Said / Done. He swore that the thirteenth pension was not a “electoral stunt.” So where is she?

The initiative to change the law and every year since December 2021 almost 600 thousand. The thirteenth pension of the country’s population to pay 200 euros was shown by the Polish Lithuanian Election Campaign – Union of Christian Families (LLRA-KŠS).

This party did not enter the newly elected Seimas.

The proposal was also actively supported by the Lithuanian Union of Greens and Peasants, which included it in its electoral program.

Promised to find financing

Talks about the need to legalize the thirteenth pension arose not only in the context of the elections, but also in the context of budget deliberations: legalizing this benefit would uncouple some 120-180 million euros for the state in one year. euros.

“Our economic situation is such that we can really have this law and we can afford such pleasure: paying the thirteenth pension,” said Ramūnas Karbauskis, leader of the “peasants”, before the presentation of the bill in the Seimas.

S. Skvernelis, a member of the Seimas faction and now acting Prime Minister, did not doubt the Seimas determination to legalize his thirteenth pension.

“It just came to our knowledge then. I think this is one of the ways of speaking of one of the most vulnerable social groups, which could be an additional stimulus,” said the Prime Minister.

He said that after the presentation, the government would prepare a conclusion and seek financing for the payment of this pension.

The government has provided sources of funding.

“The government has provided funding sources for the law to be enforced,” S. Skvernelis told reporters in the Seimas on October 20, but did not want to reveal what those sources would be.

The Prime Minister explained that the sources would be named if the Seimas adopts amendments to the law, and made it clear that there is no line for the payment of the thirteenth pension in next year’s draft budget.

“There can be no budgeted expenses when they are not yet established by law. <...> When there is a law, the source will be named, “said S. Skvernelis.

Not only the opposition but also the ministers were skeptical

The members of the Government under his leadership were not brave enough to join the ranks of the thirteenth pension: Finance Minister Vilius Šapoka assured that the country must now avoid long-term financial obligations and that pension will certainly not be in the next year’s budget.

The Minister of Social Security and Labor, Linas Kukuraitis, did not hide that the proposal to pay the thirteenth pension is an electoral step.

“In this case, as it appeared in the Seimas, you could predict that it is an electoral proposal and you can see that the party that proposed it, namely the Polish Lithuanian electoral campaign, did not get that card for them, did not succeed attract many more voters “After the Seimas elections, L. Kukuraitis commented on the news on October 20.

“Even if such a pension could emerge, it should be based on both sustainable finance and social justice,” he added.

The opposition did not question the fact that the election is the only reason to talk about the thirteenth pension.

“I think the thirteenth pension will probably no longer be there. I think these electoral promises will be forgotten. And that voter is a pensioner who is waiting for that thirteenth pension … That promise may not have been fulfilled,” he commented on LRT television. the Social Democrat Rasa Budbergytė.

You are trying to donate 200 euros to the last meeting before the elections, so that it turns out like
Kalėdų seneliai.

And the conservative Gintarė Skaistė spoke directly to the rulers.

“It just came to our knowledge then pasifrantinimas, when you try to donate 200 euros for the last session before the elections, they appear as Santa Claus. <...> However, poverty and poverty eradication are not linked to lump sums. It seems to me that it would be much more consistent to increase old-age pensions, which are paid monthly, instead of donating gifts once a year, ”he said at the Seimas session.

He assured that the proposal was not related to the election.

But the prime minister disagreed with such assessments.

“It just came to our notice then. If you look steadily, they (LLRA-KŠS) raised those ideas a long time ago, from the first days of the quarter. This is not an election gimmick. More than 10 states have such [pensiją] one way or another, “he explained.

“Seniors are the group in society that needs such additional income, it’s just a question of how Seimas will decide,” added S. Skvernelis.

R. Karbauskis took the same position.

“The thirteenth pension had nothing to do with the election. If anyone does not understand this, I will repeat it, because it is not a Lithuanian prank. The thirteenth pension is legalized in several countries of the European Union, as well as in our neighboring Poland ”, he said.

And Robertas Šarknickas, a member of the “peasant” faction, suggested not paying attention to the background of the elections.

“It just came to our notice then. This idea has been around for a long time, it has been debated not only in this Seimas, but also in the past Seimas. Now we have the opportunity to implement it and let’s all help together, and there will be no need to scale further. “he urged during the Seimas session.

MEPs did so, with a majority in favor of the proposal to legalize the thirteenth pension at the presentation stage.

The government is late with the conclusion

The Seimas also asked the government to prepare a conclusion on the project. This is followed by a debate in the Committee on Social Affairs and Labor and, on November 10, in the Seimas.

But none of that happened, and the government is late to the conclusion.

The Seimas Board requested conclusions on the thirteenth pension project on October 15. According to the Statute of the Seimas, the Government had four weeks to prepare it, but so far it has not done so. It is only being prepared for your consideration.

“The Ministry of Labor and Social Security (SADM) presented to the Government a draft resolution coordinated with other institutions on November 18, 2020. According to our data, it is planned to include the issue on the agenda of the meeting of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania on December 2, 2020 ”, – in reply 15 minutes said Aida Žemaitytė-Budnikienė, Chief Specialist of the Communications Division of the Ministry.

Public Relations Division of the Government Chancellery in response 15 minutes He stated that he had received the draft conclusion prepared by the Ministry of Social Affairs and that it was expected to be discussed at the inter-institutional meeting of representatives of the ministries on December 1 and at the Government meeting on December 2.

No one explained why the document was being drafted.

No funds found

In its draft conclusions, the Ministry of Social Affairs expressed its general support for the initiative to legalize the thirteenth pension, but stressed that now “there is no possibility of incurring additional financial obligations”: it was proposed to pay the benefit from 2022 instead from 2021.

The ministry also proposed differentiating the amount of the 13th pension according to income, linking it to rising inflation and anticipating the circumstances in which this benefit would not be paid.

After the Seimas elections in October, the “peasants” left power to the conservatives and found themselves in opposition. The party leader, R. Karbauskis, began to doubt that the thirteenth pension was still legalized.

It would probably be difficult to get 71 votes for any project we propose.

“In practice, the question is whether we will be able to mobilize all the members of our Seimas <...>. It is difficult to say that it will probably be difficult to get 71 votes for any project we propose, “said R. Karbauskis after the second round of the Seimas elections, calling it one of the most important works that the” peasants “will try to implement in the time left.

It is true that R. Karbauskis recently left the Seimas and left the issue of the thirteenth pension – like the others – to the will of fate. We were unable to reach him on Thursday and discuss it.

The conservative of the Seimas, the chairman of the Commission for Social Affairs and Labor, Mindaugas Lingė, did not begin to assess whether the commission, as well as the newly elected Seimas, would support the initiative regarding the thirteenth pension. It is true, he stressed that the proposal should be considered by the newly formed government.

“When the government reviews a second time everything related to finances and additional resources, it evaluates the possibilities, and when it returns, we will consider all those laws according to the procedures of the Seimas.” 15 minutes M.Lingė commented.

The draft budget is now being developed by the Government. His second reading at the Seimas is on December 17.