On 8 November, the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania enacted the amendment of the Law on Equal Treatment that introduces the highest standards of independence for the equality body in Lithuania. Amendments were initiated by the Office of Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson and will come into force from 1 January 2017.
From 2017, the full name of the position will be the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson of the Republic of Lithuania. The main changes include competence requirement for the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson and clearly regulated hitherto unregulated Ombudsperson’s impartiality and independence.