For an additional budget of 700 million euros, in order to cover the benefits announced by the government, the Minister of Finance, Kostis Hatzidakis, spoke to ERT.

“The biggest part of the budget will go to cover the needs from the additional benefits we announced with the bill,” he clarified.

“Of the measures, about 200 million will go to additional requests arising from hospitals and transport operators and 100 million in additional spending on elections. We had two rounds, so 150 million were spent there, and now an additional 100 million euros must be allocated for the municipal and regional elections,” the minister added.

Regarding whether all the economic measures have been said or whether something new is going to be announced by the prime minister at the TIF, Mr. Hatzidakis said: “Based on the data so far, they allow us to execute the budget without exceeding the targets set have been set for primary surpluses. The budget is a living organism (…) I don’t want to rule something out, but I don’t want to prejudge anything either.”

“What I want Greek citizens to know is that we will give what we have, not what we don’t have. (…) What we announced today were pre-election commitments, which were disputed. We said it and we did it. (…) The government is not Santa Claus, it is serious and looks to keep the steering wheel on a steady course”, Mr. Hatzidakis emphasized.

Regarding the servicers, the finance minister said: “We will have a horizontal discussion. We have decided to proceed with rules that will set specific information obligations of borrowers and specific rules of transparency. Penalties are also established in the event that the above is not observed.”

“By the end of the year we expect the recovery of the investment grade” Mr. Hatzidakis emphasized while adding: “In relation to growth rates, we, at this time, have an additional dynamic beyond the investment grade and its positive effects. It is the result of the election itself. The election result opens a window of opportunity for Greece. (…) Before the elections the economy was doing well. That’s why we had an increase in exports, investment, growth, etc. But there was a doubt, what will happen in an election? Which government will be elected? Will it be stable? Will Greece follow the same path? So now there is a strong mandate in Mitsotakis and New Democracy. The markets know that this government is pro-investment. Therefore, we expect more investment. Despite the difficulties of the international economy, we expect good growth rates and our goal is to work at all levels to take advantage of this opportunity that belongs to Greek men and women”.

Source: ERT