The importance of the projects included in the Social Climate Fund and the Modernisation Fund, with concrete examples of projects that improve entrepreneurship and the daily lives of citizens, especially the most vulnerable, highlighted the Deputy Minister of National Economy and Finance Nikos Papathanasis during his speech in the plenary session, which concluded the debate on the relevant draft law that was passed by the Parliament.
As Mr. Papathanasis explained that the €5.3 billion Social Climate Fund concerns: Vulnerable households, with particular emphasis on single-parent families, women, disabled people. Vulnerable micro-enterprises as well as vulnerable transport users, individuals and households, who are seriously affected by rising transport costs and who cannot afford to switch to alternative sustainable transport. While, its actions relate to: affordable and energy efficient housing, construction of social housing in inactive camps of the Ministry of National Defence, renovation of public student halls of residence, energy upgrading of housing and replacement of heating systems, direct income support, supplementary heating allowance for vulnerable households. It also supports financing interventions for energy upgrading of buildings, the creation of service centres for energy support, affordable and accessible public transport, electric buses in urban centres, new and upgraded metro trains, accessibility of OSE and public transport stations, as well as the construction of bicycle lanes and pedestrian walkways.
The €1.6 billion Modernisation Fund, which will be financed by a €1.6 billion loan from the European Union, will be used to finance the construction of a new building. The €1.6 billion Modernisation Fund is intended to support investments aimed at modernising energy systems and improving energy efficiency. Through actions related to renewable energy, energy storage and saving, upgrading energy networks, fighting energy poverty, fair transition in areas of de-globalisation, the Deputy Minister of National Economy and Finance pointed out.
For the Recovery and Resilience Fund, Mr. Papathanasis added that all reform obligations are being closed with provisions to be included in the 8th payment request to be made on April 30, followed by the 9th and final one, as scheduled. Last year, the deputy minister said, we achieved the target of absorbing 5 billion euros and this year we will achieve the target of absorbing 7 billion euros. Greece has no right to lose a single euro from the available resources, Papathanasis said.
On the Fair Development Transition Programme, he said that thanks to the negotiation of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the country has secured 1.6 billion euro in the form of a new loan of €1.6 billion. euros for the Fair Development Transition Programme, through which more than 3.5 thousand new jobs are being created in Western Macedonia alone, while allocations already amount to 87% of the total budget.
“What we said we would do. We keep working, we keep reforming, we keep growing, we keep creating jobs, we keep creating new jobs to increase disposable income. For the Greece that all Greeks, young and old, deserve.”
