Lithuania and the United Kingdom will follow the former procedure of cooperation in criminal matters

The Parliament adopted, as a matter of urgency, the draft law initiated by the Ministry of Justice to regulate the principles of cooperation with the UK in criminal matters. After the EU and the UK signed the partnership agreement in December 2020, the Member States have to define these principles and appoint competent authorities in their notifications.

According to the Minister of Justice Evelina Dobrovolska, Lithuania and the United Kingdom will continue their practice of cooperation in criminal matters focusing on the protection and best interests of citizens of Lithuania.  

Lithuania's decisions on the enforcement of arrest warrants, seizure and confiscation of assets will be made in specific cases without verification of double criminality.

A Lithuanian citizen will be surrendered for criminal prosecution purposes only if he or she is returned to serve a custodial sentence in Lithuania after a judgment. 

It will be possible to surrender Lithuanian citizens to the United Kingdom under arrest warrants only under the principle of reciprocity and subject to pre-defined conditions. It will be refused to surrender a citizen of Lithuania under arrest warrants issued for the service of sentences. 

Lithuania reserves the right to request that the supporting documents accompanying arrest warrants or confiscation orders be translated into Lithuanian.

The authorities competent to issue and execute arrest warrants and receive requests for the freezing or confiscation of assets have also been designated. 

The notification defined in the Law must be submitted by the EU Member States to the UK until 28 February.