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Roundup: Lithuanian Parliament to concentrate on defense, social issues

Xinhua, March 11, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Seimas, Lithuania's parliament, discussed reintroducing conscription and labor codes as the main tasks in the coming four months when it met for the first time at its spring session on Tuesday.

Algirdas Butkevicius, the prime minister of Lithuania, emphasized defense and social issues as parliamentary priorities during the session. The reintroduction of military conscription is to be among the first tasks, Butkevicius said.

"The bill on temporary reintroduction of conscription was proposed under an urgent procedure," said the head of the government in an interview with national radio LRT.

The Lithuanian government approved the law on reintroducing military conscription in the country less than a week ago, shortly after Lithuania's State Defense Council decided the country needed changes in the manning of its army. Conscription in Lithuania was abolished in 2008.

It's the second session wherein defense issues are among the most important. During the fall 2014 session, the Seimas approved increased defense spending.

In her letter to the Seimas, President Dalia Grybauskaite also expressed her expectation that lawmakers would make the state's security issues the first concern in this session.

"Through joint effort, we must make service in the Lithuanian army a symbol of honor, patriotism and citizenship, and military service itself should become more attractive and motivating," Loreta Grauziniene, parliamentary Speaker, quoted from the president's letter during her speech at the first parliamentary sitting.

Butkevicius said the government prepared around 400 bills on defense, economic and social issues for the Seimas' spring session.

In addition to defense, "one of the main tasks for this session, likely, will be the adoption of the new labor code which will reach the Seimas this session, and we think this work must be finalized in May," said Butkevicius, adding that he hoped the new labor code would help in reaching a compromise between employers and employees.

The spring session is scheduled to end on June 30. Endit