Gov’t programme includes long-term care, pensions, demographic issue, deputy PM Kostis Hatzidakis tells pensioners

The government does not want to promise what it cannot accomplish, but whatever it announces before the elections, both in terms of the demographic issue and long-term care and particularly in terms of the issue of pensions, it will be able to implement, Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis told the Supreme General Confederation of Pensioners of Greece on Wednesday, at an event celebrating the body’s 20th anniversary.

In his address, Hatzidakis told pensioners, “In the near future, when New Democracy’s pre-election programme is published, you will have a much better picture of what we plan to do, in a series of fields that concern you.”

The deputy PM noted that there may have been no miracles since 2019, when the current government came to rule, but there was steady progress that has improved pensioners’ situation.

He outlined eight initiatives implemented, including an abolition of one of the solidarity fees affecting nearly one million pensioners, the raise in pensions after a 12-year hiatus (based on the economy’s improvement and the rise of inflation) – which he said would cumulativelyamount to a 19% rise  if it includes the rise foreseen in the state budget as of January 1, 2027 – and the end of a 50% cut in widowers’ pensions, among other measures.

“In 2019, we had nearly a million outstanding pension cases,” Hatzidakis said, and when he was appointed Labour Minister the problem had eased but was still acute. “Yet in two substantial years we were able to hand out, as we were obligated to do, nearly 600,000 pensions and put an end to a shameful chapter. And now we can say – and this is a national success – that pensions in Greece come out sooner than the pensions of Germany do.”

amna.gr