The Register of Private Interests (PINREG) was launched by the Chief Official Ethics Commission (COEC) in 2021. The main purpose of the system is to help persons in the public sector to declare their private interests and to adjust them with public interests, as well as provide compliance officers and the COEC with the necessary tools to prevent possible conflicts of interest.
The PINREG makes the process much easier and faster by collecting the necessary data from over 10 state registers and information systems and preparing draft declarations. This allows for greater data accuracy and reliability, as the persons who are legally required to submit their declarations of private interests only need to review the draft and make necessary adjustments or fill in additional information. The PINREG collects such information as the name of the person’s workplace, official title or status (i.e. standing as a candidate at elections), participation in legal entities, transactions over 3 000 Euros, etc. Also, at least once a week the PINREG scans the state registers and information systems for updates and sends reminders for persons when the new data needs to be declared.
Another useful function that helps the COEC to ensure compliance and take prevention measures, is that the PINREG records whether a person decided not to include some of the data in his or her final declaration that was included in the draft.
There are approximately 150 000 persons that are legally required to declare their private interests in Lithuania. All their latest declarations, with few exceptions, are public. Persons in the public sector have to file declarations no later than within 30 calendar days from the date of the acquisition of their status in the public sector. And then – every time some new data emerges – for example, if a person starts in a new job.