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The Eastern Europe Studies Centre is a non-governmental, non-profit organization aiming to build civil society and promote democracy in Eastern Europe by monitoring and researching political, economic, and social developments in the region, and by developing qualitative analyses of them. EESC organizes conferences, seminars, and round-table discussions regarding issues relevant to civil society and democracy; it trains people in areas relevant to its mission; and it also offers consultations and recommendations to individuals and organizations cooperating with Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, and EESC specializes in the EU's Eastern neighbourhood policy.
The Lithuanian Free Market Institute (LFMI) is a private non-profit organisation established in 1990 to promote the ideas of classical liberalism based on the principles of individual freedom and responsibility, free market, and limited government. The Institute's team pursues its mission by conducting research on key issues of public policy, developing conceptual reform packages, drafting and evaluating legislative proposals, submitting policy recommendations at the legislative and executive levels, and conducting educational work. LFMI's activities also include sociological surveys, publications, conferences, workshops, and lectures. Since its inception, LFMI has addressed a variety of core issues confronting the reform process. Not only has LFMI helped set the terms of debates but has also played a key role in helping to craft and refine legislative proposals. For a policy research institute to be effective, it must work openly and market its ideas and findings to a wide audience. Acting on this premise, LFMI works closely with the business community, international financial institutions, opinion leaders, and journalists. Because of its innovative, authoritative solutions, LFMI receives ever-increasing attention from the media. LFMI's ability to produce sound and timely policy advice and to garner broad-based support through open communication has been the main key to success - for many in Lithuania the ideas of individual freedom and free markets are becoming a way of life.
The Ministry of the Interior exercises public administration functions in the field of public safety, state border protection, state aid during emergencies and civil protection, control of migration processes, reform of the public administration and state governance system, development of local governance, regional development, creation of civil service system, IT and other fields attributed to the Ministry’s competence. The mission of the Ministry is to serve the society, guarantee its safety, efficient and professional public administration based on information technologies, also creating conditions for sustainable regional development.
The OSFL is an independent, non - governmental, non-profit organization supporting the development of open, democratic, civil society in Lithuania in transition. This objective remains alive today, though the spectrum and priorities of foundation - implemented programs keep shifting. The foundation aims to make Lithuania open to the world’s heritage of culture and knowledge. An open society is characterized by citizens’ organizations and self-government, effective protection of human rights, market economy, democratic authorities, the participation of citizens in decision-making, respect for law, openness to global culture and knowledge. Through its programs in the fields of law, civil initiatives, public health, information, publishing and others the OSFL seeks to strengthen these features and help modernize Lithuania’s civil bodies. The OSFL directs its activities towards all the regions of the country seeking to create conditions for greater public influence on political decisions. In the implementation of its objectives the Fund is trying to maintain its dynamism, to react promptly to new challenges, to prevent red tape, to find partners and like-minded people in the implementation of its initiatives and programs.
At the beginning of 1920, Higher Courses of Study were begun in Kaunas, laying the foundation for the establishment of a university. The Lithuanian Cabinet of Ministers decided to establish the University of Lithuania in Kaunas, February 13, 1922. The occupation of Lithuania by the Soviet Union forced the university to be named the University of Kaunas in the summer of 1940. Re-established in 1989, Vytautas Magnus University was the second in what was then Soviet-occupied Lithuania, and the first school of higher education that was independent of governmental institutions. The most important principle in the university's activity became academic freedom, while its main purpose was to prepare graduates with a broad humanistic orientation for Lithuania's needs in research, culture, education and economy. A common programme of study in humanities and general education for the first two years of study for all students appeared in 1990. Its aim was to develop well rounded individuals who were free and creative. In 1991 the university was the first in Lithuania to establish a system of study based on several levels, the completion of which resulted in the granting of Bachelor's or Master's degrees, as well as the Doctoral degrees.
