Lithuanian government outlines plan for 2010

VILNIUS - The president and prime minister of Lithuania have outlined some of the key issues that the country will have to address in 2010 at a highly publicized and much awaited meeting on Monday. 

President Dalia Grybauskaite outlined 8 points that she thinks are the most important issues for the Andrius Kubilius-led government to tackle in the coming year.

One of the most important of these was unemployment -- both the head of state and the head of government said creating jobs should be a top priority in 2010.

Other points included fostering SMEs, fostering the business environment, fighting the shadow economy, cutting down on corruption, speeding up structural reforms, and fighting the growing power of monopolies and oligarchs.

"We must curb monopoly appetites and ensure that people are offered accessible prices for drugs, electricity, heating, and foods," the president said.