Vilija Blinkevičiūtė (born 3 March 1960) is a

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

n lawyer and politician,

Member of the European Parliament A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...

and former long-term Minister for Social Security and Labour. Blinkevičiūtė is a member of the

Social Democratic Party of Lithuania The Social Democratic Party of Lithuania (, LSDP) is a centre-left and social democratic political party in Lithuania. Founded as an underground Marxist organisation in 1896, it is the oldest extant party in Lithuania. During the time of the ...

since 2006. In 2024, Blinkevičiūtė led the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania in the

parliamentary elections A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. General elections ...

, where the party emerged as the largest faction in the Seimas. However, in an unexpected announcement in October 2024, she declared that she would not pursue the role of Prime Minister of Lithuania, opting instead to continue serving as a Member of the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...

Early life and education

Blinkevičiūtė was born in

Linkuva Linkuva (); is a town in the Pakruojis district municipality, Lithuania. It is located north-east of Pakruojis.The town is more than 500 years old. Linkuva is a state-protected urbanistic monument. It is one of the oldest towns of Lithuanian ...

, Lithuania. After graduation with honours from Linkuva Secondary School, she entered law faculty of the

Vilnius State University Vilnius University (Lithuanian language, Lithuanian: ''Vilniaus universitetas'') is a Public university, public research university, which is the first and largest university in Lithuania, as well as one of the oldest and most prominent higher e ...

, from which she graduated in 1983, having obtained the qualification of

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is a postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in another subject. In many jurisdi ...

Political career

Since 1983, Blinkevičiūtė has dedicated all her professional life to working in the Ministry of Social Security and Labour until she turned to politics and became a Vice Minister of Social Security and Labour in 1996. In 2000 Blinkevičiūtė was appointed as Minister for Social Security and Labour, first in the government of

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Rolandas Paksas Rolandas Paksas (; born 10 June 1956) is a Lithuanian politician who served as the sixth President of Lithuania from 2003 until his impeachment in April 2004. He previously served two terms as the Prime Minister of Lithuania in 1999 and again ...

. She remained in the post until 2008. Between 2004 and 2009 Blinkevičiūtė was member of Seimas. In 2021 she won the

2021 Social Democratic Party of Lithuania leadership election The 2021 Social Democratic Party of Lithuania leadership election took place on 3–9 May 2021 to elect the chairperson of the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania. It was the third direct leadership election in the party's history. The party's ...

and became the chairwoman of the

Lithuanian Social Democratic Party The Social Democratic Party of Lithuania (, LSDP) is a centre-left and social democratic political party in Lithuania. Founded as an underground Marxist organisation in 1896, it is the oldest extant party in Lithuania. During the time of the S ...

2008 financial crisis

Just before the

2008 financial crisis The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...

, she was the Minister of Social Security and Labour. The Budget and Finance Committee of Seimas, established 11 years later, which investigated the causes of the crisis, accused Blinkevičiūtė of "reckless increase of pensions" and violations of fiscal discipline, which contributed to the deep economic recession in the country.

Member of the European Parliament, 2009–present

Blinkevičiūtė was elected to the European Parliament in

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

and in

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, as the representative of the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania. In the European Parliament, she belongs to the Group of the

Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) is the Political groups of the European Parliament, political group in the European Parliament of the Party of European Socialists (PES). The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and ...

. Following the 2014 elections, Blinkevičiūtė became a vice-chair of the

Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality The Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) is a committee of the European Parliament. Membership Chair 9th Term Vice Chairs * Eugenia Rodríguez Palop * Sylwia Spurek * Elissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi * Radka Maxova 7th Term ...

(FEMM); she was elected the chair of the committee in January 2017. In addition, Blinkevičiūtė is a full member of the

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) is a Committees of the European Parliament, committee of the European Parliament. It is responsible for issues of employment and social policy, including labour rights, social security, inclusion ...

(EMPL) and of the Delegation to Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, and a substitute member of the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee. She also belongs to the Intergroup on Disability and the Intergroup on Children's Rights and to the Intergroup on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights.

2024 Lithuanian parliamentary election

In 2024, Blinkevičiūtė led the Social Democrats to victory in the

. She announced her intention to form a government as party leader. However, on 30 October 2024, Blinkevičiutė unexpectedly declared that she would not be her party's candidate for Prime Minister of Lithuania. She proposed her deputy,

Gintautas Paluckas Gintautas Paluckas (; born 19 August 1979) is a Lithuanian politician who has served as the 18th prime minister of Lithuania since December 2024. He was previously Deputy Mayor of Vilnius from 2015 to 2019, led the Lithuanian Social Democratic P ...

, instead. During the election campaign, Blinkevičiūtė had frequently suggested that she would assume the office of Prime Minister if her party were successful. However, in explaining her decision not to take up the Prime Minister's post, Blinkevičiūtė cited age, health considerations, and the intense pressures associated with the position. Nonetheless, she resisted calls to step down from her position as a Member of the European Parliament and confirmed her intention to serve her term there until its conclusion in 2029. Her unprecedented move decision not to become Prime Minister caused controversy, and many Lithuanian public figures accused Blinkevičiūtė of deceiving the voters. Although Blinkevičiūtė secured a seat in the Seimas, she passed it up to continue her work in the European Parliament. Her Seimas seat instead went to Kaunas District Municipality deputy mayor Paulius Visockas, the next candidate in the LSDP party list.

Recognition

In 2004 Blinkevičiūtė was bestowed with the Cross of Commander of the

Order for Merits to Lithuania The Order for Merits to Lithuania () is an award, presented by the President of Lithuania, which may be conferred on the citizens of Lithuania and foreign nationals for distinguished services promoting name of Lithuania, expanding a develop interna ...

References

Profile of Vilija Blinkevičiūtė on the official website of Seimas (Parliament) of the Republic of Lithuania

External links

*

on the official website of the European Parliament {{DEFAULTSORT:Blinkeviciute, Vilija 1960 births Living people Women MEPs for Lithuania Lithuanian jurists MEPs for Lithuania 2009–2014 MEPs for Lithuania 2014–2019 MEPs for Lithuania 2019–2024 People from Linkuva New Union (Social Liberals) politicians Social Democratic Party of Lithuania MEPs Vilnius University alumni Women government ministers of Lithuania Women members of the Seimas Members of the Seimas MEPs for Lithuania 2024–2029