President Grybauskaitė's veto threat will likely be taken seriously by the Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius (left), whose unstable government will need all the votes it can get to pass another unpopular, austerity-centered budget this fall.
VILNIUS — Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė announced that she would veto the national budget if it passes with social benefit cuts without a plan to reimburse pension funds, which were cut as an anti-crisis measure.
Pension funds lost their contributions from the government, and many Lithuanians in their twilight years are staring down the barrel of poverty until death. As part of the government’s effort to drive for the euro, contributions to second pillar pensions were decreased and [private_supervisor]pensioners faced an average 11 percent cut in their monthly stipend. Now the government has to juggle contributions to the second and first pillar pensions while keeping both funds solvent while the country ages and tens of thousands of working-age people head west for better job prospects.
Despite the enthusiasm for the euro, the president said they needed to look after the country’s aging population.
“I want to remind you that it has to be done, and I have talked today with the social minister again. I will not sign any additional decisions to cut the benefits until the previous commitments have been fulfilled. The government promised to announce the mechanism of compensations by the July first. These are my conditions,” Grybauskaitė told journalists on Monday.
The president declared that she would only comment on bills that were passed in Seimas.
As part of its new wave of austerity measures, the government is planning to reduce maternity benefits and increase the retirement age to 65. [/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]pensioners faced an average 11 percent cut in their monthly stipend. Now the government has to juggle contributions to the second and first pillar pensions while keeping both funds solvent while the country ages and tens of thousands of working-age people head west for better job prospects.
Despite the enthusiasm for the euro, the president said they needed to look after the country’s aging population.
“I want to remind you that it has to be done, and I have talked today with the social minister again. I will not sign any additional decisions to cut the benefits until the previous commitments have been fulfilled. The government promised to announce the mechanism of compensations by the July first. These are my conditions,” Grybauskaitė told journalists on Monday.
The president declared that she would only comment on bills that were passed in Seimas.
As part of its new wave of austerity measures, the government is planning to reduce maternity benefits and increase the retirement age to 65. [/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]pensioners faced an average 11 percent cut in their monthly stipend. Now the government has to juggle contributions to the second and first pillar pensions while keeping both funds solvent while the country ages and tens of thousands of working-age people head west for better job prospects.
Despite the enthusiasm for the euro, the president said they needed to look after the country’s aging population.
“I want to remind you that it has to be done, and I have talked today with the social minister again. I will not sign any additional decisions to cut the benefits until the previous commitments have been fulfilled. The government promised to announce the mechanism of compensations by the July first. These are my conditions,” Grybauskaitė told journalists on Monday.
The president declared that she would only comment on bills that were passed in Seimas.
As part of its new wave of austerity measures, the government is planning to reduce maternity benefits and increase the retirement age to 65. [/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]pensioners faced an average 11 percent cut in their monthly stipend. Now the government has to juggle contributions to the second and first pillar pensions while keeping both funds solvent while the country ages and tens of thousands of working-age people head west for better job prospects.
Despite the enthusiasm for the euro, the president said they needed to look after the country’s aging population.
“I want to remind you that it has to be done, and I have talked today with the social minister again. I will not sign any additional decisions to cut the benefits until the previous commitments have been fulfilled. The government promised to announce the mechanism of compensations by the July first. These are my conditions,” Grybauskaitė told journalists on Monday.
The president declared that she would only comment on bills that were passed in Seimas.
As part of its new wave of austerity measures, the government is planning to reduce maternity benefits and increase the retirement age to 65. [/private_subscription 1 year]
— This is a paid article. To subscribe or extend your subscription, click here.
