Laimonas Čiakas starts to lead the National Land Service under the Ministry of Agriculture (NLS).

According to Minister of Agriculture Bronius Markauskas, changes in the National Land Service are crucial, as more than half of the complaints received by the Ministry are related to the work of the Service. The main urgent tasks that the new leader of the Service is to implement, names the Minister, is not only to restore confidence in the institution, but also to complete the unforeseen prolongation of the restoration of property rights and, in particular, to strengthen measures to prevent corruption.

In order to ensure effective protection of state land, the National Land Service (NLS) in all cases, initiates legal proceedings for those who have committed violations and who have not eliminated them. Such actions are provided for in the updated Regulations for the State Control of Land Use. They have been updated in order to strengthen the efficiency of elimination of violations of state land use regulations.

From August 16 a new structure of the National Land Service (NLS)) departments started functioning. The structure has been changed to ensure higher quality of the NLS activities as well as make use of economical human and financial resources. The new structure was confirmed after a responsible examination and assessment of the functions of the Service departments, their performance indicators and their effectiveness.

In the first half of this year, the land reform carried out in the country has moved forward. Land reform was completed in 43 of the 103 cities and towns. As of July 1, 2017, 90,73 per cent of the ownership rights to land, forest land or water bodies in the cities were restored. In rural areas by 99.75 per cent of the area indicated in the citizens' requests was restored.

On July 13-16, 2017 the meeting of the mutual Lithuanian Republic and Russian Federation Geodesy and cartography technical working group took place. During the meeting the experts completed compilation of finalized demarcation document layouts in the Lithuanian and Russian languages.

According to the Director of the National Land Service, several years of intensive ongoing land reform are approaching culmination, the Service having set itself a new strategic goal which is to safeguard powerful state control over land usage.

On July 1, the National Land Service under the Ministry of Agriculture is celebrating its 15th anniversary.

Further down is a brief survey of the institution's history and current activities.

The staff of the institution countrywide constitutes 963 public servants.

The National land Service under the Ministry of Agriculture was founded on July 1, 2001. Two establishments with common aims and a compatible field of activities were then merged into one – Land Administration and Law Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and the Service of Geodesy and Carthography under the Government of Lithuania.

On May 13th 2016 experts of the National Land Service (NLS) attended the international research-based conference "Baltic Surveying – 2016”, which was arranged and hosted by Aleksandras Stulginskis University in Kaunas.

Professionals of the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Land Service of Lithuania have participated in the European Union funded Project as well as have effectively contributed to the development of Ukrainian land of an open and transparent agricultural land administration.

Latest statistical data show that land reform work is rapidly coming to an end. Ownership rights in rural areas have been restored to 99,7 per cent of claimants, in city areas – 88,4 per cent, and personal agricultural land legalization reach 98 per cent.