Lithuania: Parliament to draw up “national agreement” on population decline

The Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, is working on a "national agreement" to address the issue of a declining population, LRT reports. Currently, one in three households in Lithuania consists of single individuals living alone, which has nearly doubled in the last 20 years. This trend includes both seniors, particularly women due to a significant gender gap in life expectancy, and young people who are not rushing to start families. A special working group proposed recommendations to adjust family policies and stabilise the labour market. However, support for increased immigration remains limited. Now, the parliament aims to establish a long-term plan through a national agreement among major political parties. The opposition is sceptical about the effectiveness of such an agreement in solving the issue, however.