Budget, Financial Services, Insurance, Lithuania, Pensioners

"I can guarantee you that we will not increase the deficit of SoDra's budget. And we are indeed committed to people, so they feel that their needs are being taken into consideration," the prime minister told radio Ziniu Radijas.

Based on the estimates of the Ministry of Social Security and Labour, pensions from July 2016 may grow by around 6% as SoDra earned extra revenues. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Butkevicius told journalists after Wednesday's sitting that he would like pensions to increase already from January.

According to the data of SoDra, in the first half of 2015 compared with the first half of 2014, its budget deficit decreased by EUR 60 million and amounted to EUR 152.8 million. At the moment the average monthly pension in Lithuania is EUR 256. Approximately 600,000 people receive old-age pensions, while another 200,000 get disability pensions. From 1 July 2015 the basic pension was increased by 3 EUR to EUR 108. The insurable earnings also grew by EUR 3 to EUR 434.