Political parties divided over Sinkevičius’ call for demographic policy agreement

Lithuanian political parties have offered mixed reactions to Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius’ proposal for a cross-party political agreement on demographic policy, LRT reports.

While there is broad consensus on the need for long-term solutions to improve the country’s demographic situation, opinions differ on whether a formal political accord should come first or if immediate action is more urgent.

Sinkevičius told journalists earlier this month that he seeks political consensus on demographic policy. “So far, there is no draft document—this was more of a political reflection, a consideration. It doesn’t necessarily have to be formalised into a political agreement, but agreement will certainly be needed,” he said.

The prime minister noted that the Ministry of Social Security and Labour has prepared over 100 proposals to address demographic challenges, but stressed the need to prioritise key measures with guaranteed political support.

“We will probably need to focus on about five measures, and that will require political agreement. And I do want that political agreement. Not just the ruling parties deciding, but a universal consensus,” Sinkevičius said, adding that demographic policy should be long-term and independent of changing governments.

“Maybe it’s naive, but I would like these agreements to have continuity, rather than a new government coming in and saying everything was wrong and we need to do something else,” he said.

Liberals and ruling coalition open to discussion

Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, leader of the opposition Liberal Movement’s Seimas group, welcomed the idea of a national agreement on demographic policy. “I think it’s a good idea. I’ve spoken about it more than once. It would be important to have national agreements on two things—supplementing the defence agreement and on demographic policy,” she told Žinių radijas.

Čmilytė-Nielsen said the initiative should come from the largest ruling party, the Social Democrats, but confirmed the Liberals would participate in discussions. “If there is a concrete initiative, the Liberals will take part. No single government, no single term can solve all the problems,” she said.

Jaroslavas Narkevičius, leader of the ruling Farmers and Greens Union’s Seimas group, also expressed support. The Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania–Christian Families Alliance, part of the coalition, would back such an agreement, he said.

“In principle, I am in favour, because we have also raised this issue as a priority. Demography is important, but it is a very systemic, broad issue covering various areas. Such an agreement would help ensure all political parties in the Seimas share a common vision and can form a consistent policy,” Narkevičius told ELTA.

Scepticism over effectiveness of political agreements

Lukas Savickas, a representative of the ruling Democrats “For Lithuania” Seimas group, said his party had already pushed during coalition negotiations for demographic and family policy to become a key government priority.

“As one of the negotiators for the Democratic Union, I consistently held the position that the demographic and family policy package should be one of the central themes of the coalition talks. We are pleased that we managed to agree on the fundamental provisions, which were later included in the coalition agreement and the government programme draft,” Savickas told ELTA.

He emphasised that the focus should now be on implementing the planned measures. “The most important thing is to implement these measures as quickly as possible. We have had various political agreements before, and that does not necessarily guarantee success,” Savickas said.

Laurynas Kasčiūnas, leader of the opposition Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats’ Seimas group, argued that decisions should be based on scientific research.