The negotiations for the end of the war, as well as the channels to the expatriates of Mariupol, were at the center of the interview of the Minister of State George Gerapetritis to Alpha. However, along with the issue of accuracy, an issue in which he promised targeted assistance to “those who really need it”, while he assured that “there is absolutely no risk in terms of the supply of basic goods”.
Starting from the ongoing war, the Minister of State remarked that “at the moment we have a viable hope that we will be able to return to normalcy. “Unfortunately, the side effects of this war will accompany us for a long time to come,” he warned.
While especially for our expatriates in Ukraine he stated: “We are constantly looking for channels to be able to help our expatriates who are in a very difficult situation in Mariupol and other parts of Ukraine. “Many initiatives have already been taken by the Foreign Ministry,” he said, noting that French President Emanuel Macron “has already made it clear that a plan will work to enable this type of humanitarian exit from Mariupol.” “Greece will be at the forefront of this mission, and today and the next day of Mariupol, in its reconstruction”.
On the issue of accuracy, in the light of opposition criticism, G. Gerapetritis countered that “there is an ignorance of the basics: this is a global phenomenon, which Europe has not experienced in the past. We do have really high prices, we have imported inflation, which is unique for the last 25 years. “This is a phenomenon that is depressing all economies. No European economy has been able to cope with this wave of accuracy, which is about two-thirds fueled by rising energy prices.” He added: “The war did not come in a vacuum, already in the last quarter of last year there were signs of very high inflation – and this was because there was very high demand immediately after the end of the pandemic without the corresponding supply.” And, as if that were not enough, “came the war that created a suffocating framework for the level of energy supply. As a result, today we are, indeed, at high levels. “
Regarding the government interventions, G. Gerapetritis started his answer by stating that “there have already been too large interventions in the economy and especially in the level of strengthening the electricity of the consumers, already in 2022 there is a plan of about 2 billion euros for the strengthening of the vulnerable households “. In addition, “the allowance of 200 euros to all vulnerable households, to about 3.5 million people”, while, at the same time, “there is already a plan for special categories, such as farmers so as to avoid any food crisis.”
Especially for the Value Added Tax, the Minister of State reiterated the basic, as he characterized it, government position, according to which, “horizontal VAT reductions are of dubious effect, it is not at all certain that they will eventually be passed on to consumers as discounts. ». However, he foresaw, “there is always the possibility that there will be a reduction in VAT on specific, very specific products.”
Among other arguments, he cited the finding that “in principle, horizontal reductions, such as VAT, essentially favor those who consume more. “The crucial thing is to have targeted, rather than horizontal, aid for those who really need it,” he said, referring to the announcements in the coming days, both in terms of financial support and food adequacy. ».
For the latter, he clarified, “there is absolutely no risk in terms of the supply of basic goods, food”. There is, after all, he explained, “a very comprehensive plan” – even for those products which originally come from Russia and Ukraine – “to have alternative markets, alternatives and food substitutes”.
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