“The 2025 budget is the most developmental of the last 15 years. The most developmental budget of the state from 2010 to today” emphasized the Deputy Minister of National Economy and Finance Nikos Papathanasis, during the discussion of the state budget for the year 2025, in the Plenary.

Mr. Papathanasis rejected the debate that has been opened by the proposal of SYRIZA on the control of financial practices through the recovery from the State of a majority package of banking shares, saying that “in 2025 we cannot hear in the Parliament issues such as nationalization of Banks or companies” explaining that today “the money required annually to service the debt is particularly low, precisely because Greece presents this fiscal situation image he has”. He emphasized that “any deviation from this fiscal image that our country has, could burden us with billions of euros. That would mean we would have to come in and make corrections, which means we wouldn’t be able to run all these social cohesion and support programs for our socially vulnerable citizens.” In fact, the Deputy Minister of National Economy and Finance pointed out to the opposition that “we live in Europe. We should be careful in the suggestions and proposals we make.”

Regarding him 2025 budgetMr. Papathanasis said “he turns words into action” within the targets and limits set by the EU’s Medium-Term Financial Framework. He underlined the positive image of our country, which is being upgraded by international houses even now that Greece is in investment grade, which means that it is closely monitored. Greece, he reminded, “is one of the 8 EU countries that without comments approved our budget, surviving that we are on the right track”.

Especially for them growth rates, the deputy minister said that in 2024 we expect it to be at 2.2%, when the European average will be at 0.9% and for 2025, according to the budget, we will have a growth of 2.3%, while the Europe will be at 1.5%. This means new jobs. At the same time, we continue to be a country that has the largest tax reduction in terms of GDP in Europe and this is illustrated by 12 new tax reductions in 2025 and an increase in wages, noted the minister.

Mr. Papathanasis, among others, underlined that “we expect that Greece in 2028 will not be the country in the EU with the highest debt in terms of GDP. And this is a great collective success of all Greeks and we will not stop this effort”.

Regarding the primary surplus, he said that “the better the country’s fiscal picture, the lower the interest rates on the country’s borrowing bonds and the less money needed for borrowing, the more available to society as a whole. So the primary surplus means we don’t keep creating debt. We have reached -0.6%, which is building investor confidence, as a result of which our bonds are now trading lower than the bonds of major European states, he said.

Regarding investments, he noted that the gap created during the years of the financial crisis has started to decrease. Investments, he said, from 11% in 2019 are currently at 16.5% and in 2025 at 17.5%, which means a 59% increase in investment as a percentage of GDP.

The deputy minister acknowledged that “we still have a lot of work ahead of us. The budget figures show a Greece which is apparently an example to follow in Europe. In 2023 we promised specific announcements, we implemented 50% of them and we continue to implement all these announcements until 2027.”

About it Public Investment ProgramMr. Papathanasis said that “it is the largest program that Greece has run in the last 15 years, amounting to 14.1 billion. euros, when in 2019 it was 5.6 billion. euros, that is, we have an increase of 151%” and this, he noted, “is not unrelated to the policies implemented, the reforms, the consistency of words and actions”. Regarding the absorption of the Recovery Fund, the deputy minister said that in 2023 it was 2 billion. euros, in 2024 it will close at 3.3 billion. euros and in 2025 the absorption will be at 4.9 billion. euros and this absorption does not include the disbursement of the loan part of the Recovery Fund. He pointed out that Greece is in 6th place in the absorption of the Recovery Fund and on December 20 the 5th Disbursement Request will be submitted, which will bring our country 1.3 billion. euros in the part of subsidies and 1.8 billion euros in the loan segment. At the same time, we are in the 5th absorption position of the NSRF 2021-2027.

The deputy minister continued by saying that “the country’s progress does not stop here” In 2025, the discussion on the new National Development Program will begin. Among other things, he made special references to the support received by more than 359,000 small and medium enterprises through the Recovery Fund, amounting to 1.4 billion. euros, while small and medium enterprises participate in the Programs of the Hellenic Development Bank. He referred to the programs for small and very small enterprises. In the expanded program “Spiti 2” its technical features are being completed and it will start in the first fortnight of January. In the new “Upgrade” program that will have more relaxed criteria than the previous ones. In social and privileged programs. In the Entrepreneurship Fund and the Development Bank.

Responding to reports from the parliamentary representatives of the opposition, Mr. Papathanasis pointed out that the growth of the economy is not unrelated to reforms, investments, everything is done within a framework. We live in Europe and not in an ideal world that everyone can imagine. There are European frameworks that the country must follow. And he requested that when we judge the reduction of the debt, it should be done in terms of the GDP and not with the nominal debt, while he wondered: “Really, what econometrics are the ones you have in SYRIZA?”. He also denied that there is any lack of transparency regarding the management of the Recovery Fund projects.