Press release, 10 March 2016
On 10 March 2016, Loreta Graužinienė, Speaker of the Seimas, and Algirdas Butkevičius, Prime Minister, presented the agenda of the eighth (spring) session to the Parliament.
Speaking about the key tasks, Loreta Graužinienė noted that this was a special session due to very important laws, whose adoption would play a significant role in our economy and social life.
“We have much hard and serious work ahead: 50 sittings are to be held in almost four months, which means 25 days of plenary sittings. Meanwhile, the work programme lists over 1 000 draft laws,” said the Speaker of the Seimas.
In this context, Mrs Graužinienė stressed that the abundance of the legislation before Parliament required focusing on the priorities. “May I suggest that the Seimas committees once again carefully evaluate the real possibilities and review the priorities? I would like to stress the importance of the quality of laws. It is essential that the Seimas passes high quality laws, which, when applied in reality, cause no problems. It is not the quantity or the struggle to make more legislative proposals that matters. It is rather the quality,” emphasised the Speaker of the Seimas.
She added that a lively debate on the social model was expected in this session, as that legislative package was all-inclusive, extensive and very important. “Consideration of this package should harmonise the positions of employees and employers [...]. It is essential to ensure social security for the employed. I would like to point out that, in my opinion, employers and employees may not be put on equal ground, since the employer will always be more socially vulnerable,” underlined Loreta Graužinienė.
Meanwhile, presenting the Government’s draft legislation, Algirdas Butkevičius remarked that “geopolitical dynamics obliges us to strengthen the security of our country also through economic reforms so that Lithuania could be a competitive and economically strong country able to fulfil public expectations.”
As to the social model, the Prime Minister stressed its importance as well. “Businessmen, economists, researchers and most politicians speak with one voice that more flexible labour relations are as necessary as oxygen for the viability of the Lithuanian economy. The idea is also supported by the specialists, in particular the youth, looking for well-paid jobs in Lithuania. [...] We all seek to develop a single, economically reasonable and coherent system, which would increase the employment rates, improve working relations and promote investment,” said Mr Butkevičius.
Furthermore, the Prime Minister presented the main draft laws on the improvement of business environment; state regulation of education and studies; reform of civil service; regulation of the conditions for various activities in protected areas; reduction of administrative burden on economic entities; transparent public governance and asset management; ongoing reforms in health care; protection of the rights of the child; and other matters. Among questions of public concern, Algirdas Butkevičius mentioned the new form of online voting and issues of national defence.
Following the approval by 77 votes in favour, 11 against and 17 abstentions, the draft work programme will be referred for discussion to parliamentary committees and political groups. The Seimas plans to return to the consideration of the work programme at its sitting on 15 March.
The registered draft work programme of the spring session includes over 700 draft laws (accompanying legislation excluded), out of which 195 are proposed by the Government, 22 by President Dalia Grybauskaitė and over 385 by members of the Seimas (political groups). Moreover, the session will hear the annual State of the Nation Address by Dalia Grybauskaitė and the annual activity report by the Government.
Rimas Rudaitis
Senior Specialist
Press Office
Information and Communication Department
tel. +370 5 239 6132, e-mail: [email protected]
