“The government did not exhaust all weapons immediately because we are in an uncertain environment. We are going with a logic of first intervention, we are monitoring developments and if necessary we will move to a second phase of measures, in the market and in general,” Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis said in an interview today on SKAI television.
“Last week we announced interventions on obscenity and yesterday we announced measures on fuel prices, fertilizers and ferry tickets. At the moment, the measures cover three quarters of society, with a focus on those who are most vulnerable. Beyond that, we are keeping some money aside, exactly how much we will know at the end of April when the figures for the fiscal outcome in 2025 are made public,” he pointed out, adding:
“We don’t have any divination skills but we did good housekeeping and we kept money aside. Even though there were all those people saying ‘give it all away’. That’s why there are opportunities that allowed us to go to a first intervention.”
Hatzidakis said yesterday’s measures completely covered the increases in petrol and diesel due to the crisis. “The subsidy for petrol, for the average consumer, covers the price increases up to the level of 2.11 euros per litre. For diesel, the subsidy is horizontal because it affects the cost of production and transport of products. Farmers benefit from the interventions on both diesel and fertilisers. And the permanent measure to cover the cost of mandatory discounts provided by shipping companies to population groups (disabled people, students, etc.) will undoubtedly have a positive reflection on prices,” he said.
The Deputy Prime Minister also reiterated that if the situation gets out of control, then the EU will intervene, relaxing the rules for member states.
When asked about the possibility of early elections, he pointed out that they would not be held precisely because we are in a period of international crisis. “It would not be a responsible attitude, which is what the world expects from us. If New Democracy’s ratings are rising, it is because in this time of crisis there is a section of citizens who trust Mitsotakis and the government even more,”
he stressed.
Finally, on developments in relation to the courtroom where the trial for the Tempi accident began, Hatzidakis noted: “Undoubtedly the hall was prepared and undoubtedly also not properly managed in terms of priority access to the hall. After all that has been done, we would have to be not only callous but out of touch and politically foolish if we did not want the trial to proceed and those who should be punished.” “I would hope that some in the political scene also want the trial to go ahead and justice to be done. Whichever side we are on, we should not play with human suffering,” he concluded.
