Budget dispute puts Lithuania’s finance minister under pressure

Lithuania’s finance minister is facing criticism from coalition partners and opposition lawmakers over next year’s draft budget and his handling of discussions, LRT reported. Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius has urged Taurimas Valys to present the budget more actively, warning that a failed process could threaten both the minister’s position and the government.

The government is due to consider the budget on Friday. Smaller coalition partners say they learned about the draft from a press conference before it was discussed by the coalition council. Democrat Agnė Širinskienė called that poor practice and said the proposed deficit would exceed the Maastricht criteria.

The deficit is projected at about 3.8% of gross domestic product, above the European Union’s 3% limit. Coalition partners say Valys did not explain the budget’s revenue sources. Farmer Aušrinė Norkienė said they had offered proposals but received no response to their arguments.

Valys said additional information had been requested from other ministries and that an action plan was being prepared for inclusion in the budget. He said meetings he had agreed to attend were taking place and that further budget discussions were planned for the following week.

Opposition lawmakers also criticised the minister for missing meetings with parliamentary groups. Conservative Laurynas Kasčiūnas said Valys had not engaged with opposition groups or committee members. Viktoras Fiodorovas, head of the mixed parliamentary group, urged the minister to take part more fully in discussions and provide answers to the public.

Sinkevičius said he had asked Valys to begin an intensive round of presentations and press conferences, answering questions from the public and media. The head of the Democrats’ parliamentary group said the minister lacked competence and political experience, while some lawmakers from both the governing coalition and opposition were questioning whether to support the budget.