“In this world of old threats and new challenges, we must act both boldly and prudently. We must choose the right priorities, among which strengthening of statehood and national security in every way should be the most important,” said Speaker of the Seimas Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen at the start of the spring session.
“In this session, we will see more than one initiative related to national security matters, including economic and energy security, which ensures the stable development of the country’s economy,” she said.
In the congratulation conveyed by President Gitanas Nausėda, it was stated that the geopolitical context will inevitably affect the work of the parliament.
“Discussions on the security of the country, the region and the world and the search for appropriate solutions will continue to be the leitmotif of our work. I hear and welcome the decision of the Seimas to pay due attention to these issues. I hope that the spring session will be productive, and the content of the questions will not be drowned in the noise of political agitations”, said the head of state.
“At the same time, I invite you to remember that the country’s security is not only ensured by hard deterrent measures, but is also based on citizens’ willingness and readiness to defend their freedom. Therefore, attention to social exclusion, dignified old age, inclusive and quality education and areas that have not received due attention for a long time, such as transport infrastructure, must also remain in our focus,” he added.
Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė said that the Government plans to submit 89 draft packages of legal acts to the spring session of the Seimas. Some of them have already been considered, some have not yet been prepared.
“An extremely important dimension of the discussion will be security in the broadest sense, not only border defense, but also other aspects,” she said.
The Prime Minister reminded that it is necessary to accept the reform of the system of conscription for compulsory military service, which has already been submitted, and to extend the national sanctions against the citizens of Russia and Belarus. According to her, the Government plans to draft a new version of the Cyber Security Law, will also propose to extend the ban on the rebroadcasting of Russian and Belarusian television channels, and promises to present a program for the strengthening and development of Civil Protection.
According to I.Šimonytė, an important part of security is energy independence, therefore it is intended to present an energy independence agenda.
“It will aim to record new, even more ambitious goals – to produce 100% of clean energy and become a completely energy-independent state, while ensuring the availability of energy resources to consumers, safe and reliable infrastructure and creating a new energy industry in Lithuania”, asserted the Head of the Government.
It is planned to hold 54 meetings during the spring session. Four of them will be devoted to the agendas of the opposition factions.
According to the Constitution, the spring session lasts from March 10 to June 30.
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2024-04-18 18:17:36