Lithuania proposes €770m family support package, but opposition questions funding

Facing sharply declining birth rates, Lithuania's government last week presented a legislative package of family support measures worth 770 million euros. The Social Security and Labour Ministry, which drafted the plan, says the state budget and the Sodra social insurance fund will provide sustainable funding.

Free school meals

One of the most ambitious of the nine measures would provide free school meals, on a buffet-style basis, to students through 10th grade starting in 2029, with the state covering costs. Health Minister Linas Kukuraitis described it as a public health investment, saying every euro spent would yield a two-euro return, and emphasized it aims to build healthy eating habits rather than directly raise birth rates. The government also wants schools to prepare meals themselves using locally sourced produce, as Agriculture Minister Kęstutis Mažeika noted that cheaper imported goods, often from Poland, are currently used and affect food quality.

Opposition pushback

Opposition lawmakers argue the free-meal measure alone could account for nearly half the package's total cost, and have questioned why it is scheduled to start only in 2029 — after the next elections, when the current Social Democrat-led government may no longer be in power. Homeland Union lawmaker Gintarė Skaistė said no specific funding sources have been identified, accusing the government of planning spending without a real plan to cover it and leaving the burden to a future government.

Even some lawmakers within the governing coalition have raised concerns. The chairman of parliament's Budget and Finance Committee said both spending and revenue need scrutiny, and cautioned against passing laws that take effect years down the line without secured funding. Another coalition MP suggested some costs, such as those for summer camps and youth activities, could instead be shifted to the Education Ministry's budget, and warned against treating current cost estimates as final before reforms to the school meal supply system are made.