Finance minister: budget talks will reveal feasibility of Democrats’ proposals

As Lithuania’s new coalition negotiations continue, Finance Minister Kristupas Vaitiekūnas said funding for proposals from the Democrats’ Union “For Lithuania” could be found during budget discussions for next year, LRT reports.

“Every party comes with its own proposals. One of them is to remove the cap on childcare leave benefits. During the budget formation process, we will see how much of this we can implement,” Vaitiekūnas told journalists on Monday.

He acknowledged the state has many expenses and programmes but suggested priorities could be adjusted to accommodate new spending. “If there are priorities, they can fit into the overall budget, while less critical areas may need to shrink to make room for new expenditure lines. It’s the same process as every year,” the minister said.

According to Vaitiekūnas, everything is possible in theory, but real possibilities will emerge only after a full review of the state budget. “We need to sit down at the negotiating table, take the entire budget, review it, and find what can be reduced to introduce new spending,” he explained.

The new coalition agreement outlines plans to improve family policy, including a review of child benefits, increased support for families, expanded childcare access, and strengthening non-formal education, day centres, all-day schools, and regional support services. By the end of 2027, the coalition aims to introduce free meals for all primary school students.

Last week, Democrat Linas Kukuraitis estimated that full compensation for childcare benefits would require an additional €70 million. Lukas Savickas, deputy chairman of the Democrats’ Union “For Lithuania”, noted that while this issue caused the most disagreement during coalition talks, all partners still consider it a priority.