EC issues labour and technology reform suggestions for Lithuania’s 2017 budget

The Commission released its recommendations for individual member states for the next 12 to 18 months on Wednesday.

The EU’s executive body recommends that Lithuania “take measures to strengthen productivity and improve the adoption and absorption of new technology across the economy”, as well as “improve the coordination of innovation policies and encourage private investment, inter alia by developing alternative means of financing”.

The Commission calls on the country to “strengthen investment in human capital and address skills shortages, by improving the labor market relevance of education, raising the quality of teaching and pursuing more active labor market policies and adult learning”.

It also recommends that Lithuania “strengthen the role of social dialogue mechanisms,” “improve the performance of the healthcare system by strengthening outpatient care, disease prevention and health promotion,” and “improve the coverage and adequacy of unemployment benefits and social assistance”.

The country-specific recommendations are to be discussed by EU ministers before being approved by the European Council in late June. Member states will have to include these recommendations into their national economic and budgetary plans in 2016-2017.