On Tuesday, 14 July, a group of approximately 20 people, accompanied by representatives of UAB VAATC, their lawyer and a bailiff, attempted to gain unlawful access to the Vilnius Regional Mixed Municipal Waste Sorting Facility operated by our company. Police were called to the scene. The facility’s operations were disrupted for nearly three hours.
“We allowed only a VAATC representative, their lawyer and the bailiff to enter the facility so they could inspect the premises and assess the equipment, as they are entitled to do. However, no one else was admitted, because the operating agreement remains fully in force and VAATC is obliged to comply with it,” says Algirdas Blazgys, CEO of our company.
Under the operating agreement signed between VAATC and Energesman, the contract may be terminated unilaterally only in the event of a material breach and only after providing 20 business days’ written notice. No such notice was given, and the reasons cited by VAATC cannot be regarded as material breaches of the agreement.
Daiva Ušinskaitė-Filonovienė, the lawyer representing VAATC, also stated that VAATC sought to take over the facility based on an order issued by Eglė Bernotavičienė, Head of Emergency Operations of the Vilnius City Municipality. However, she was unable to identify any specific provision in the order that would grant such authority.
“There is simply no such provision in the order. We are all capable of reading, and the order is a public document. Therefore, VAATC’s actions are unlawful,” emphasizes Dr. Paulius Miliauskas, Partner at the law firm Miliauskas ir Lauraitytė.
It is also worth noting that Eugenijus Filonovas, the husband of VAATC’s lawyer D. Ušinskaitė-Filonovienė, is presented on VAATC’s website as an independent member of the company’s Board. This raises the question of whether a conflict of interest may exist.
After failing to gain access to the facility, VAATC representatives called the police to the scene.
Upon arrival, the police did not intervene in the dispute, stating that the matter concerns civil legal relations. They also noted that the state of emergency in Vilnius has been in effect for more than a year, since 27 April 2025, when a fire broke out at the facility after an item discarded among the waste caught fire.
“This situation demonstrates VAATC’s incompetence and legal nihilism. We live in a state governed by the rule of law, where everyone – including public institutions that are expected to act in the interests of the state and its residents – must comply with the law and honour their contractual obligations,” says Dr. Miliauskas.
The group arrived at the facility at 9:00 a.m. and left before noon. As a result, operations at the waste sorting facility were disrupted for nearly three hours.
Vilnius City Municipality owns 76.51% of VAATC’s shares, while the remaining shares are held by other municipalities of the Vilnius region.