N. Androulakis: As long as the government remains timid, social inequalities will widen

The President of PASOK – Movement for Change, Nikos Androulakis, had a meeting with representatives of Chambers, Associations, Associations and Associations of Piraeus, at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Piraeus, thus beginning the nationwide action of the Movement for extremism.

In the discussion he had with the social partners of Piraeus, Mr. Androulakis stressed the need to focus on the issues of accuracy and price increases, consistency and the energy crisis, while at the same time, in the regional and development conferences of the Movement, special issues will be discussed. of the various regions of the country, such as the port and other infrastructure issues, which must be given immediate priority and hold Piraeus back.

Focusing on the effects of the energy crisis, Mr. Androulakis stressed the need for preparation, as it may have cyclical features, noting that the crisis in Ukraine is worsening the situation, but is not the root cause. Proposing a German model, whose energy mix has stable gas, falling lignite and rising RES, Mr. Androulakis stigmatized Greece’s tactic of translating carbonization as de-lignification, because we are leaving the lignite that exists in our country. and go to gas. “We have taken the wrong path. If Greece does not build a better network, it will continue to be an energy-isolated country,” he added.

“The EU, learning the lessons of the previous crisis, put the tools of social democracy on the table,” Androulakis said. However, “it is not possible for Greece to manage the 32 billion of the Recovery and Resilience Fund as an extended NSRF”, he stressed, emphasizing that resilience means that I am preparing a society in the face of crises. He also reiterated that the loans of the Recovery Fund amounting to 11 billion euros, Greece is the only one of the seven countries that gives full management to the banks, so only by market criteria. “Criteria should be included, but not only the criteria of the market, but also other development criteria”, he stressed, so that “people who have made anxious efforts after two crises to stand up, have a second chance at dignity. “The money was not given by the EU to be taken by those who took it before, but to be taken by those who can not take it in today’s conditions and to stand up,” he added.

The President of PASOK pointed to a different model of utilization of the Fund: “To enable thousands of companies in processing, the agri-food sector, to develop RES through synergies to ensure low costs for their production in the coming years. “the possibility for millions of people to generate their own electricity with photovoltaics on the roofs as the Germans did,” he added. “When what is today a business game for a few spreads to large parts of Greek society, a citizen will understand that the green transition is not a game of a few actors or the elite of each European country. It is a policy that concerns us all and especially “Before the energy crisis broke out, 34% of Europeans had the problem of stable and complete heating, so the problems of inequality today are too great.” In this regard, Mr. Androulakis called on the government to spend even 4 billion euros, so that Greece has high interconnection networks and the diffusion of RES is not blocked.

He further assessed that investments for the digital convergence of small and medium enterprises should be targeted, while at the same time he set the strategic goal for the country to have the cheapest and best internet connection in all of Greece. He asked them to focus on practical issues concerning small and medium-sized enterprises, “to look at all sectors and companies separately with objective criteria. Our structure will not suddenly change, we must embrace it to protect it but with objective criteria to give perspective to those who can but have difficulty “. According to Mr. Androulakis, it is necessary to invest in public schools that concern areas vital to the Greek economy, so that young people can find a good and decent job.

Proposing measures for the immediate relief of consumers, Mr. Androulakis estimated that the government is profiting, as through the increase of prices it collects multiple VAT, which does not return to the vulnerable due to this overperformance. “How will we support the weakest social groups when inequalities are rampant? The word money tree cannot be used a la carte by Mr. Mitsotakis,” he added. “When humanity goes through such an adventure, you have to take progressive steps so that the strong win and the weak win more. This is social democracy, it means democracy with a social sign, with social justice. We do not say to distribute money everywhere but to exist. a policy of strengthening the productive base, of extroversion, of competition, so that we have a lot of good jobs and our country stabilizes in the long run and not to constantly live adventures and lost opportunities “.

He also asked for a ceiling on the adjustment clause, as in Greece the increase in the price of electricity was 5.4 times, while in the EU it was 3.5. “Can’t the consumer and the state bear all the costs, the providers should not raise a part of these costs? Should not a distribution be made, should a ceiling be included in the adjustment clause? Because in Greece the stock price is at “In Italy it is 11%, in France it is 29% and in the rest it is stable. Do we have to make arrangements to shield the economy from the adventures, the changes and the storms of the global energy crisis?”

He also asked the representatives of Chambers, Associations, Associations and Associations of Piraeus, who attended the meeting, to see the problems beyond the party barriers. “Let us set the priorities in national terms if we want to build a Greece of the future, away from the toxic conflict that the government is constantly producing with the opposition.”

After the end of the meeting, Mr. Androulakis made the following statement:

“According to the data in December and January, the very large increase in accuracy has brought more revenue to VAT. So, the state is profiting from price increases. So, this money must be used to support the most vulnerable social groups. “Either by reducing VAT on basic goods or in other ways. Because as long as the government remains timid, social inequalities will widen, to the detriment of social cohesion to the detriment of growth.”