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The programme of the 17th Government was presented to the Lithuanian Seimas

Press release, 6 December 2016

 

The appointed Prime Minister, Saulius Skvernelis, introduced the new ministers to the Seimas. He also submitted to the Parliament the Programme drawn up by the 17th Government, led by the coalition of the Lithuanian Peasant and Greens Union and the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party.

While presenting the Government Programme for 2016–2020, Mr Skvernelis emphasised the consistency of the document and the underlying principle of horizontal cooperation employed for addressing fundamental problems and issues in corpore, without bringing areas covered by individual ministries into the fore. Holistic approach to problems means that they are seen as convergent, cross-cutting and interdependent.

In the field of social security, the Programme pledges to develop a family-friendly environment, apply an integrated approach to foster care and adoption, provide support to NGOs and communities providing services to families, reduce violence, and combat bullying.

In healthcare, the Programme objectives are to develop an efficient and transparent healthcare system, improve working conditions for health professionals, and ensure effective prevention and early detection of disease. The Government will actively combat unhealthy habits and aim at limitation of trade in alcoholic beverages to specialised shops. Among other measures, it will strive to raise to 20 the minimum age for purchase and consumption of spirits, and to increase excise duties for alcohol and tobacco.

The Government Programme also addresses poverty and regional divide. It foresees investment in regional job creation, entrepreneurship and attractiveness of Lithuania’s regions, comprehensive services, and employment opportunities for the elderly. 

The Government will seek to provide quality education accessible to all; continuous teacher training, skills development and retraining systems. The Government plans to abandon the “student’s basket” (student voucher) principle. For improved allocation of funds it will introduce the “class package” model and establish the procedures ensuring full-time teacher remuneration. 

Significant attention will be given to culture, as the Government plans to improve the culture support system and achieve inclusive culture accessible to all. The aim will be to strengthen regional educational and cultural centres, such as libraries, youth centres, and other institutions, as well as reinforce rural communities.

In the field of finance, the Government will seek to ensure transparent public finance policy, introduce a simpler and fairer tax policy and a balanced pension system, and reduce shadow economy. The Government is planning to establish a four-pillar pension system, to increase the average retirement pension by up to EUR 40 with effect from 1 July 2017, to complete the process of pension reimbursement, to limit the emergence of new VAT reliefs, revise personal income tax reliefs, and look into the possibility of merging the fees shouldered by the employee and the employer.

The future Government will seek to reduce the number of public institutions, propose organising parliamentary elections at the beginning of the year, and prevent parliamentarians from taking offices of ministers. In strengthening regional policy, the Programme will explore the opportunities of relocating the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture to Kaunas, Lithuania’s second largest city.

The Government will seek to implement an effective foreign policy, a public security policy, and a defence policy that corresponds to the geopolitical challenges. It also commits itself to seeking open bilateral dialogue and cooperation with Poland, based on shared security and economic interests as well as mutual respect, in addressing the current challenges.

After the delivery at the Seimas, the Government Programme will be considered in the political groups and parliamentary committees in accordance with the procedure laid down in the Statute of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania. Political groups and committees are entitled to invite the Prime Minister or any minister for a hearing in order to get replies to their questions at the time coordinated in advance. Discussion and adoption of the Government Programme at the Seimas is scheduled for 13 December 2016. Members of the Government will be sworn in immediately after the adoption of the Programme.

Rimas Rudaitis, Senior Specialist, Press Office, Information and Communication Department, tel. +370 5 239 6132, e-mail: [email protected]