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International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Thursday, 25.04.2024, 19:28

More promises and plans mentioned Lithuanian Government's report than completed tasks

Petras Vaidas, BC, Vilnius, 23.04.2014.Print version
On Tuesday Prime Minister of Lithuania Algirdas Butkevicius presented the Government's report of the activities of 2013 to the Parliament. There were still more promises and plans mentioned than completed tasks, informs LETA/ELTA, referring to Lietuvos rytas.

Economy continues to grow, energy projects are quickly moving forward, emigration is decreasing and the country is becoming more attractive to foreign investors. That was what Butkevicius's optimistic report focused on, while the Left and the Right of the Parliament were involved in a dispute who should take credit for that.

 

The daily Respublika asked Albertas Sinevicius, a former minister of industry and trade in several governments, how he assessed the first year of Butkevicius's Government and if it worked better than Andrius Kubilius's Cabinet of Ministers. "The main shortcoming of the current Government is inability to reach an understanding with Poland. In Lithuania electricity links are being built, Rail Baltica project is being implemented. But what of that if nothing happens in Poland. Moreover, there is a minister of agriculture but there is no livestock. They say that the Americans or the Chinese will buy meat produced by us but we don't have it for ourselves. The main difference between the two governments is that this one brought some tranquillity. Some people are making fun of Butkevicius that one day he says something but the next day changes his mind. However, the information flow is immense and after saying something he shouldn't be expected to repeat the same, like Kubilius did stubbornly without taking into consideration the changes. The situation is also more reassuring for businesspersons because they know that there will be no sudden drastic changes as in Kubilius's Government," said Albertas Sinevicius.

 

Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius highlighted the successfully launched renovation of apartment blocks which lead to revival of construction business, the initiated structural reorganisation of the heat sector and the implementation of strategic energy projects. Political scientists evaluated the Government's report with a score of 8 points out of 10.

 

Political scientist of Kaunas University of Technology Prof Dr Algis Krupavicius described the report as encyclopaedic. "Perhaps the prime minister should have mentioned 2-3 major problems which are intended to be addressed in the agenda. I really missed this. It wouldn't have blemished the report but only improved it. One could definitely give eight points," stated Krupavicius.

 

The report presented by the leader of the Social Democrats Algirdas Butkevicius has not convinced his predecessor in the prime minister's office Andrius Kubilius. Thus the latter presented his personal "real" version of the report. The Conservative wondered why Butkevicius was pleased the most with the results which allegedly had nothing to do with him. "Consistent improvement of various indicators showcased in the report is a clear continuation of trends which began in 2010-2011," Kubilius declared. According to Kubilius, the Government should thank its precursor "for steadily steering the economic crisis" and its own inaction "for not ruining the economic recovery which began earlier."






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