Čmilytė-Nielsen says government turmoil overshadows Lithuanian politics

Opposition Liberal Movement leader Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen said on Saturday that turmoil among the governing parties was overshadowing national politics, and warned that future governments would have to deal with rising state debt, LRT reported.

Speaking at a party council meeting in Vilnius, she said decisions on defence were seriously delayed and questioned whether the government would deliver on its promises. Plans were announced one day and found to lack clear funding or agreement the next, she said, adding that there was no accountability for what would happen afterward.

Čmilytė-Nielsen said people faced uncertainty when decisions were delayed and priorities kept changing. She also warned that the government’s approach was affecting municipalities, which were being assigned new responsibilities without funding and could not predict what decisions to expect from the state.

The Liberal Movement said in a resolution adopted on Saturday that it would not support next year’s state budget proposal, citing what it considers an excessively rapid rise in debt. The government’s draft budget for 2027 projects a general government deficit of 3.8% of gross domestic product, above the 3% reference limit set by the Maastricht criteria.

The draft puts 2027 budget revenue, including EU funds, at 22.2 billion euros, up 5.2% from this year. Spending is projected at 27.9 billion euros, an increase of 1.3%, while EU and other financial support is expected to total 3.2 billion euros.

Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius told 15min this week that the governing parties would probably agree on additional measures to increase budget revenue and reduce the projected deficit. He also said he would propose a long-term plan to bring the deficit back within the Maastricht limit.

The Liberal Movement is selecting its candidates for mayor in next year’s municipal elections, scheduled for March 7.