History

In implementing the provision established in Article 111 part 2 of the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, saying that for the investigation of administrative cases in the Republic of Lithuania there may be established and operating dedicated courts, under the law No. VIII-1030 as of 14.01.1999 - Law on Establishment of Administrative Courts of the Republic of Lithuania - administrative courts were established in Lithuania for the first time; they started functioning on May 1st, 1999.
The system of newly established administrative courts was comprised of 5 regional administrative courts (in Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Panevėžys and Šiauliai), the Superior Administrative Court and the Division of Administrative Cases in the Court of Appeal of Lithuania.
Vilnius Regional Administrative Court started its work in a building of 400 sqm Gediminas avenue 39/1, Vilnius. Earlier this building was occupied by the Economic Court where actions were usually heard at judges' offices. Therefore, the building was renovated and fitted to the needs of the administrative court. Two offices were fitted for action hearing. After the number of actions under investigation had increased, one more office on the ground floor of the building was fitted for court legal hearings. This building was also used by the Superior Administrative Court for some time; consequently, working conditions for the employees of both courts were complicated form the very establishment of administrative courts.
Under the decree No. 365 of the President of the Republic of Lithuania as of 24.03.1999, a number of 10 judges was established for Vilnius Regional Administrative Court. Under decrees No. 385, 389, 391, 395 as of 19.04.1999 first judges of Vilnius Regional Administrative Court were appointed: Laimė Baltrūnaitė, Nijolė Šidagienė, Zita Smirnovienė, Donatas Vansevičius, Rūta Miliuvienė. The chairperson of the court was appointed the judge Zita Smirnovienė.
Since 01.05.1999 the court‘s hearings included cases on decisions and actions adopted by local municipal and territorial state authorities at Vilnius Regional Administrative Court coverage area and on officers‘ resolutions in cases on violations of administrative law. From 01.05.1999 until 01.01.2000 the court received 1212 complaints. Under the law No. VIII-1784 on the Amendment of the law „On the Status of Refugees in the Republic of Lithuania" as of 29.06.2000, since 01.09.2000 the court was assigned to investigate cases on decisions regarding issues of asylum made by the Migration Department under the Ministry of Interior. In the summer of the same year the judges took part in trainings on application of the international law in the field of asylum law. During the year 2000 the court received 2544 complaints.
Under the law No. VIII-1928 as of 19.09.2000, the Law on Establishment of Administrative Courts was amended and since 01.01.2001 the system of administrative courts of the Republic of Lithuania is comprised of 5 regional administrative courts that had been established earlier and the Supreme Administrative Court. The competence of Vilnius Regional Administrative Court was broadened significantly since 01.01.2001. The number of received complaints has been growing with every year. Owing to the increased number of cases, under the decree No. 1300 as of 01.05.2001 of the President of the Republic of Lithuania, the number of judges was increased to 16, under the decree No. 1900 as of 20.09.2002 it was increased to 20 and under the decree No. 727 as of 25.08.2006 - to 24.
The number of receivable complaints is still growing: in 2001 4032 complaints were received, in 2002 3806 complaints were received, in 2003 4077 complaints, in 2005 5608 complaints and during the first half of 2006 (up to July 1) there were 4570 complaints.
Already in 2001 the court was short of premises: there was not enough space for workplaces for employees, not enough conference halls, archive premises, etc. In order to improve the situation the Government by the resolution No. 811 as of 29.06.2001 transferred for management and exploitation by the right of trust the premises in J. Basanavičiaus st. 35-3, Vilnius. These were premises of 180 sqm on the first floor of a residential building. They were still not enough for the court and layout of the court through two places in Vilnius city caused a lot of inconvenience for both employees of the court and for persons whose cases were being heard in court.
On July 1st, 2004 the court moved to a reconstructed and adjusted for the needs of the court building in Žygimantų st. 2. The building was built according to the building project of an architect A. Bykovsky in 1892 and belonged to the noblemen of Lithuania Ana Zayachek and Ekatherin Tishkevich. During the Soviet years it was used as a hospital. After the building was reconstructed, 8 courtrooms and rooms for judge meetings were set up on the ground floor, on both sides of a spacious corridor. For the disabled there is a convenient drive fitted for them to get into legal hearings of the court. At the convenience of persons who wish to come directly to the court there are separate offices, premises for acceptance of complaints, for familiarising with cases are set up. Judges and employees of the court, who investigate cases directly, have separate premises that are detached from the premises for clients. The chairwoman of the court and judges are seeing persons in the office which is dedicated for this purpose and is situated on the ground floor of the building. In the basement of the building there are premises for the archive of the court. For the convenience of the employees and participants of cases there is a coffee-bar in the basement of the building.