With rebuttals between the government and the opposition, the debate in the Parliament on the 24th budget began, which will end on Sunday with the speeches of the political leaders as well as the roll call vote.

The debate opened with the positions of the speakers of the parties, but also the speech of the Minister of National Economy and Finance, Kostis Hatzidakis, who responded to the criticism of the opposition by quoting data from Eurostat and the European Commission, the award statements and the estimates of the head of the Eurogroup and the OECD and the rating agencies.

Mr. Hatzidakis characteristically stated that the budget “passed without remark by the Eurogroup as a budget that follows the basic guidelines of the Council”.

In fact, the Minister of National Economy and Finance added that the attitude of the opposition was properly commented on by the Greek people during the last elections.

During the discussion, Mr. Petsas, ND rapporteur, referring to the objectives of the budget, he underlined that it is based on the triptych: Sustainable development, social cohesion, fiscal balance.

He passed on the counterattack the special rapporteur of SYRIZA, Katerina Notopoulousaying that the budget does not respond to the major critical problems of Greek society, to be precise, the decline in incomes, private debt, while it does not increase social spending on Health, Education, Social Welfare and Culture.

Afterwards, Ms Notopoulou said that the government’s first nature is political fraud, its second nature is injustice and that “everyone remembers your recent announcements in the elections, to increase disposable income”.

Mr. Geroulanos, from the PASOK side, said that the government and its new Budget are moving in a relaxed atmosphere. Business as usual.

The PASOK special rapporteur said that “in the government they are happy about their investment grade or their political dominance, but they ignore that if we continue like this, we are sailing with mathematical precision towards an iceberg”.

Attack on the government launched and Ms. Ahtsioglou, rapporteur of the KO “New Left” saying that the Mitsotakis government presents a false image of prosperity, when in reality “the country remains defenseless in a period of multiple crises, while the real income of citizens is decreasing”.

The government’s narrative of expanding wealth exists, but for a few, they have seen in the period of multiple crises, an unprecedented profitability, while the vast majority are under more pressure, said Mrs. Ahtsioglou, who presented survey data showing that 7 out of 10 Greeks feel and declare poor, a percentage which – as he said – is the second lowest in Europe.