Lithuanian parliament prioritises families in autumn agenda

Lithuania’s parliament has approved an autumn work programme that prioritises guarantees for families raising children, LRT reported.

The programme was approved by 75 lawmakers on Tuesday, while one voted against and 35 abstained. Parliament began its autumn session on September 10.

Although the programme includes more than 550 draft laws, both the ruling parties and the opposition identified defence and demographic challenges as the main priorities.

Social Democratic lawmaker Violeta Turauskaitė said families raising children would receive more social guarantees. She urged the opposition to support the programme so lawmakers could act on issues affecting families, children, senior citizens and the country as a whole.

Deputy Speaker Orinta Leiputė, also a Social Democrat, said the programme focused not on the number of draft laws but on their quality.

Democrat Tomas Tomilinas described the government’s family package as sufficiently ambitious. He said Democrats, who have prepared 40 legislative initiatives, would propose a more flexible system of parental leave and support for students who give birth.

Opposition criticises spending plans

Mindaugas Lingė, deputy leader of the opposition Homeland Union Lithuanian Christian Democrats faction, criticised the government led by Social Democrat Mindaugas Sinkevičius for increasing spending without sufficient revenue to support it.

“The family package clearly shows the overall picture: good intentions, unmeasured measures and living at the expense of the future. Living on debt has gained uncontrollable momentum,” Lingė said from the parliamentary rostrum.

He said the State Control had warned a year ago that public debt was approaching a risky level. In his view, the government’s response was to increase spending whose burden would fall on the next parliamentary term while budget revenues declined.

Lingė also said the government had chosen the easiest response to demographic problems by allocating more money. He questioned whether offering a free cutlet to a tenth-grade student would encourage young families to have children.

He argued that complex problems did not have easy solutions and said that, if taxes were not to be increased, the alternative was economic growth through greater competitiveness and reductions in the shadow economy and bureaucracy.

Lingė also criticised the government for failing to address rising fuel prices in any of its autumn proposals.

Family package valued at nearly 770 million euros

Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius has said Lithuania should become a family-friendly country. His government has submitted initiatives aimed at strengthening the security of the state and its people, improving the social welfare of families and the most vulnerable residents, and creating better conditions for economic growth.

The proposed family measures package includes free lunches for all pupils from fifth to tenth grade, a first-home financing programme, higher child-care benefits and support for families returning to Lithuania after emigration to live there permanently.

The package contains nine measures and is valued at nearly 770 million euros.

Parliament to consider constitutional changes

During the autumn session, parliament also plans to consider repealing Article 137 of the Constitution, which states that weapons of mass destruction and foreign military bases cannot be located on the country’s territory.

Lawmakers will also focus on considering and approving next year’s state budget, social funds budgets and the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund budget.