Teisinis lietuvių emigracijos reglamentavimas nepriklausomoje Lietuvoje : tarpukaris ir nūdiena lyginamuoju požiūriu (1918-1940 ir 1990-2009 m.)

Abstract

The purpose of this study, based on key legislation in force in Lithuania from 1918 to 1940 and from 1990 to 2009, is to reveal consistent patterns in the position taken by the state with regard to emigration. A comparison of the legal regulation of emigration in both periods reveals the following. In the period from 1918 to 1940, emigration issues in Lithuania were regulated at the level of national legislation only (the 1922 and 1929 Laws on Emigration); this regulation proved quite one-sided, and mostly concerned issues regarding the regulation of emigration offices. By contrast, in the period from 1990 to 2009 the issue of emigration from Lithuania found its place in both the domestic law of Lithuania (e.g., Art. 32 of the Constitution of Lithuania and the Law on Emigration in effect from 1991 to 2000) and in international and European Union legislation (Art. 2 of Protocol No. 4 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, etc.); this period also included a broader range of emigration-related issues. This study may serve as a basis for further examination of emigration issues in both their empirical and theoretical aspects.