The meaning of the proportionality principle in the use of administrative sanction

The principles of administrative law, when the national courts are dealing with the disputes between private persons and government institutions, is becoming an essential tool with an eye to assess the legality of the accredited decision or used administrative sanction. This article presents the principle of proportionality, which is regarded as one of the most important principles of administrative law in modern democratic society, the characteristics of use of it in Lithuania, the evolution of use and the features of this principle, discusses the importance of the role of administrative courts in using administrative law principles, overviews the Lithuanian Constitutional Court's jurisprudence and the practice of the Lithuanian Supreme Administrative Court. The proportionality principle is presented in the article as coming from the legality principle, which determines its role and unique position in contemporary Lithuanian system of administrative law. The authors of the article note at the end that even a perfect use of the proportionality principle in courts in dealing with the disputes between private persons and government institutions can not meet the implementing conditions of this principle in the administrative legal system. This requires the development of administrative structures that fosters the traditions of good administration and would apply this principle directly in their work, leaving to decide the legality of this principle to (administrative) courts. The article concludes that when in using the right of discretion between the individual and the public interests there is the issue of compatibility, the proportionality principle becomes the basis on which the administrative subject may make a decision. When the open option is left for the administrative subject that receives the decision, the proportionality principle becomes a lever for making the decision not to transgress the limits set by the rules of law. It is made the opportunity to avoid the violations of human rights by applying the proportionality principle and by using the administrative discretion. The criterion of applying the proportionality principle should include whether the goal can not (or could not) be achieved by other means, less restricting the rights and interests of the individual. Only by implementing the use of the full-fledged proportionality principle would be ensured the balance of public and private interests and avoided unnecessary and unreasonable restriction of individual rights and interests.Straipsnyje pristatomi proporcingumo principo, kuris vertinamas kaip vienas svarbiausių administracinės teisės principų modernioje demokratinėje visuomenėje, taikymo bruoţai Lietuvoje, šio principo taikymo raida ir ypatybės. Įvadinėje straipsnio dalyje aptariama administracinių teismų vaidmens svarba taikant administracinius teisės principus sprendţiant viešojo administravimo subjektų priimtų sprendimų teisėtumą bei pagrįstumą. Apţvelgiama Lietuvos Respublikos Konstitucinio Teismo jurisprudencija bei Lietuvos vyriausiojo administracinio teismo praktika. Proporcingumo principas straipsnyje pristatomas, kaip kylantis iš teisėtumo principo, kas sąlygoja jo svarbų vaidmenį ir išskirtinę vietą šiandieninėje Lietuvos administracinės teisės sistemoje. Vertinant administracinės teisės sistemoje veikiančių įstatymų trūkumus, kurie stokoja detalesnio ir išsamesnio proporcingumo principo sąvokos apibrėţimo, administracinių teismų vaidmuo vertinamas kaip išskirtinis ir ypač svarbus šio principo taikymo bei administracinių bylų, kylančių iš privataus asmens ir valstybės valdţios institucijos ginčų sprendimo, bei administracinio poveikio priemonių taikymo teisėtumo vertinimo procese