LFMI

Following 2014 reforms, municipalities allocate social allowances by performing municipal, rather than the state function. This reform was aimed at achieving more transparent and targeted social benefit allocation process by decreasing the volume of improper or inappropriate payments.

On May 6, 2015, the European Commission announced the Digital Single Market Strategy. It is a set of policies aimed at encouraging the development of innovation, digital technologies and cyberspace. The intentions are good, but will implementation be successful?

On June 11-12, the Lithuanian Free Market Institute will host the Heritage Foundation representatives, who will meet with the Lithuanian government, politicians and business leaders to discuss Lithuania\'s progress in the 2015 Index of Economic Freedom and reforms needed to further improve the country\'s ratings.

After having examined the draft Labour Code and submitting comments and proposals to relevant decision-making bodies, LFMI has concluded that the project is a huge step towards flexible labour relations and will significantly contribute to advancing job creation in Lithuania.

May 1, 2014 – A new recast of the Law on the Acquisition of Agricultural Land in the Republic of Lithuania1 (hereinafter referred to as “LAAL”), also known as the land “safeguards” law, has taken effect. The law stipulates provisions that limit the right to freely operate in the agricultural market by restricting agricultural land purchase and sale transactions.

While the European Union is pursuing regulation and centralisation and European economies continue to grapple with the crisis, on May 7, the Lithuanian Free Market Institute (LFMI) hosted an international conference “Austerity without reforms – economies without growth” in Vilnius, Lithuania. The conference was organised in cooperation with the Austrian Economic Center and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation as a part of the Free Market Road Show 2015.

The Greeks do not understand the imperative need for the reforms. Nor are they ready to reform. With the external pressure of the EU and other international institutions being the only reason to institute reforms, it is hard to expect any breakthrough. And this is the key problem.

From 2012 to 2014 Lithuania increased its minimum monthly wage by almost one third (from 800 Litas in 2012 to 1,035 Litas in 2014). There are suggestions to increase the minimum wage in 2015 even more the supporters of the idea claim that companies would adapt. But is it all that simple? According to the survey conducted by LFMI, minimum wage increases come at a cost and they eventually bring several negative consequences.

Google has been targeted by the European Commission. The IT giant has been accused of prioritizing its price comparison services in search engines. To illustrate, when comparing prices from two dealers, Google Shopping comes out on the screen. Formally, one can of course justify an investigation as a potential abuse of the dominant position by Google, but what is the real cause?

People are either cannibals or creators. The fundamental difference between the two is how in their opinion the world works. What to do when you\'re hungry – eat a neighbour or come up with a solution to growing vegetables in the middle of winter? Is the world a “zero-sum game” in which one can prosper only if others suffer? Yes would be the answer of a cannibal.