Marius Vaščega

Marius Vaščega
Head of the European Commission's Representation in Vilnius
Born (1977-12-20) 20 December 1977
EducationVilnius University, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Complutense University of Madrid
OccupationsLawyer and economist
OrganizationEuropean Commission

Marius Vaščega (born 20 December 1977) is a Lithuanian lawyer and economist and a long-standing official of the European Union institutions.[1]

Vaščega was appointed head of the European Commission's Representation in Vilnius in December 2021,[2] and began the role on 1 March 2022.[3] He served in the role until 30 June 2026, acting as the official representative of the European Commission in Lithuania under the political authority of President Ursula von der Leyen. Shortly after taking up the post, he met with President Gitanas Nausėda to discuss the EU's response to the war in Ukraine, sanctions policy, and reducing energy dependence on Russia.[4] He was succeeded as Head of Representation by Rytis Martikonis.[5]

Earlier 2019 December - 2022 February He was the head of the cabinet of Virginijus Sinkevičius,[6] the European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans, and Fisheries.

Public engagement

As Head of Representation, Vaščega regularly represented the Commission in Lithuania on subjects including EU sanctions policy, energy security, trade, recovery funding, climate targets, and digital regulation.[7][8][9] He was also a frequent media commentator on sanctions, EU funds, EU-China relations, and energy independence,[10][11][12][13] and an opinion contributor on European economic security, EU foreign affairs, and support for Ukraine.[14][15][16] He spoke at public forums spanning digital policy, economics, transport, culture, healthcare, agriculture, and academia,[17][18][19][20][21][22][23] including LOGIN,[24] Lithuanian Davos,[25] and the Leonidas Donskis Conference on disinformation and historical memory.[26]

In May 2026, under his leadership, the Representation initiated and unveiled the "Unity Fort" mural in Vilnius — the first in a planned series of EU-themed street art across Lithuanian cities — marking Europe Day alongside visiting Commissioner Glenn Micallef.[27][28]

In September 2025 he personally received Mikalai Khilo, a Belarusian EU staffer freed after imprisonment in Belarus, at the Vilnius Representation.[29][30]

Biography

Vaščega was born in Panevėžys, the fifth largest city in Lithuania, where he was raised and graduated from Juozas Balčikonis Gymnasium.

Vaščega graduated from Vilnius University with a master's degree in Law. Marius also studied at Erasmus University Rotterdam, the University of Hamburg, the Complutense University of Madrid and the Complutense University of Madrid, where he obtained a master's degree in law and economics, and the CERIS – Diplomatic School of Brussels[31] (formerly the Centre Européen de Recherches Internationales et Stratégiques), which granted him a master's degree in International Politics.[32]

He started a professional career as a lawyer in Lithuania, where he also taught at the Faculty of Law at Vilnius University.

Since 2004, Vaščega has been an official of the European institutions, worked at the Council of the European Union in Brussels, where he advised ten EU Presidencies and worked in the European Parliament.

From 2014 until 2018, he worked as an economic policy officer of the European Commission in Lithuania.[33] In the period between 2018 and 2019 he worked as the Deputy Head of the European Commission Representation in Lithuania and Head of the Policy Department.

Vaščega is active in the media on European topics[34] and is also the author of scientific articles[35] and commentaries.

He is a fluent user of Lithuanian, English, French and Russian languages and also speaks Spanish and German.

Personal life

In a 2024 profile interview, Vaščega said he might have continued practising law in Lithuania had the country not joined the EU in 2004, and described how he chose to specialise in EU law, going on to study in Rotterdam, Madrid, and Hamburg.[36] In the same interview, he said running has been one of his main ways of clearing his head since his student years, and that he has completed half-marathons, the Stockholm Marathon, and the original Marathon-to-Athens course in Greece, totalling around 1,600 kilometres of running in one year; he also cycles, having formed a cycling team with colleagues.[36]

Membership

Vaščega was elected Vice-Chairman of the executive board of the Lithuanian Lawyers' Association (Lietuvos teisininkų draugija) in March 2019,[37] and was elected Chairman of the association in April 2025 for a 2025–2028 term.[38] He previously chaired the association's Brussels branch.

