Commentary
Democratic Security
Péter Magyar’s 100 Days in Office
17 August 2026
Lithuania’s draft proposal to raise fines for buyers of sex work expands the legal grey zone of workers’ rights in Central and Eastern Europe. Listen to civil society.
A fine that spares neither side
Lithuania is the only EU member state that penalises both the sale and the purchase of sexual services outright, without territorial or circumstantial limitation. Under Article 487 of the Code of Administrative Offences, either side of the transaction faces a fine of 90 to 140 euros, rising to 300 for a repeat offence. Police data show 21 people fined for purchasing sexual services in 2024 and 10 in 2025, against 267 and 263 for selling in 2025.
During recent travels I met two self-organised sex workers’ groups, one in Latvia and one in Estonia. Those conversations led me to Lithuania, where a similar community has just entered a legislative fight it was never invited to.
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