“Europe is in a very difficult period due to the energy crisis. We have pointed out from the beginning that the war in Ukraine would cause very serious problems throughout our continent which will test our endurance and the endurance of European societies,” the government representative emphasized Giannis Oikonomou, starting the briefing of the political editors. He pointed out that the latest developments portend even more difficult days for our entire continent. “It is obvious that some countries will be more affected, but it is certain that the effects will not leave any country untouched. After all, they will concern both the sufficiency and the prices in energy.”
As Mr. Economou said “in the face of this unfavorable outlook, EU energy ministers agreed last week in principle on a new regulation to reduce natural gas consumption by 15%”. He emphasized that this decision does not seem to be sufficient and the prime minister still insists on the need for even more drastic European decisions, in a timely manner. “Especially in imposing a ceiling on the wholesale price of gas and de-linking its price from the price of electricity”. He also mentioned that in his letter to the president of the European Commission, Mr. Mitsotakis has proposed a pan-European mechanism through which industrial consumers will be compensated for reducing the use of natural gas and electricity for the coming winter so that there are positive results both as in terms of adequacy as well as in terms of price. At the same time, our country continues to prepare to deal with even the most extreme scenarios,” he added.
He assured that “as in other recent crises, we are now building national policies to protect society and businesses against threats, on the one hand with energy saving actions in the State and also in households and on the other hand with provision to ensure energy sufficiency” .
He also reiterated that the government is building dykes to defend society against energy price hikes and more. He even referred to specific measures that have already been implemented. He added that already the mechanism that has been put in place for the excess profits of the companies has yielded within a fortnight 330 million euros and it is estimated that by the end of July this amount would reach 500 million euros, which will be automatically available for the support of society .
Referring to fuel pass 2 and the increased subsidy for gasoline in the July-September quarter, he emphasized that the government’s support in this sector is continuing and even with a much increased perimeter.
Today the application of fuel pass 2 opens, he said and specifically referred to the announcements that have been made about the amount of the subsidy and also about who exactly the beneficiaries are.
He emphasized that these measures cannot absorb all the price increases caused by the global energy crisis and the government is well aware of this. But he emphasized that it is universally recognized that the support program running in our country is among the three largest in Europe. He reiterated that ensuring the fiscal balance is necessary as well as finding new sources of funding for the citizen support program.
It said gross household disposable income increased in the first quarter of 2022 by 3.8%, while there has been a significant increase in the minimum wage since May. Also, unemployment decreased to 12.5% ​​in May, a percentage that is the lowest since 2010, while Tourism is recovering dynamically, while it is found that citizens, despite the difficulties, respond to their tax obligations on time.
Our priority remains to constantly try to stand by the citizens who are struggling due to the international crises, said Mr. Economou, with policies that produce a measurable result. He added, however, that without the policy implemented for Greece’s economic progress, the pressure and problems would be much greater.
He then referred to the “completely non-existent claims of SYRIZA for tolerating cartels and alleged profiteering”, as he characteristically said.
Source: AMPE
Source: Capital
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