Lithuania’s interior minister seeks higher funding for public sector wages in 2027 budget

Lithuania’s Interior Minister Vladislavas Kondratovičius has said he hopes to secure increased funding for public sector wages during this year’s negotiations for the 2027 state budget, LRT reports.

Speaking to lawmakers from the Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD) faction on Tuesday, Kondratovičius acknowledged that last year’s budget talks were rushed due to the formation of a new government. “This year, we are actively engaging in discussions and presenting our funding requests to the finance minister and the government,” he said. “We hope that after negotiations, we will have a sum that can be allocated to raise wages for public servants.”

The minister emphasised that priority would be given to younger officials, adding that discussions were also underway on reforming the pension system to introduce long-term incentives. Proposals include allowing public servants to accumulate professional pension funds alongside state pensions, in coordination with the Ministry of Social Security and Labour.

Earlier this month, the Lithuanian Law Enforcement Officers’ Federation met with social security officials to push for higher pensions. Kondratovičius confirmed that preliminary plans had been drafted, with further discussions expected soon.

This year, wages for the lowest-paid public servants were raised by 1–2%, while monthly compensation of €300 was introduced for those with 25 or more years of service. The 2026 state budget allocates €1.07 billion to the interior system, with a 1.009 indexation coefficient currently applied to state pensions for officials and military personnel.