There is an overperformance of the budget because there is also an overperformance of the Greek economy, the minister said of National Economy and Finance Kostis Hatzidakisafter his deposition Draft of the 2024 Budget in the Parliamentwhile for his part, Deputy Minister Thanos Petralias noted that the 2024 budget reflects economic stability and progress.

In particular, the minister and the deputy minister made the following statements:

Kostis Hatzidakis:

“There is an overperformance of the budget because there is also an overperformance of the Greek economy. Our economy is doing well. This development is recognized by international organizations. And we see that in 2023 precisely because of this, despite being an election year, despite being hit with unprecedented natural disasters, our budget has held up. We fulfilled all our pre-election commitments. We will fulfill all our commitments in 2024 as well, continuing the same mix of economic policy: Economic seriousness with social sensitivity.”

Thanos Petralias:

“A few minutes ago, the 2024 draft budget was submitted to the Economic Affairs Committee of the Parliament. The budget includes all the measures that were announced before the elections to be implemented in 2023, as well as the additional measures announced at the TIF to support income, proving the consistency words and deeds. At the same time, the budget includes the necessary funds for the compensation of those affected by recent natural disasters, but also permanent appropriations for dealing with future natural disasters.

Based on the latest government budget execution figures, it looks like we are hitting the target of a primary surplus of 1.1% this year and 2.1% next year, set in the Stability Programme, despite all the extraordinary natural disaster spending. In this, an important role was played by the latest budget execution data, which shows an upward trend in revenue categories linked to wage increases, but also by the fact that a significant part of the costs from natural disaster recovery costs will be covered by the current NSRF and the Recovery Fund, following the flexibility shown by the European Commission.

The fact that the fiscal result of the years 2023 and 2024 remains within the estimates that were reflected in the Stability Program, strengthens the credibility of the country’s debt in view of the upcoming assessments. A particularly important development in this context is the estimated de-escalation of the debt, from 171.4% of GDP in 2022 to 159.3% in 2023.

We continue to implement the program for which the citizens elected the government, now implementing the major changes that the country needs. Changes in the field of tax evasion, in shielding the country against the economic consequences of climate change, in strengthening health, but also in society’s basic mandate to increase disposable income.

A prerequisite for the implementation of the above measures for the benefit of the citizens is the observance of the fiscal goals. This is exactly what the 2024 budget reflects, that is, economic stability and progress, while distributing the limited fiscal resources with the greatest possible economic and social efficiency and justice.”