budget 2018

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė has signed next year's state budget bill into law, her office said on Wednesday.

Lithuania's parliament on Tuesday approved the 2018 budget, the first budget in the country's history with the government sector's revenue expected to top the spending, and Lithuania finally meeting its commitment to NATO of earmarking 2 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) to defence.

Seimas has completed the first hearing of the 2018 budget draft and sent it back to the cabinet, which will now have to take consideration of the proposals made by MPs and parliamentary committees.

Lithuania's Parliamentary Speaker Viktoras Pranckietis stated on Monday he saw efforts at the parliament to derail the adoption of the laws that would allow non-Lithuanian letters in first and last names in passports.

The council of the Vilnius unit of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Council decided to continue their participation in the new ruling coalition formed by the Liberal Movement, saying they would see whether their proposals are reflected in the 2018 budget draft.

The Lithuanian Social Democratic Party has expressed support to the 2018 budget draft, regardless of a decision to pull out of the ruling coalition.

Lithuania formed a surplus 2018 state budget for the first time since regaining independence in 1990, says Finance Minister Vilius Šapoka, adding this is necessary amid fast economic development and the need to accumulate reserves for a rainy day.

Lithuania has submitted the 2018 budget draft to the European Commission (EC) and the euro group. Finance Minister Vilius Šapoka says the draft is in line with the national and European Union's (EU) fiscal discipline rules.

Surplus 2018 budget drafts of the Lithuanian state and the state-run social insurer SoDra have been registered at the Lithuanian parliament along with the balanced budget of the mandatory health insurance fund, with the bills to be presented to parliamentarians on Thursday.

Lithuania's 2018 state budget will be a surplus, and its spending will grow from this year, says Finance Minister Vilius Šapoka, however, refusing to specify any budget-related figures.

Lithuania's government is this week opening debates into the 2018 budget draft, with the document to be presented to ministers on Monday before being discussed at the government's meeting on Wednesday.

Lithuania's 2018 budget will have a surplus, Finance Minister Vilius Šapoka has pledged, however, did not specify how much the the state revenue would exceed the spending.

The Lithuanian parliament has opened its autumn session. Here is a look at the session's potentially most-contentious bills: