Reactions from other parties in Parliament
“The government is proceeding with the adoption of a series of reform interventions, proving with actions its intention to substantially increase the incomes of both low-pensioners and our socially vulnerable fellow citizens.”
This was pointed out by the Minister of National Economy, Kostis Hatzidakis, presenting the amendments tabled in Parliament, following the measures announced by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis from the floor of the Plenary Parliament, both for the banks and for the low pensioners, but also for the Security Forces.
According to what was developed by Mr. Hatzidakis, the first amendment provides, among other things, that:
– an extension of two months is given – until the end of February 2025 – for the completion of the bureaucratic procedures for obtaining a “golden visa”, in order not to cancel investments that had already proceeded.
– The exemption from ENFIA for citizens of fire-affected areas is also extended for the year 2025.
– A new deadline is given until March 31, 2025 for the completion of cases of out-of-court resolution of tax disputes that have already started so that they are not referred to the new body and judged by the same Committee that started the procedure.
Then the . Hatzidakis emphasized the second amendment, which includes the measures announced by the prime minister, and concern the reductions in bank commissions, the potential beneficiaries of EKAS and the special unhealthy allowance for the officers of the Armed Forces and the Security Forces.
As the Minister of National Economy mentioned, the six articles of the amendment provide for:
-provisions for the nullification or reduction of the most common commissions per year and continuously, by 150 million euros per year.
“The measures are set to take effect approximately one month – from January 20 to 21 – from the publication of the law in the Official Gazette in order to adapt the banks’ information systems,” he explained.
He added that “apart from procurement, competition in the financial system is strengthened by the abolition of all the restrictions that existed on the ability of companies to provide credit, so that under the control of the Central Bank, they can also give loans of all kinds, including business loans”.
“This is a real reform because the competition is strengthened, and in any case it is a response to an attitude of the banks, which, as the people say, were taking the piss out of us,” said Mr. Hatzidakis.
Also,
– from 1/1/2026 for both banks and service providers, the ENFIA that they pay for residential properties they own increases by 100% in order to encourage them to sell their properties on the market faster.
Mr. characterized very important arrangements. Hatzidakis two more arrangements.
The first concerns the granting of free medicines to 130,000 low-pensioners who received a pension from 2020-2021 onwards – who would potentially be beneficiaries of the EKAS, such as those who were beneficiaries before 2020, which he characterized as a “regulation of common sense and social justice” .
The second arrangement concerns the allowance of 100 euros for each of 155,000 members of the Armed Forces and the Security Forces and “thus satisfying a request of the last 10 years for the payment of an allowance for special working conditions and dangerousness”.
“It is a move against those who protect the citizen night and day”, added Hatzidakis.
Reactions of Greek Solution and Freedom of Navigation, answer K. Hatzidakis
“We are not in favor of the banks giving real estate to increase the supply and to lower the prices, but not for the banks to take the real estate and to at least make sure that they are rented to the owners from whom they are taken,” emphasized the parliamentary representative of EL.LY Stylianos Fotopoulos, commenting on the arrangements for the banks.
For his part, the parliamentary representative of Plefsis Eleftherias, Alexandros Kazamias, objected that the measures implemented by the government for the banks are equivalent to only 3% of their profits.
“At some point there are some limits to the blind opposition. The restrictions concern a third of what the banks collect”, responded Mr. Hatzidakis and added:
“It is a holistic government intervention that follows previous interventions, such as the “IRIS” initiative, which is already used by 3.5 million of our fellow citizens, especially young people, with zero or very low commissions as well as the reduction of commissions paid by professionals for small transactions in banks and now we are expanding the limit from 10 euros to 20 euros which is half of the transactions that are done numerically with cards.
Therefore, the intervention we are doing is very essential, and regardless of the small-minded criticism that is made, the Greek citizens appreciate it, as they see positively both the intervention we are doing for the low-pensioners with free medicines and the satisfaction of the constant request of the Security Forces in relation to the hazard allowance.
Things are too clear to be clouded by any small-minded opposition criticism”, concluded Mr. Hatzidakis, according to APE BEE.
