On the first of January, 2023, a new version of the Law on Official Statistics and State Data Governance of the Republic of Lithuania will enter into force, which will expand the competences and functions of Statistics Lithuania (since 1st January, Statistics Lithuania. State Data Agency).

The above-mentioned Law provides that the State Data Agency coordinates the preparation of official statistics according to Part I of the Official Statistics Programme, and the processing of state data - according to the State Data Governance Programme.

Why is the State Data Governance Programme needed?

Previous legal regulation prevented flexible use of state data because it was isolated in different systems and data sharing was legally difficult or impossible.

Since January, the State Data Agency will be responsible not only for the preparation of official statistics, but also for the processing and use of state data in making important public sector decisions. In the created state data ecosystem, in a secure environment, institutions will be able to perform analytical tasks of various complexity without investing in the installation of additional analytical tools in their systems.

Purpose of the new programme is to "frame" the aforementioned tasks in one document, thus ensuring the legality, transparency and publicity of the actions of institutions with the data of citizens or enterprises.

How will state data be processed?

The title of each task, the institution or body responsible for the task performance, the legal basis of the task, data source, funding source, and other necessary information can be seen in the programme project. Each year's programme will be approved by the Minister of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania.

State and municipal institutions and offices, state and municipal enterprises and public institutions, whose owner or shareholder is the state or municipality, statutory and other budgetary institutions, regional development councils will be able to include their tasks in the programme.

What are the benefits of the programme to society?

The state data ecosystem ensures prompt and secure data analysis using modern technologies. One of such projects that has already been implemented is the COVID-19 dashboard, where data is collected from the institutions that collect it, combined with other data and presented to the public, and the information is updated daily. Other examples are projects for monitoring of illegal migration and war refugees from Ukraine. These examples show that we can already use data collected in the public sector "here and now" to make decisions.

The State Data Governance Programme will be able to be adjusted or supplemented, taking into account needs of institutions or new tasks. If you would like to submit proposals, please fill out the State Data Governance Form. Proposals will be considered and included in the programme if there is a legal basis.

In case of any questions regarding the programme project, please contact Ms. Justina Padvelskienė, Specialist in the Division of Performance and Finance Management of Statistics Lithuania, by email justina.padvelskiene@stat.gov.lt or by phone +370 685 55 228.

You can find more on the state data governance here.