Vitalijus Auglys
Chair of HELCOM 2024-2026
Mr. Vitalijus Auglys has worked for thirty years in the public and environmental sector with extensive experience in international cooperation and in-depth knowledge and expertise across the entire EU and Baltic region. His focus areas at different periods range from landscape management, protected areas, environmental impact assessment, climate change, subsoil, air quality, chemicals to water and marine management. He is currently the Head of Pollution Prevention Policy Group of the Ministry of Environment (MoE) of the Republic of Lithuania.
He served as Chancellor of MoE (2017–2018), Head of Pollution Prevention Policy Group of MoE (2009–2016), Head of Environment Impact Assessment Division (2003–2008), Vice Minister of MoE (2001–2002), Head of Environment Impact Assessment Division of Territorial Planning Department of MoE (1999–2000), Deputy Director of Biodiversity Department (1997–1998), chief specialist of Landscape Division of Land Use and Protected Areas Department of MoE (1994–1996).
During the Lithuanian Presidency (2013) to the European Council, Mr. Auglys chaired the working party on the international environmental issues in the field of climate change. In this position Mr. Auglys was responsible for negotiating the position of the EU Member states for the Meeting of the Parties of the Conference of the Parties (COP 19) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Convention.
Mr. Auglys has obtained a master’s degree in Geography (Landscape ecology) from Nature Faculty and master’s degree in economics from Economics Faculty of the Vilnius University.
He is the member of the Lithuanian Geographical Society.
Tomas Želvys
Vice-Chair of HELCOM 2024-2026
Mr. Tomas Želvyshas has studied hydrogeology and engineering geology at Vilnius University, later completing a master’s degree in Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences at Vilnius University. Currently he is a PhD student in Geology at Vilnius University and aco-author of several scientific publications.
After graduating universityhe worked as a geologist in private sector and as a research assistant at the Nature Research Center with themain responsibilities in geochemical analyses of soil and sludge sediments and data interpretation.
Later on, he has acted as the chief specialist at the Environment Protection Agency, where he, among others, coordinated environmental incident management and provided methodological support. Planning and implementation of the need for and use of EU structural funds for environmental control, environmental emergencies and management. From 2015 onwards, Mr. Želvys has worked at the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania, first as a chief specialist and then as the Senior Adviser on water and subsoil issues in the Pollution Prevention Policy Group. Among others, the group’s tasks include, soil, water, and groundwater protection, historic pollution management and water supply, marine protection, inland water protection and site-related water protection, coastal protection and flood prevention.
Mr Tomas Želvys has worked extensively on the Lithuanian National Water Plan 2022-2027 and is now in charge of implementing its measures, also is co-coordinator of the project “Integrated Water Management in Lithuania” (LIFE SIP Water) and Lithuanian Head of delegation in HELCOM.