Notes and references

  1. ↑ A notable member of the European Union office.
  2. ↑ "The European Commission appoints a new Head of Representation in Lithuania". European Commission. 21 December 2021.
  3. ↑ "Europos Komisijos atstovybei Lietuvoje vadovauti pradeda Vaščega". LRT (in Lithuanian). 1 March 2022.
  4. ↑ "Prezidentas su naujuoju EK atstovybės vadovu aptarė karo Ukrainoje įtaką Europai". Diena.lt (in Lithuanian). 17 March 2022.
  5. ↑ "Europos Komisijos atstovybės Lietuvoje vadovas Vaščega baigė darbą, jį keičia Martikonis". LRT (in Lithuanian). 30 June 2026.
  6. ↑ "Virginijus Sinkevičius' team". European Commission. November 20, 2019".
  7. ↑ "Europos Komisijos atstovas Lietuvoje – apie sankcijas Rusijai, karo poveikį ES ūkiui ir Kinijos vaidmenį". 15min.lt (in Lithuanian). 15 March 2022.
  8. ↑ "Vaščega: MERCOSUR atvers galimybių verslui, žemės ūkiui numatyti saugikliai". LRT (in Lithuanian). 19 January 2026.
  9. ↑ Ar Lietuva spės pasinaudoti RRF fondo lėšomis?. Žinių radijas, Dienos klausimas (in Lithuanian). 11 July 2024.
  10. ↑ "Europa bando toliau spausti Kremlių: pabandę apeiti sankcijas gali atsidurti už grotų". Delfi.lt (in Lithuanian). 10 December 2022.
  11. ↑ "Vaščega: EK nesutinka skirti Vengrijai ES lėšų – ji vėluoja su teisinės valstybės reformomis". LRT (in Lithuanian). 6 December 2022.
  12. ↑ "EK atstovybės Lietuvoje vadovas: į ES nemaža dalis žaliavų atvyksta iš Kinijos". Delfi.lt (in Lithuanian). 5 February 2023.
  13. ↑ Delfi rytas. Priklausomybė nuo rusiškų dujų tik pradžia: kas dar gresia Europai?. Delfi TV (in Lithuanian). 24 April 2023.
  14. ↑ Vaščega, Marius (25 August 2023). "Marius Vaščega. Ekonomika ir saugumas: Europos Sąjungos geopolitinio atsparumo vizija ir kur joje Kinija". Delfi.lt (in Lithuanian).
  15. ↑ "Drakonas kol kas nesispjaudo ugnimi, tačiau jo politika kelia rimtų grėsmių Vakarams: "Kinija yra Rusija 2011 metais"". LRT (in Lithuanian). 2 September 2023.
  16. ↑ Atviras pokalbis: Ukrainos frontas: kokių permainų tikėtis?. Žinių radijas (in Lithuanian).
  17. ↑ "Tvarumas, kuris apsimoka – konferencijos programa" (PDF) (in Lithuanian). 10 October 2024.
  18. ↑ "Transporto inovacijų forumas 2023".
  19. ↑ "Nacionalinis kultūros forumas šiais metais atsigręžia į kultūros ir ekologijos sintezę". LRT (in Lithuanian). 10 November 2023.
  20. ↑ "Verslo ateities forumas – Inovacijos visiems" (in Lithuanian).
  21. ↑ "PROGRAMA / PROGRAMME – VIKO Verslo Vadybos Fakultetas" (PDF).
  22. ↑ "Konferencijos – FMR Gydytojas" (in Lithuanian).
  23. ↑ "Tarp plūgo ir dirbtinio intelekto: agroverslo ir kitų verslų lyderiai pristatė pasaulinės ekonomikos tendencijas". Telefonai.eu (in Lithuanian). 3 March 2025.
  24. ↑ "Konferencija LOGIN 2022" (in Lithuanian). European Commission Representation in Lithuania. 2 June 2022.
  25. ↑ "Lietuvos Davosas 2023 – Konferencijos programa" (in Lithuanian).
  26. ↑ "L. Donskio konferencija – dezinformacija ir susitaikymas su praeitimi" (in Lithuanian). Vytautas Magnus University. 20 September 2024.
  27. ↑ "EU-themed Unity Fort mural unveiled in Vilnius for Europe Day". LRT. 8 May 2026.
  28. ↑ "Minint Europos dieną Vilniuje pristatyta neofreska Vienybės fortas" (in Lithuanian). European Commission Representation in Lithuania. 8 May 2026.
  29. ↑ @MariusVascega (September 12, 2025). "Some weeks are better than others. Joyful moment from yesterday with Mikalai Khilo finally in safety in @EU_Commission Representation in Vilnius. Member of 🇪🇺 staff unlawfully jailed in Belarus, now free in Lithuania among 52 released yesterday. Big thanks to US and LT colleagues" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  30. ↑ "EU welcomes release of political prisoners in Belarus, including European diplomatic staffer". EU Neighbours East. 12 September 2025.
  31. ↑ "History". CERIS.
  32. ↑ "The European Commission appoints a new Head of Representation in Lithuania". 21 December 2021.
  33. ↑ "Darbą Briuselyje pradėjęs Sinkevičius pristatė savo komandą: dalis jos – iš Lietuvos". DELFI.
  34. ↑ Vascega, Marius (2010). "Council adpts new directive on mutual assistance in recovery of tax and similar claims". Dialnet. 50 (6): 231–237.
  35. ↑ Vascega, Marius (June 1, 2011). "Assessment of Taxes in Cross-Border Situations: The New EU Directive on Administrative Cooperation in the Field of Taxation". EC Tax Review. 20 (3).
  36. 1 2 Liandzbergienė, Grytė (5 March 2024). "EK atstovybės Lietuvoje vadovas M.Vaščega: "Stengiuosi, kad Europoje būtų išgirstas mūsų nerimas"". Žmonės.lt (in Lithuanian).
  37. ↑ "Išrinktas naujas Lietuvos teisininkų draugijos pirmininkas". Teisė profesionaliai (in Lithuanian). 3 March 2019.
  38. ↑ "Marius Vaščega išrinktas nauju LTD pirmininku". Teisė profesionaliai (in Lithuanian). 5 April 2025.
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