Prim Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on Wednesday a package of economic relief measures amounting 500 million euros after data showed the country’s budget outperformed its targets in 2025.
The eight measures include among others assistance for rent, fuel, families with children and low-income pensioners.
“The government is returning the fiscal surplus to society, which has been affected by rising prices, through a new support package designed as a buffer against the crisis,” Mitsotakis said in a televised message to the public.
Through the policy implemented by the government since 2019, he said, strong foundations have been laid in the economy, which is now on a markedly positive trajectory.
In the current, exceptionally fluid and challenging international environment, the Greek economy is continuing to demonstrate notable resilience and to perform better than expected, the premier added. This overperformance by the Greek economy allows the government to return, in a targeted manner, a “dividend of growth” to population groups most in need, he said.
Accordingly, the dividend from the surplus announced on Wednesday is to be directed towards five key groups, who are most affected by rising prices: families with children, tenants, low-income pensioners and people with disabilities, farmers and over-indebted borrowers with legacy debts
The 8 support measures are:
- The diesel subsidy in the network is extended by 20 cents for the month of May.
- The subsidy for fertilizers continues until August with 15% of the value of their purchase invoices.
- An extraordinary aid is provided to families with children, amounting to 150 euros for each child. It will be given without application at the end of June.
- The aid for low-income pensioners, uninsured elderly people and people with disabilities is increased to 300 euros net from 250 last year.. It is paid every November on a permanent and annual basis.
- Income limits are increased so that one rent per year is returned to more people.
- Lifting of bank account seizure
- Expanding the scope of extrajudicial measures
- Inclusion in the 72-installment arrangement of old irregular debts
The primary surplus for 2025 has been announced to be at 4.9% of GDP, reaching 12.1 billion euros compared to a surplus of 4.7% of GDP (11.4 billion euros) in 2024 due to the economy’s outperformance on the revenue side, according to data announced on Wednesday morning by the Hellenic Statistical Authority ELSTAT.
PS It is certainly no coincidence that the measures are announced on the same day the Parliament will vote to lift the immunity of 13 New Democracy MPs whose names are involved in the OPEKEPE scandal.
A package of support measures worth 500 million euros is a bag of peanuts, when the surplus is €12.1 billion and thus due to overtaxation especially through indirect taxes (VAT, Special fuel tax etc) that affect horizontally all society groups, whether poor or rich.
The usual mean Greeks claim that the support measures hint at early elections as New Democracy keeps flying low in public opinion polls and it could hardly reach elections rates that would allow Mitsotakis another government term without collaboration with other political parties.
