Mindaugas Sinkevičius presents government programme to parliament

Designated prime minister and social democrat Mindaugas Sinkevičius presented the programme of the 21st government to the Seimas on Tuesday, LRT reports.

The new government programme outlines plans to increase national resilience, strengthen family policy, raise incomes, reduce regional disparities, and set ambitious goals in defence and energy.

The document identifies Russia’s aggression and the shaken international order, climate crisis, unpredictable development of artificial intelligence, worsening demographic situation, and persistent cost-of-living increases as the main challenges.

“Every minister in the new government I have formed brings different experience and competence, but all are united by a common commitment to work as a single team,” Sinkevičius told the Seimas.

He first addressed the “growing radical polarisation” in Lithuania. “This problem is increasing, sharpening every day and can no longer be ignored. Politicians and the media groups supporting them increasingly see their opponents not as fellow citizens with different views, but simply as enemies. Opponents are no longer those with whom one can disagree—they are enemies who must be humiliated, slandered, without regard for the means,” the designated prime minister said.

Sinkevičius stated that the new government and coalition recognise this problem and called on all political opponents to “work together to stop this dangerous process.”

He also highlighted demographic issues, stating that Lithuania faces “one of the biggest demographic crises in Europe.” The designated prime minister emphasised the need for comprehensive solutions, noting that “every child is a sign of hope, overcoming fears about the future, economic hardship, and the responsibility of parenthood.”

Sinkevičius addressed criticism that the new government would focus too much on the welfare of older people, attributing it to an ideology that “opposes Lithuania and holds the view that human worth should be measured only by productivity and utility.”

Critics of the government programme have questioned how the new government will fund all its promises.

Part of the programme continues the work of the previous cabinet led by Ingrida Šimonytė. The document states that the government will “ensure the common good of all citizens, guided by the values of solidarity, equality, justice, and progress.”

In defence, the programme promises funding that fully meets the needs of the military and defence advice. Special attention will be given to strengthening air defence, protection against drones, and the development of the Baltic defence line.

“We will urgently accelerate the air threat detection and defence system, especially protection against drones, develop civilian warning systems, continue military modernisation projects, with special attention to strengthening air defence, developing the Baltic defence line, and receiving and supplying the German brigade by 2027,” the programme states.

In foreign policy, the programme reaffirms continued support for Ukraine against Russian aggression and aims to normalise diplomatic relations with China. The tone regarding the isolation of Belarus’s regime has shifted slightly in the new programme.