„I view this idea positively. I believe there are two issues, two areas—the pillars of our state—where parties could truly find common ground on long-term commitments and reach an agreement: defence and, of course, solutions to demographic problems,“ Laurynas Kasčiūnas, chairman of the Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD), told ELTA.
„The TS-LKD is already working on this issue; we are currently preparing analytical material on what the state can do in the area of demographics. We must clearly understand that any decisions we make today will, at best, only begin to affect birth rates and strengthen families in a few years—perhaps even later. This issue transcends the boundaries of a single term. Therefore, we need to agree on issues that are long-term and address existential questions for the state: both defence and demographics,“ he emphasised.
However, the Conservative leader urged Sinkevičius to take the initiative and renew the defence provisions of the party agreements.
„I would very much like the chairman to respond to our proposal regarding the defence agreement. We will respond very positively to his proposal on demographics. These two topics could go hand in hand, and we, the parties, could come together and seriously address these issues,“ explained Kasčiūnas.
Čmilytė-Nielsen: A discussion in a joint format would be beneficial
For her part, Liberal Movement Chairwoman Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen states that, upon receiving an invitation, the political force she leads would join such an initiative.
„This is a long-term issue. It could be a good way to separate what is pure fluff, like discos, from what could work in the long run. A joint discussion would be beneficial. As for how much it would lead to concrete decisions—we’ll see,“ Čmilytė-Nielsen told ELTA.
„If there were such an invitation, such an initiative, the liberals would join in. During the previous term, when we proposed initiatives to balance family and career, the Seimas gave them broad support. This means there are points of common ground between very different political forces on this issue, and they can be found,“ she emphasised.
However, the politician also stressed that the parties’ agreement on defence should not be forgotten.
„We’ve been talking about defence since the very beginning of the term, but the Social Democrats showed no interest. We still need to return to this idea,“ said Čmilytė-Nielsen.
Sinkevičius: It’s Time to unite
Meanwhile, Virginijus Sinkevičius, interim Chairman of the Democratic Union Vardan Lietuvos, says that the parties should have united on the issue of demographics long ago.
„I believe it is high time for political parties to unite and discuss an issue such as demographics,“ Sinkevičius told ELTA.
„I would certainly accept such an invitation to sit down at the table, but that invitation must also include a commitment that whatever we agree upon, we will implement. As of today, I see scattered proposals and resolutions, but no concrete actions by the government,“ he emphasised.
However, according to Sinkevičius, the Social Democrats in the Seimas rejected the Democrats’ initiatives related to demographics and family policy.
„Does this symbolise a lack of ideas, or is it an admission that they are unable to handle the challenges? Nevertheless, the Democratic Union Vardan Lietuvos is always ready. Our latest proposal on the opposition agenda concerned unused parental leave, allowing it to be taken over a longer period if parents return to work earlier. We argued that current maternity benefits do not reflect reality and that the ceiling should be significantly raised, and that daycare should be guaranteed for children from 18 months of age. We proposed all of these measures during this term of the Seimas, and the Social Democrats rejected them all,“ said the politician.
As reported, in an interview with ELTA, Sinkevičius mentioned that political parties may need to reach a consensus on measures to address the demographic crisis. According to him, this issue is a matter of national survival.
„Our colleagues say we need to renew that party agreement on security and defence. Fine, we can do that—this is typically a Conservative initiative—so let’s agree. But let’s also agree on what we’re going to do about the existential national and political situation regarding demographics,“ Sinkevičius stated in the interview with ELTA.
„I think we’ll need to sit down and discuss this. There will be initiatives: the president, the Ministry of Social Security and Labour, and the parties will propose them. There are so many of these measures: benefits, child care funds, and raising the ceiling. However, the situation is not changing radically or fundamentally. And this is a fundamental, existential issue for the state,“ he replied when asked whether an agreement among political parties was needed on this matter.
As reported, in early April, the Ministry of Health (MoH) drafted amendments to the Assisted Reproduction Act, proposing to liberalise the provision of assisted reproduction services to ensure equal opportunities for single women and unmarried couples to have children, and passed the first vote in the Seimas.
To improve the country’s demographic situation and increase the population’s opportunities to have children, it is also proposed to grant the right to receive assisted reproduction services to individuals who have not entered into a marriage or registered partnership but have been living together for at least one year, as well as to single women with a medically substantiated diagnosis of low birth rate.
In March, the government declared 2027–2028 the „Year of the Family“—eight ministries are proposing family policy measures to address the demographic crisis.
Last November, Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė presented plans to rename parental leave, and the government announced a public competition.