G. Gerapetritis: In the midst of multiple crises, anarchy is very dangerous

In a full-length interview, on the “Newsbomb” website, about the citizens’ support measures, the post-election scenarios, etc., the Minister of State, George Gerapetritis, took a stand on statements by ministers and MPs of the New Democracy that provoked reactions, such as and on the issue that arose with the president of PPC. However, he also raised the basic electoral dilemma, saying that “anarchy is very dangerous for the country in the midst of multiple crises.”

Responding first to the allegations of government subsidy policy, he countered that “it is not in the genetic basis of our government, it was absolutely necessary given the crisis we experienced. When you are in a closed economy for about two years, you will “Our workforce must be kept upright. With any mistakes, at least we have kept our workforce, we have brought unemployment to the lowest level in 20 years, it was at 17.2%, today it is at 13.8%”, he pointed out.

As for the national plan against energy-specific accuracy, he revealed that it would include two pillars, “one transitional, with firefighting measures aimed at mitigating the negative effects of the major energy crisis,” and the second structural, with permanent measures “.

On the issue of how to pay for Russian gas, he clarified that “in a state of war, each country must also safeguard its national interests – and this, in many cases, creates tensions because there are conflicting interests within the European Union.” which he said showed a “time lag”.

In any case, “regardless of the time and the way the EU reacts, Greece will undertake to take those measures that will be beneficial and functional for the mitigation of the consequences of the energy crisis”, he added. However, he continued, “there are no magic solutions, the Greek government has taken very important initiatives at European level to combat the problem at its root, which is the wholesale market.” Referring to the Prime Minister’s announcement for 90% taxation on the occasional profits produced by the energy producers, the Minister of State stated that the Energy Regulatory Authority has not yet given the conclusion, but as soon as it is given, “the announcement will be kept and returned to households.” as a subsidy “. However, according to the latest information from RAE, “in the coming days we will have the final table, and it is based on data from the companies themselves, so it needs to be processed.” In conclusion, “within a month, both the issue of the measures to be taken by the government and that of the extraordinary tax that will refer to the occasional profits will be completed”, he promised.

Apologies from the citizens

Asked to comment on recent ministerial statements, he stressed that “arrogance is something that does not fit in at all with our style of governing, we are fully aware of the situation that the citizens are experiencing, which is extremely difficult for all households, for all “I’m absolutely sure that everyone feels it. Under pressure, speaking out can often lead to misinterpretations or even misinformation. This does not mean that there is no absolute empathy.”

On the other hand, “it is not our style to caress the ears of the citizens, we do not have easy solutions. You will not hear from us that the citizens do not pay because this is unrealistic and will lead us to times when no one wants us “This government has seriousness that will be supported to the end.”

Regarding the statements of MPs from the ruling party, he replied that “the number of interruptions (in electricity) in absolute terms has not increased compared to previous years, we are at the same level.” However, G. Gerapetritis went a step further by apologizing himself “on behalf of all those who speak in this way”.

After all, he added, “Greece is the country that has helped the most vulnerable households during the energy crisis in proportion to population and GDP, more than in any other country in Europe. We tried to be close to the citizens.” , with mistakes or omissions many times, but we do what we feel is right “.

To project an image of modesty and humility

For PPC and George Stassis, the Minister of State first stated that “PPC has made great strides, we received a PPC over-indebted in 2019 and on the verge of financial disaster. Today we would discuss in very different terms if PPC did not have “It is very fresh to upgrade its creditworthiness by rating agencies and PPC can now meet the challenges of the new era.”

He went on to say that “the image that is being broadcast must always be an image of modesty and humility. We understand that PPC is not run by civil servants and officials, it is a private company, which should get the most capable executives who “If we want a PPC that will remain in the misery and self-destruction of previous years, let’s discuss it”, to conclude: “the issue of the holiday home of the president and CEO of PPC is a very prior to taking office at least “.

Political arrogance

As for the political scenarios, he insisted on the position of Megaro Maximos: “I do not think there has been another government that has respected the institutions in the way we have respected them. which we seek, then we will move to the limits that the Constitution allows us and imposes on us. We will seek those political alliances so that there is no question of anarchy. dangerous for the country in the midst of multiple crises “.

With these data, “we will seek a programmatic agreement, that is, those political formations that move in a context in which we can converge. There are some value positions from which we can not deviate, for example, the issue of lower taxes, “We will move on this basis, it is not an easy exercise. Already KINAL, with statements by its leader, has almost ruled out such cooperation,” he added.

And especially for the statement of the president of PASOK – Movement for Change that he will not cooperate with a government with a prime minister either Mr. Mitsotakis or Mr. Tsipras, he answered that it is a statement that “does not respect the verdict of the Greek people. If you have reached a marginal autonomy of 35% or 37% and yet you declare that you ignore this autonomy by having a veto of 10% – 12%, this is political arrogance. We will respect the verdict of the Greek people, we will discuss, if necessary, and with the Movement for Change, our goal is to go to a stable and solid government so that it can cope. crises, we understand that political liquidity is the last thing we need. ”

Asked if New Democracy could discuss with Alexis Tsipras, “as the political framework is set by SYRIZA, there is no room for compromise,” he said, explaining at the same time “why”: “there is a long way to go and politics and stylistics for to be able to have any cooperation with SYRIZA. Recently, cooperation on key issues has proved difficult, and this is difficult for me to understand. “I will abolish contracts”, “I will ignore European law”, “we can not discuss”.

Asked if the prime minister’s commitment to the current election law would not change, the minister said: “If the prime minister says so, my position is unnecessary. The current government will not manipulate the election law as it has not “None of the political and constitutional institutions. It brought an electoral law, which ensures the stability of the government as much as possible, on the other hand it is a balanced law, because it takes into account the percentage of the first party”.

The last topic of the interview was the latest poll of “diANEOsis”, in particular the findings that more than 70% of young people say they are willing to go abroad in search of a better professional future: “it is one of the issues that hurt the government and much more me personally who “I have always been very close to young children, in my university capacity. There is a framework that encourages stable, well-paid jobs, 250,000 new jobs have already been created, most of them highly qualified,” said G. Gerapetritis, assuring that the government will she does what she can, referring to the youth housing program.

Source: AMPE