Lithuania’s Social Security and Labour Minister Inga Ruginienė, nominated by the Social Democratic Party for prime minister, said Wednesday her priorities would include agreeing on a balanced state budget, revising social support indicators, accelerating pension growth, improving access to health care and speeding up investment decisions.
“My determination is not to tear things down, but to build on what has been started,” Ruginienė wrote in a Facebook post. “The key thing in the near future will be to agree on a balanced three-year state budget, the minimum monthly wage will definitely be increased, and, together with the social partners, we need to make the decisions necessary to attract investment more quickly.”
She said social support rates would need to be reviewed to better assist low-income families and pledged to address high poverty levels.
“We will also improve access to health services and accelerate the growth of pensions,” she said, adding she was confident the “essential objective of ensuring social and external border security” would be met.
Ruginienė is scheduled to meet President Gitanas Nausėda for the second time later Wednesday amid ongoing government reshuffles and negotiations over a new ruling majority.
Her nomination requires the president’s submission and approval by the Seimas, Lithuania’s parliament.
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