On the 18th of the month the accuracy check is paid with the government representative Pavlos Marinakis to state on “Kalimera” with Fai Mavragani of SKAI that “it concerns more than 2 million our fellow citizens and the beneficiaries of the minimum guaranteed income and the special aid for the personal difference for our fellow citizens who will not see the corresponding increase due to the personal difference”.

In a question about whether there will be any care for the approximately 900 thousand low-pensioners, long-term unemployed and single-parent families who will not receive the check, Mr. Marinakis replied that “what we want to do is to continue facing a reality. What is the reality, because we are talking about the budget: It is that in recent years there has been an unprecedented inflationary crisis, not only in Greece but also throughout Europe and beyond. The goal is for income increases to be greater than price increases.”

“The government has managed in recent years that income increases are greater than very large and significant price increases. This is also the reason why, despite the fact that incomes have increased by more than 20% in Greece, citizens have not understood this as much as they should, because we have price increases. This is the battle we are fighting,” he added.

For the most vulnerable, “I believe that everything that has been announced will be implemented. We will definitely have to wait for the Prime Minister’s speech, because he will specify a series of measures (including today in the Parliament during the debate on the budget)”.

Continuing Mr. Marinakis noted that as Finance Minister Kostis Hatzidakis has announced, in the prime minister’s speech to the Parliament “we will have important announcements regarding the issue of banks, procurement and all the rest that concern Greek society”.

Regarding real estate in servicers, he noted that “it is important to say that the bad loans have been reduced from 90 to 70 billion. euros, from 55% to 30%. It is also important to say that despite the fact that our banking system has had a very difficult time – and at the expense of citizens – it is true that in recent years some charges have justifiably irritated citizens. This is why we have announced interventions, which will also have to do with supplies. It is crucial to provide relief to the citizens and for the banking system to remain on a solid footing.”

Another important issue he said is the issue of real estate. “I consider housing to be a top issue.” He referred to the initiatives from 1.1.2025 such as the “My Home II” program, “Renovate – Rent”, “Upgrade my Home” and tax exemptions that citizens must be informed about for converting a property from short-term to long-term rental or for the renovation of the house. “The goal is – and that’s where the banks have to help – for more properties to fall on the market, rents are not going to fall otherwise.” When asked if he sees the banks willing to help, he replied that we have to wait for the Prime Minister’s speech.

“The aim is to reduce procurement, not taxation. PASOK’s proposal to tax banks is populism”, added Mr. Marinakis. “From the extreme populism of SYRIZA we went to a serious populism of PASOK”.

Among other things, he also stated that “we have not increased a single tax, indirect or direct.”

With regard to the Thessaloniki Metro, where a subway train was stopped yesterday as a result of which passengers got off the train and walked through the tunnels to the next station, he spoke of a power outage and that the images from the incident show “more than a inconvenience of a few minutes for our fellow citizens, that the subway is safe. It was a safety protocol followed by the company that operates the metro in both Milan and Copenhagen. The electricity supply was cut off, and for the safety of the citizens, they were taken to a safe place with the staff and the operation of the metro continued afterwards”.

“It is important to emphasize that the safety protocol worked” while he emphasized that the necessary work must of course be done so that there are no power outages.