Lithuania’s National Audit Office has found that the country’s public broadcaster, Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT), manages its finances transparently and efficiently but should improve certain procedures related to staff hiring, procurement, and program accessibility.
The audit, commissioned by the parliament, Seimas, reviewed LRT’s performance from 2021 to 2024 in terms of economy, efficiency and effectiveness. The results were presented Monday to the Seimas Audit Committee.
Auditors identified risks in employee social guarantees, gaps in the accessibility of LRT programs, and shortcomings in public and program procurement processes. They also noted that the broadcaster lacks clear rules governing staff recruitment, pay, and the use of freelance or service contracts.
During the five-month audit, LRT responded to nearly 1,300 questions and implemented 10 changes, according to the National Audit Office report.
LRT: Shortcomings are procedural
LRT Director General Monika Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė said the broadcaster welcomes the audit’s findings and will address the noted issues.
“The audit identified areas for improvement, but it essentially showed that LRT’s financial resources are well planned and the organisation operates transparently and efficiently,” she said.
“We view all observations as opportunities to improve. The identified shortcomings are mostly procedural, and we plan to correct them.”
Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė added that the most significant recommendations were directed at the government, including a call to revise the regulation governing how LRT content is purchased. She noted that while the audit advised reducing the number of noncompetitive procurement procedures, in some cases – such as acquiring content like quality TV series, EuroLeague broadcasts, or films – open tenders are not feasible.
Audit Office: Efficiency and diversity could improve
Vilma Maslauskienė, head of the National Audit Office’s Second Department of Performance Audit, told lawmakers that LRT’s performance could be strengthened through greater content diversity, broader accessibility, and stronger internal controls in procurement and resource management.
She said LRT’s results remain strong overall, with more than 90% of performance indicators met, though the share of young viewers fell by 2.2 percentage points, and the number of people who consider LRT professional declined by 4 points. Public trust in LRT, however, remains high.
Maslauskienė noted that in 2024, LRT cost each Lithuanian resident €2.10 per month, similar to costs in Latvia and Poland. In Estonia, the figure was €3, in Finland €7.90, and in Germany €9.10.
The report also highlighted progress in digitising the LRT archive, with 93% of materials digitised in 2024, and improvements in accessibility, including subtitling programs in five languages on the LRT media platform.
Committee raises questions on funding and contracts
Audit Committee Chair Artūras Skardžius questioned the broadcaster’s funding model and the use of freelance contracts. The Audit Office noted that the European Court of Justice has referred LRT’s funding model back to the European Commission for review, so it was not assessed in the audit.
National Auditor General Irena Segalovičienė said commercial income use should be reconsidered to ensure more efficient spending of state budget funds.
Maslauskienė also said auditors had concerns about hiring practices that allow for recruitment without open selection in certain cases, such as returning employees or former interns.
“We believe these exceptions should be eliminated so that recruitment always involves a competitive process,” she said.
She added that while freelance contracts are sometimes used for additional creative work, employees under such contracts do not receive full social benefits.
Segalovičienė said freelance agreements can be justified in certain cases but should be used more sparingly.
LRT board: Recommendations will be implemented
Mindaugas Jurkynas, chair of the supervisory LRT Council, said the board will address all recommendations from the National Audit Office.
“The issues raised in the report will be discussed at upcoming council meetings, and the recommendations will be incorporated into the 2026 work plan,” he said.
Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė said LRT is also reviewing all freelance contracts and plans to introduce a new system to compensate staff for additional creative work without relying on freelance agreements.
She added that LRT agrees with auditors’ recommendations to make more content accessible to people with disabilities and has already begun expanding subtitled and audio-described programming.
“LRT was the first in Lithuania to broadcast its TV programs online with Lithuanian and four additional language subtitles,” she said. “We plan to extend this technology to the television broadcast as well.”
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