Office of the Seimas Opens Legal Act Data for Innovation: Now Available in Open Data Format
Office of the Seimas, which manages and maintains the Register of Legal Acts (RLA) — the official system for publishing adopted legislation — is taking a significant step toward innovation. From now on, legal act data and texts will be publicly available in open data format via the Lithuanian Open Data Portal. This decision opens up new opportunities for technology developers, academics, businesses, and the public to create advanced solutions and tools for the analysis of legal acts.
“Publishing open data is not only a step toward greater transparency in the public sector, but also a driver of innovative solutions in Lithuania. Recently, the Office of the Seimas has received an increasing number of requests from various legal entities seeking accurate and comprehensive legislative data. Recognizing this need, the Office initiated the opening of these datasets, hoping it will also encourage the application of artificial intelligence in the legislative process and support the development of tools for legal act analysis, search, and comparison”, said Algirdas Stončaitis, Secretary General of the Seimas. Head of the Chancellery emphasized his appreciation for the challenge taken on by colleagues from the Information Systems and RLA divisions.
Published data includes key information about legal acts, their full texts, and consolidated versions. Data is provided in a structured, machine-readable format (JSON, JSONL, CSV), making it easy to use for system development and automated analysis.
“We were able to open RLA data quickly through the Lithuanian Open Data Portal thanks to prior collaborative efforts. Previously established connections between the State Data Governance Information System and RLA, the documentation of metadata, and long-standing relationships with responsible individuals ensured smooth communication and high productivity. We greatly value the institution’s proactive approach to data openness — it enables us not only to respond quickly to the growing demand for open data, but also to recognize that consistent preparation delivers tangible benefits. The opening of RLA data via the Lithuanian Open Data Portal is a significant step toward more efficient, data-driven lawmaking and greater transparency. This data creates opportunities to develop advanced solutions for both the private and public sectors, to train AI models for legal consultation tools, to analyze legislative systems, and to monitor the regulatory environment. I hope this serves as an example of how consistent preparation allows for swift responses to the evolving needs of society and innovation”, mentioned Dr Jūratė Petrauskienė, Director General of the State Data Agency.
This initiative aligns with the goals of Lithuania’s digitalization policy and the European Union’s recommendations on the use of open data to create economic value, improve digital services, and empower citizens.
RLA data sets: https://data.gov.lt/datasets/2613/