The new Administrative Penal Act

With the consultation period ending on 27 May 2024, the Government of Liechtenstein published the consultation report on the creation of a new Administrative Penal Act (VStG). The objective is a comprehensive reform of the administrative penal procedure in Liechtenstein, which is currently governed by the outdated and difficult-to-understand Law on General Public Administration Procedures (LVG) from 1922. In particular, complex administrative penal proceedings in the financial sector are to be transferred to a transparent and modern legal framework. Since nearly every substantive law contains penal provisions - mostly concerning administrative offences - the new Administrative Penal Act represents a key element for the effective application and enforcement of the law in Liechtenstein. On 5 November 2024, the government adopted Government Bill 2024/148, which was discussed in the first reading in Parliament on 6 December 2024. In response to questions that were either not addressed or not fully clarified during the first reading, the government provided further comments in Government Bill 2025/18 of 15 April 2025. In light of the upcoming second reading and given the expected imminent entry into force of the Administrative Penal Act, the proposed project aims to analyse the key regulatory areas of the VStG and to prepare the affected stakeholders - particularly employees in various roles and the responsible authorities - for the new legal framework. The project examines, on an overarching level, the interactions between legal frameworks, societal responsibility, and sustainable administrative practices.