Chr. Staikouras: Government gives more than European average to deal with war crisis

The Greek government is giving more than the European average to deal with the crisis due to the war in Ukraine, Finance Minister Christos Staikouras said in Parliament. Speaking at the first meeting of the relevant parliamentary committee, which is working on the bill that incorporates a series of European directives, Mr. Staikouras said that during the recent meetings of Ecofin and the Eurogroup, and from the relevant data of the European Commission, the budgetary measures received at European level, is at 0.6% of (European) GDP, and that “if you reduce the GDP of our country, the Greek government has given more than the European average (= 0.8%)”.

Mr Staikouras reiterated the need for coordinated, immediate, and bold European action and response to deal effectively and with solidarity with the consequences of the crisis, and, above all, because if left unchecked, “the invasion and the frantic price increases “involving elements of speculative pressure, the gap between the effects of the crisis and the measures that every government will take across Europe will widen, and the bill will increase across Europe.”

Responding to opposition lawmakers’ criticism of the need to revise the budget, he said he would table a bill next week that would “strengthen the budget by 2 billion euros and in the coming weeks submit to the European Commission the latest estimates we will have.” for the course of the budget and forecasts for the future “.

As he said, addressing the members of the committee, “you will see that the crisis, with the current data, will affect the Greek economy but will not divert it. […] “It blurs the achievements and the auspicious prospects of the country, but it does not destroy its internationally good image”, Mr. Staikouras underlined.

SOURCE: AMPE