates preconditions to ensure the high quality of services, as well as to regulate the establishment of the point of single contact and its main functions, the administrative co-operation of the competent authorities of the Republic of Lithuania with the competent authorities of the Member States and the European Commission in the area of services provision.

On 28 December 2009 a Product and Services Contact Point was launched in Lithuania with portal

• Business Getaway,

where service providers from Lithuania and other Member States can find the relevant to service providers legal and practical information about the requirements to be met in order to obtain the appropriate permits, licenses, entitling them to provide services in Lithuania, as well as the contact details of competent authorities. Service providers from Lithuania and other Member States, who wish to engage in licensed activities in Lithuania, may, through the Product and Services Contact Point, to submit electronically applications and other documents, as well as to obtain permits from the relevant competent authorities. The portal also provides information on

• Points of Single Contact in other Member States,

where Lithuanian service providers are provided with the necessary information about the opportunities to provide services in the relevant Member State using a one stop shop principle and where it is possible to perform the procedures and formalities related to acquisition of the right to provide services or to implementation of the services provision, by electronic means.

Different ways of providing services

Setting up a services business

The formation of a legal entity is regulated by the Civil Code, the laws regulating different legal forms of legal entities, and the Rules of the Register of Legal Entities.

A legal entity is considered to be formed from its registration in the Register of Legal Entities.

• Information about the registration of respective legal forms of legal entities
• Ministry of Economy - company law
• State Tax Inspectorate - information for those starting a business
• Registering as a taxpayer
• Individual activities

Rights of service recipients

The following organisations protect consumer rights:

• State Consumer Rights Protection Authority
• European Consumer Centre

Labour market

The Labour Code is the main legal act in Lithuania regulating labour relations.

• Labour Code
• Other legal acts
• Employee social insurance
• Employee health insurance

Regardless of the law applicable to an employment contract or employment relations, certain provisions of legal acts of the state to the territory of which an employee is being temporarily posted must be applied to the posted employee.

• Law on Guarantees for Posted Workers

The regulations for regulated professions are provided in:

• Law on the Recognition of Regulated Professional Qualifications
• Information about professions that are regulated in Lithuania

Complaints

A consumer who received a service of bad quality must first appeal to the provider of the service indicating their demand.

If the provider of the service does not comply with the demand of the consumer regarding unsafe services and/or services of unsuitable quality, the consumer has the right to appeal to the following bodies concerning the quality of the services:

• State Consumer Rights Protection Authority
• State Non-Food Products Inspectorate
• State Food and Veterinary Service
• State Public Health Service
• State Energy Inspectorate
• Insurance Supervisory Commission
• Communications Regulatory Authority

Other Institutions

• What should you do if you receive services of bad quality?