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“October is the month of the elderly. Both this month and the recently mentioned International Day of the Elderly are important not only for you, but for all of us, because the civilization of a state can be judged by how it cares about people. greater.
I am determined and will continue to strive for the greatest and most respectful attention to be paid to the elderly in our country. I call on the new Seimas and the Government to make a joint effort to guarantee good emotional well-being and a dignified life for all older people. My goal is for pensions to grow faster than wages in Lithuania: the average pension should reach 50% as soon as possible. the national average wage.
We must also take into account the development of services for the elderly. Because the risk of poverty rate of more than a third of the country’s retirees is intolerable, “he said, urging the elderly to express their expectations and suggestions to improve the needs and situation of the elderly in the country.
According to older people, even though pensions are growing, they are growing too slowly, and although we are full members of the European Union for 16 years, our country’s pensions are not catching up with Europe. In the Taurage region, pensions are one of the lowest in the country: the average is just 294 euros, while the country’s average old-age pension is 377 euros. The fact that pensions in Lithuania are not adequate is also demonstrated by the fact that the average pension is below the risk-of-poverty threshold.
Last year, the president submitted amendments to the Social Security Pension Law to Seimas to accelerate the increase in old-age pensions, cooperated with the government to increase the minimum pension and the welfare base, and demanded that pensions be indexed. in the next years. be stopped.
“The law was passed, people’s legitimate expectations for a faster increase in pensions have already been formed. But today, I still see the risk that, under the guise of other priorities, a lack of funds, or the unsustainable idea of a 13th pension, budget makers may seek to increase pensions more slowly. That would be very bad for older people, said the head of state.
According to the president, the fastest increase in pensions is a matter of values and the principle of priorities in the country, because the state budget has the necessary opportunities for that. The modifications to the Personal Income Tax Law previously registered by the President, the reform of the public procurement system and the decisive decisions of the institutions on shadow reduction initiatives in the Seimas would help accumulate more financial resources for this end.
The meeting also discussed the availability of health services for the elderly and the lack of social services. The president assured that a greater focus is needed in its development.
“In addition to improving income adequacy, we need to ensure a well-developed network of services, with a stronger focus on home and community services. “I will demand from the future Government the strengthening of services for the elderly, the reform of nursing care, which was promised but not yet implemented during this period of the Seimas and the Government,” said the president.
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