EU – Baltic States, GDP, Lithuania, Security

The agreement calls for increasing defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030, up by 0.5 percentage points from this year's target of 2%, and for decisions on introducing universal military conscription to be made in 2022.

The document was signed by leaders of the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LFGU), the Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats, the Liberal Movement, the Lithuanian Social Democratic Labor Party (LSDLP) and the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania–Christian Families Alliance (EAPL-CFA).

Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis said that the agreement "will strengthen our state" and "shows that our key political parties can find consensus on the most important issues". 

"It (the document) will never be perfect, but it is as close as possible to what we want as much as possible," he said at the signing ceremony.

Gintautas Paluckas has said that his Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) will not sign the deal, because they do not back a rapid increase in defense spending and are opposed to universal conscription. 

Compared with the initial version, several points were added to the document to include commitments to adopt a law on national minorities and draw up a national strategy for the protection of democracy against hybrid threats.

The initiators of the new deal say it would help ensure a consistent defense policy that will not be influenced by election cycles and changes in the political government.

The last time the country's political parties signed an agreement on defense and security policy was in 2014, shortly after the annexation of Crimea by Russia. Its key provision of increasing defense spending to 2% of GDP is set to be implemented this year.