The purpose of this Peer Review was to discuss the impact of reforms of minimum income benefit systems to improve living conditions and allow for a decent standard of living for those who lack sufficient resources.

The Peer Review built on the recent Peer Review in Germany (15 – 16 November 2018) giving the Participating Countries the opportunity to exchange experiences and identify and resolve challenges linked to implementing minimum income schemes that aim to combine the provision of income support, activation measures, and access to services.

The Lithuanian Ministry of Social Security and Labour hosted the event, in which participants from Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Malta and Romania exchanged lessons learned, as well as good and innovative practices.

All documents related to this Peer Review, including the host country discussion paper, peer country commenting papers from Belgium, Germany and Malta, a thematic discussion paper and presentations as well as the short and synthesis report will be available on this website after the event.

Background

The European Pillar of Social Rights, in Principle 14, affirms the right to adequate minimum income benefits ensuring a life in dignity at all stages of life, effective access to enabling goods and services, as well as incentives to (re)integrate into the labour market. In Lithuania, the minimum income benefits take the form of cash social assistance, provided to families and single residents who do not have sufficient resources to sustain their livelihood themselves.

Lithuania recently revised the Law on Cash Social Assistance for Poor Residents (Piniginės socialinės paramos nepasiturintiems gyventojams įstatymas), which decentralised the responsibility for provision to the municipalities in 2015. To create more favourable conditions for low-income residents and to ensure adequacy of assistance whilst increasing the motivation of those able to work to integrate in the labour market, several amendments were adopted in 2016 to better support minimum income recipients.