In March the Lithuanian Parliament started debating amendments to the Law on Science and Studies, drafted in response to the Constitutional Court’s ruling, which stated that student’s studies in private higher education establishments can be funded (via the voucher system) only when state higher schools are unable to prepare the required specialists for objective reasons. The enactment of such amendments would restrict the graduates’ right to choose the desired university and education in Lithuania. On March 29, we staged a press conference “A Well-Learning School-Leaver: With or Without the Voucher?” We think that students must have the right to choose in which university to study – in a state-run or in a private one.

We have also launched a new section on our website “Euro and Europe” where we collect data from various countries and Lithuania, related to the euro zone sovereign debt crisis and its possible solutions. More than that, we have organized an international conference “The Euro Zone in Crisis: Solutions and Future Prospects” where we presented our position on Lithuania’s joining the euro zone. We believe that having the euro is a politically restricting factor since it increases fiscal discipline and lessens political risk related to potential changes in the currency exchange rate or the money emission model. Nevertheless, the euro zone is facing enormous problems, so it is wise for Lithuania to wait and see, if the euro is able to stand firm on its feet again.

More information here.