Laima Liucija Andrikienė: Debate between academia and business on universal basic income deserves serious political attention

Press Release, 3 February 2021

‘The Universal Basic Income (UBI) is a new topic in Lithuania. However, experiments in other countries – Canada, Iran, Germany, Mongolia, and Finland – are in progress for several years now. Over the recent years, UBI has appeared on the agendas of the World Bank, the European Parliament, and the European Commission,’ Dr Laima Liucija Andrikienė, Member of the Seimas Committee for the Future, noted in a discussion organised by Kazimieras Simonavičius University (KSU) and business associations on 2 February 2021. Other participants of the discussion included Rimas Varkulevičius, President of the Association of Lithuanian Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Crafts; Rūta Skyrienė, Executive Director of the Investors’ Forum; heads and representatives of the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists, Lithuanian Confederation of Employers, other business associations, and Members of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, including Kazys Starkevičius, Chair of the Committee on Economics; and Mindaugas Lingė, Chair of the Committee on Social Affairs and Labour.

Ms Andrikienė expressed her satisfaction that the discussion was attended by scientists, representatives of associated business structures, experts, and politicians. ‘During the election campaign, all the ruling coalition parties promised to consult the public on all issues. Fight against poverty, social exclusion, COVID-19, consequences of any potential future pandemics, and challenges of the industrial revolution 4.0 call for public attention as cross-cutting problems for which there are no quick and simple solutions. Pre-emptive preparation as well as debate with a range of social groups are essential to properly addressing these matters,’ Ms Andrikienė said.

‘The UBI studies carried out in Lithuania so far have been poor and fragmented. Kazimieras Simonavičius University (Prof. Birutė Visokavičienė and others), together with scientists from other European countries, is studying and modelling UBI opportunities in Lithuania. The introduction of UBI implies a major reform and transformation in many areas, from financial management to qualitative change in the provision of public services. This requires considerable preparatory work,’ notes Prof. Arūnas Augustinaitis, Rector of KSU. In his opinion, raising this topic from the depths of science to the level of public debate among businesses and politicians is very timely, as most countries are currently studying and conducting experiments on how society will meet the challenges of the digital future.

During the discussion, Prof. Augustinaitis stressed that ‘UBI is not about implementing the utopian idea of global equality in terms of monetary distribution, as may appear at first sight. Rather, it is about the development of a new social economic mechanism and guidelines for an innovation-driven society. This will necessitate substantial reform and adaptation of many areas to suit the prospects of the new globalised world. Clearly, sooner or later, most of the currently leading countries will move in this direction. Thus, the priority of the UBI-related matters on the agenda of the European Union will be as high as that of the current Green Deal”.

Aldona Drėgvaitė, tel. + 370 612 15698, e-mail: [email protected],