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Traditionally, as before each ordinary session of the Seimas, President G. Nausėda congratulated the parliamentarians. It was read to parliamentarians by Seimas President Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen during the first session of the Seimas rostrum.
“Dear members of the Seimas, I congratulate you for attending the fall session of the Seimas. The Lithuanian state is going through a difficult period, we are at a crossroads where it seems that we must choose each step we take.
Guarantee public health or constitutional human rights to health, education, and social care services. Protection of state borders or the right to justice of people who try to enter our country illegally. For centuries, traditional family values have been appreciated or coexistence has been legalized, regardless of gender, ”the president wrote in his greeting.
According to G. Nausėda, these elections, especially when they are considered hasty, hearing only their arguments, provoke opposition in society, and their emotions spill out in waves of anger and protest.
“Do we really have to choose between ‘o’ or ‘o’?” Oppose the fight against a human rights pandemic? Illegal border crossing: the right to justice? The family: an opportunity to solve everyday problems by living together? Do we really have to live in a two-dimensional space where there are only “them” and “us”? Where, who is not with us, is against us? The president asked.
According to the president of the country, today the Seimas, as the representation of the nation, has a particularly important task to prevent these contradictions from growing and to continue seeking a dialogue that helps find the fairest solutions that strengthen rather than weaken the Lithuanian state.
“The force, the bison or the bulldozer must be replaced by reasoned discussion. Each of us has our own views on values, but let’s try to listen to others as well. It is a longer and effortless road. But I believe that only he can connect the opposing positions to the bridges. I have been, am and will be with those who follow this path of dialogue, “said G. Nausėda.
Autumn session of the Seimas: no rally under the windows, but with many unknowns
The Seimas is being called for a regular fall session on Friday: the new political season will begin without a planned rally under the windows of parliament, but surrounded by riot fences, as well as with many strangers on the agenda.
Before the legalization of the association, the Lithuanian Family Movement, which spoke about the Istanbul Convention, did not receive permission to hold a demonstration near the Seimas and the protest moved to the Cathedral Square.
Seimas spokesperson, leader of the Liberal Movement Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, identifies three main priorities for the session: decisions to be made in response to the coronavirus pandemic and the migration crisis, the social security package, the 2022 budget and related taxes. changes.
“There are three main blocks: what can be called threats, pandemics and migration, where we must be prepared to respond flexibly and quickly to the changing situation; the other block is social security laws: better protection for the most vulnerable groups. vulnerable, as well as the budget, fiscal initiatives, faster indexation of pensions, “V. Čmilytė-Nielsen told reporters.
In the session’s work program, the government promises to increase the salaries of the lowest paid employees, raise the base salary, propose to review tax benefits, increase protection against domestic violence, support young families, compensate for their housing, but most of the projects have not yet been registered.
Budgets and fiscal review
The main work of the fall session of the Seimas is traditionally the approval of the budgets of the state of the next year, Sodra and the Mandatory Health Insurance Fund. At the same time, a review of indefinite benefits and special tax treatment under the tax law are envisaged, but the tax review working groups have not yet presented options for accounts receivable drafts.
“The window for tax reform is slowly closing, as the political period is coming to an end and if we want fundamental adjustments to the tax system, we must do it now,” said President Gitanas Nausėda, who met with the Seimas Board. before the session. , urged the Seimas not to interfere with the tax review.
Mayoral elections
During the fall session, the Seimas will continue to consider amendments to the Constitution aimed at legalizing direct elections for mayors. The Constitution is amended as a result of a Constitutional Court ruling that recognizes that the current electoral regulations conflict with the fundamental law of the country. Only after the reform of the Constitution will it be possible to directly elect mayors during the municipal elections of 2023.
Referendum law
After the Constitutional Court recognized that the Referendum Law is in conflict with the Constitution according to the adoption procedure, because it had to be adopted as a constitutional law, the law that regulates referendums is currently invalid and a legal vacuum has arisen . The Seimas passed the draft new Referendum Law in the summer after its presentation and is expected to adopt it during the fall session.
Association validation
The ruling liberal parties are pushing for the Association Law to return to the agenda, but the head of parliament, V. Čmilytė-Nielsen, points out that he could be re-elected only after obtaining the required number of votes. In the spring, during the presentation stage, the Seimas rejected the draft of a gender-neutral association by a majority of two votes, and the Freedom Party promised to return in the fall with a compromise option.
Social Security
The Ministry of Social Security and Labor promises to reform the protection system against domestic violence, changes in the indexation of pensions, incentives for young families, support for the purchase of housing, but the projects are not yet registered. V. Čmilytė-Nielsen, in turn, intends to provide a package of family-related amendments on the coordination of career and childcare, the legalization of kindergartens and children’s rooms in large institutions.
Problems of national minorities
The session’s work program includes the National Minorities Act, as well as a draft on writing names on documents, but these drafts have yet to be published.
More than 400 projects in the program. The work program for the fall session included 430 draft legal acts without accompanying legal acts. Some bills have been carried over from previous parliamentary sessions. The Government proposed to include 127 bills in the session’s work program, President G. Nausėda, eight, and the Seimas factions, 270.
The Seimas meets in two regular sessions a year: the spring session lasts from March 10 to June 30, and the fall session, from September 10 to December 23.
Comment from Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen before the Seimas session:
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