Al. Tsipras: Tragic picture in the market, the issue of choice or support – Big mistakes of the government in the field of energy

The combination of the frightening increases and the contraction of the income creates conditions of social crisis “, noted the President of SYRIZA PS, Alexis Tsipras, during his meeting with ESEE, talking about a” tragic picture “in the market and the shops, on the occasion of meetings and discussions he has had recently in his tours in neighborhoods and shopping streets of both Athens and the region.

“The picture of the world of commerce is what I see when I go to the neighborhoods, people who live in anxiety if their business will survive,” he said, noting that there is now a “serious problem of survival” as after the difficult years of crisis and pandemic. , are now faced with precision. He described as “honest” the argument he hears on his tours that “the situation today is more difficult than in the first years of the memoranda, which were the most difficult for the Greek economy”.

The issue of choice is the support of society

Therefore, he stressed that “it is a matter of choice” to support society and the economy, reiterating the package of proposals submitted by SYRIZA PS to address the accuracy:

1. Reduction of fuel consumption,

2. reduction of VAT on basic foodstuffs and consumer products,

3. increase of the minimum wage “as well as the last euro that the employee will receive will go to the market and businesses”

4. Settlement and write-off of part, not all, of the pandemic debt “with a plan that will be beneficial and budgetary, because you know that you will not receive even if you do not have”,

5. Conversion of the repayable advance into a non-repayable aid “as we had formulated in our proposal from the beginning”, but raising the issue of criteria different from those set by the government, as he said “I want to be honest, we have seen cases with entrepreneurs “others who have closed their shops have also been favored,” he said, noting, however, that the big picture “is the one I see when I go to the neighborhoods, people who live in anxiety if their business will survive”.

Budget diversion ala kart

Mr. Tsipras, after describing these options as “one-way” for the duration of the crisis, “stressed that” the argument that there is no fiscal space, is an argument that would be valid if there was a prudent practice on a number of other issues. ”

“We see in a number of areas that there are other criteria and when it comes to giving a euro to support society, traders, small businesses, workers, there is always resistance,” he explained, recalling the 7 billion in armaments, the 7 billion in direct assignments and closed tenders in 22 months and the 1.5 billion euro debt to the state fund for the privatization of auxiliary insurance.

He stressed in this context that “we can not remember the fiscal diversion only when it is to keep society upright.” “Because I have been prime minister in very difficult times, I know what fiscal diversion and consolidation of the economy means,” said the President of SYRIZA PS.

Big mistakes in the field of energy

At the same time, he blamed the government for “big mistakes in the energy sector”, noting that “it is not normal for the country to have the most expensive price at the wholesale price of electricity and the fourth most expensive in Europe for gasoline”, adding that “these “Dramatic increases in energy are sweeping away all goods.”

He stressed that “accuracy is certainly an international phenomenon after the pandemic, but it is different to have faced 8 years of cachexia of your economy, to have stagnant wages, lower than in 2010 before the crisis.”

He blamed the government for the privatization of PPC and the networks, the “operation of PPC with fully private financial criteria to compete with other providers, resulting in higher prices, to have higher revenues and higher prices on the stock market”. “violent unplanned demilitarization”, “commitment of the fuel mixture to natural gas, at the same time the inability to negotiate with Gazprom, we get 30% more expensive gas than Bulgaria” and the “lack of effective controls in the market to face the cartels “.

“All this creates a very unfavorable environment,” he said, expressing his fear that “these phenomena will not see a recession in the near future, already the developments at the geopolitical level are thickening the clouds”.

Financing tools for small and medium enterprises

There is no Greek economy without small and medium enterprises, stressed the president of ESEE, Mr. Karanikas, and analyzed to the president of SYRIZA the huge liquidity problem that all commercial enterprises have.

As he explained, at a time when traders and small and medium-sized businesses were trying to find our footing after 2 years of pandemic and 10 years of crisis, the new wave of accuracy and inflation was added to hit their industry hard.

That is why, as he underlined, we must all find financial tools to have a next day for the little ones “like the new NSRF but also second and foremost to find ways to enter the Recovery Fund because with the conditions that exist now it is prohibitive for us “.

“The new NSRF is a piece that we have to face for small and medium-sized enterprises, but we also have to find other ways. Either regionally or whatever,” he added, noting that “small and medium-sized trade and small and medium-sized enterprises are the country.” “It’s Greece.” Finally, he pointed out that “during the years of the pandemic, large companies managed to open the gap even more to small businesses through digital transformation and e-commerce.”