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“The government’s proposed measures to preserve jobs are welcome. However, the proposed lump-sum benefits to supplement the pension are simply an attempt to buy the favor of this group of people just a month or two before the election. de Seimas. Seeing the huge funds lent by the Government and allocated by the European Commission to stimulate the economy, we propose not to bet flat-rate, but to direct this money to solve the structural problem of poverty of single pensioners, “said G Skaistė.
“Seeing the rising relative poverty level of people of retirement age, especially single pensioners, late last year we proposed to create a support system for single people.” He proposed that all single people of retirement age be paid a pension for a single person of 0.3 social assistance (€ 42), which would be paid not only to widows but also to old-age pensioners who never married or They got divorced. A similar measure was included in the Government’s program, which required widow’s pensions to be replaced by benefits for a single person for the second quarter of 2019. However, at the Government meeting, it was recommended to reject our proposed bill . Now, looking at the problems facing one of the most vulnerable groups in society, our lonely older adults, we invite you to come back to discuss creating a support system for lonely people, ”said L. Kasčiūnas.
In their appeal, Seimas members call on the Government to focus not only on lump sums, but also to address the long-term structural problem of poverty among single people of retirement age to tackle and significantly allocate large funds to combat the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Eurostat, Lithuania leads the European Union in terms of the increase in the level of poverty of pensioners. Since 2015, the poverty rate of pensioners in our country has increased from 27.6 percent. up to 41.7 percent. In Lithuania, pensioner poverty is almost 3 times higher than the EU average: 14.9 percent. The National Network of Organizations for Poverty Reduction also highlights single people as a particularly vulnerable group in society. According to them, the poverty rate among single people exceeds 50 percent.
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