“In the face of the general outcry from the agricultural world, instead of taking immediate measures to address its problems, the ND forgets that it is the government and opposes the opposition”, reports SYRIZA PS, referring to the statements of the government representative, Pavlos Marinakis, “who accuses SYRIZA PS of proposing measures at no cost and who wonders where the money will be found”.

The official opposition party notes that the proposals it submitted are costed and in the context of the country’s fiscal capabilities. In particular, he reiterates that “the non-payment of the Special Consumption Tax on agricultural oil and the reduction of VAT from 24% to 6% cost 188 million euros”. He “reminds” the government that “the surplus profits from the refineries were 5.3 billion euros in the last two years” and emphasizes that “we will do what it does not do itself. We will find the money from the taxation of surplus profits”.

Regarding the rural current, he points out that “the five energy distribution companies had surplus profits from July 2021 to June 2022 alone, amounting to 2.2 billion euros”, to underline that “here too we will do what the government. From the taxation of real surplus profits, that’s where we’ll find the money.” “Simply put, we will tax the excess profits of seven companies that exceed €8 billion to date to support 700,000 farmers to stay in their place, continue to work and produce helping the national economy.”

In addition, it states that the feed and fertilizer subsidy, which costs a total of 210 million euros, will be financed from national resources. Regarding the reduction of the basic support with the CAP by 240 million euros, he notes that this “is due to the redistribution of European aid resources and was proposed by the ND with its strategic plan at the expense of farmers”. “We will renegotiate the redistribution and return these funds to Pillar I of EU aid,” he adds.

SYRIZA comments that “it is audacity for the government representative of a government to point the finger at us, which with its inadequacy caused costs of more than 2 billion euros for the flood defenses that were not done and hundreds of millions of euros of programs that were lost by the elected former regional governor of the ND , Mr. Agorasto”. “Now, with vague statements and vague announcements, he is offering anti-flood projects in Thessaly worth unspecified billions of euros, the amount of which not only has not been costed, but changes from month to month,” he adds.

Following these, that “it is an audacity to say that he is interested when he has confessed to the Commission that with the revised National Recovery Plan he has already approved critical anti-flood projects from the Recovery Fund”, points out the official opposition party and finally poses the following questions: “The ND government, together with the previously elected governor of Thessaly, Mr. Agorastos, will they apologize for the millions of euros that were lost in the Thessalian plain for projects that were never done? Where did that money go? Finally, will ND tell us when it will pay the 435 million euros for its loans?”