A supplementary budget of €800 million and a bill incorporating most of the extraordinary and permanent support measures already announced by the government were unveiled by Kyriakos Pierrakakis. He confirmed that the draft law will be submitted for public consultation next week.
Speaking at the 2nd Economic Conference of Imerissia, the minister announced a key new measure: an increase in the €300 support payment for pensioners, both in terms of the amount and the number of beneficiaries. For the first time, widows over the age of 60 who receive only a widow’s pension will be eligible, replacing the previous age threshold of 65. The ministry described the change as a correction of a longstanding social injustice.
The same package of measures also includes:
- A €150 allowance per child, with expanded income criteria;
- An extension of rent reimbursement measures; and
- Reimbursement of two months’ rent for public sector employees serving away from their place of residence, including doctors, teachers, and nurses.
At the same time, the government is promoting new measures on private debt and first-home protection. These include:
- The possibility of unfreezing a bank account by repaying 25% of the debt;
- Expanding the out-of-court debt settlement mechanism from debts of €5,000 up to €10,000, a measure expected to affect around 300,000 debtors; and
- A new framework for regulating first-home debt separately from other property through an out-of-court process.
On the housing front, the government also confirmed that, once the bill is passed, new short-term rental permits for Airbnb-style properties will be banned in the center of Thessaloniki. The draft law will also include the integration of new farmers into the GEA tariff scheme to reduce energy costs.
In addition, the government plans to introduce a new tax on online betting companies, which the economic staff estimates will generate stable annual revenue of €100 million for the state.
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