Two-year grace period and five-year arrangement with zero interest regarding the debts of the farmers of Thessaly from electricity consumption, the Minister of Environment and Energy, Thodoros Skylakakis, the Minister of Rural Development and Food, Lefteris Avgenakis and the Deputy Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Christos Triantopoulos, announced.

In particular, the Minister of Environment and Energy, Mr. Theodore Skylakakissaid: “The government, with the consultation of the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection and the competent Deputy Minister, Mr. Christos Triandopoulos and with the Ministry of Rural Development and Food and with our own Ministry of Environment and Energy, decided to proceed with a arrangement for the rural flow of farmers, who have been affected by the massive floods in Thessaly. The regulation will contain a two-year grace period and then a five-year regulation of the obligations that exist in the rural stream for flood victims, with zero interest. The cost will be borne by the state budgetand the obligations that will be regulated will be for the agricultural stream of the flood victims of Thessaly, the consumptions from May 1st to September 30th 2023, plus the overdue debts that may have existed for these farmers, as regards in the rural stream”.

The Minister of Rural Development and Food, Mr. Lefteris Avgenakis, emphasized: “In a framework of cooperation between the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, the Ministry of Environment and Energy and the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, a scheme is being formed to regulate the burden of the rural stream for the flood-affected farmers of Thessaly. It is a seven-year scheme, with the first two years being a grace period and during the next five the related debts will be settled, without interest charges, which will be covered by the state. The very next period a relevant legislative provision will be submitted and all the necessary procedures will be launched for the implementation of the scheme in question, which supports the primary sector of Thessaly which has been affected by the extreme flooding phenomena”.

The Deputy Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Mr. Christos Triandopoulos, noted: “In the context of the implementation of the plan to support and restore the areas affected by the extreme flooding in Thessaly, in addition to the horizontal measures of state aid, we activate where necessary and targeted measures. One of them – in collaboration with the Minister of Environment and Energy, Mr. Thodoros Skylakakis, but also the Ministry of Rural Development and Food and ELGA – is the support for the electricity that burdens the affected farmers. Thus, after processing the relevant data, we are proceeding – in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Energy and the Minister – with a regulation, in order to lighten this burden that is affecting the backs of the farmers of the primary sector of Thessaly”.