VILNIUS, MAY 10, 2006 – On May 9, a joint meeting of the Lithuanian Free Market Institute’s (LFMI) shareholders and the Board elected Dr. Remigijus Šimašius LFMI‘s new President. The meeting also appointed LFMI’s vice presidents: Vice President Dr. Guoda Steponavičienė from now on will head the Institute’s research and newly appointed Ms. Edita Maslauskaitė will be responsible for fundraising and administration.

Dr. Remigijus Šimašius has been with LFMI for eleven years. Since May 2004 he has served as the Institute‘s vice president and led the team of LFMI‘s analysts. As an expert on the Austrian School and legal theory, he has gained recognition in Lithuania and overseas.

In 2002 Mr. Šimašius was awarded a PhD from the Law University of Lithuania for a thesis on legal pluralism in which he combined, as in his other writings, economic, legal and sociological knowledge. Remigijus Šimašius is an active member of the lawyers’ community: he lectures on the theory of law at Vilnius University and chairs the editorial board of a journal of applied legal science “Teisės problemos“ (“Legal Issues”).

Being an authority on the operational principles of NGOs, Mr. Šimašius participated in creating the legal foundations for the non-governmental sector in Lithuania, led a working group to create a new culture of law-making in Lithuania and took an active part in defining provisions of Lithuania‘s pension reform. Throughout eleven years of activity, Mr. Šimašius’ expertise and advice have been instrumental in tax, budget and municipal reform and in promoting free market ideas in many other areas.

Remigijus Šimašius‘ arguments contributed to the adoption of a competition law which became the global pioneer in limiting the powers of state and municipal authorities in competition. Since 1999 Šimašius has been regularly called to submit conclusions on various pieces of legislation to the Constitutional Court.

Mr. Šimašius has replaced Mr. Ugnius Trumpa who has been LFMI’s President since November 2001.

Calculating its 16th year of active performance, the Lithuanian Free Market Institute is a leading free-market NGO in Lithuania and one of champion thinks tanks in the region, recognised for its active participation and achievements in international debates. LFMI was the pioneer of independent policy advocacy in Lithuania and stood at the forefront of the country’s economic and social transition to the free-market economy. Differently from the bulk of non-profit non-political organisations in Europe, LFMI was founded as a result of private initiative alone and has retained its independence through support from private sources.