„The proposal has surprised me. (&) In my view, it is possible to conduct regional policies and strengthen the self-government by using multiple existing instruments rather than establishing a separate ministry,“ the parliamentary speaker told reporters in the Seimas on Thursday.
The Liberal Movement’s leader was also critical of the idea that one of the ministries could be relocated to another city. Referring to the case of the Ministry of Agriculture, Čmilytė-Nielsen said it would be „more of a show-off move“, while more options are available to give a greater benefit to regions.
Nausėda told the Forum of Regions on Wednesday a new ministry could take over the responsibility for shaping regional policies from the Ministry of the Interior, contributing to boosting the autonomy the local self-government.
Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė said Thursday the idea is worth considering, but suggests to think about overall public administration.
„I would say not so much a Ministry of Regions, but perhaps more of a Ministry of Public Administration. It could be in charge not only for municipal affairs or regional affairs, but also for public management, the civil service and similar issues,“ Šimonytė told reporters at the Seimas on Thursday.
„Actually, we had this idea in our programme before the last elections, but we failed to implement it for different reasons,“ she added.