Amidst the generalised uncertainty in the global economic confluence of events – and the uncertainty caused by Greece’ three-month electoral campaign - last thing one wants is turbulence in the financial system.
The necessary expansion and improvement of the basket of products for which price increases will be eliminated or limited over the holidays is a measure that offers care and support for families.
The war and its accompanying crises are testing the endurance of governments, which are obliged to manage galloping inflation, the decline in citizens’ income, and growing inequalities.
Despite the imponderable factor of external challenges and high inflation, growth projections facilitate a broad spectrum of reforms that could improve the lives of citizens.
The PM described main opposition SYRIZA as a populist party that makes unfeasible pledges in a variety of areas, and suggested that a SYRIZA government would jeopardise the country’s economic progress.
The only response to new challenges and to those who would like to see precarious conditions and new experiments in our country is for the government to serve out its four-year term.
Mr. Mitsotakis has a duty to tell the whole truth about the raging EYP surveillance scandal and to allow the judiciary, unhindered, to conduct an in-depth investigation.
Rumours of snap elections over many months, for which the opposition is mainly responsible, had led many ministers to neglect their jobs and focus on their re-election campaigns.
Under the previous government, the middle class was battered by heavy taxation that was part of a class-based bias. Today, its protection must be a top priority.
The prospect of new assistance packages that the finance minister has left open will offer those in need an important breather as autumn approaches.
We are living in an unstable period in terms of geopolitics, energy, and the economy. There is global insecurity and uncertainty, and there is no end in sight with the war in Ukraine
The Draghi-Mitsotakis meeting was important because the Italian PM and former ECB president has a prominent position in the architecture of the EU.
'When we highlight Turkish expansionism in the Eastern Mediterranean we juxtapose it to a degree to what happened between Russia and Ukraine, 'the PM said.
As the war in Ukraine continues, one may well see the establishment of a permanent economic crisis chain, with severe pressures on Greece and all of Europe.
The imminent end of the EU's enhanced fiscal supervision cannot be interpreted as an opportunity to loosen fiscal discipline or backtrack on collective objectives.
In the current quarter, despite an initial positive dynamic in the tourism sector, inflationary pressures and skyrocketing petrol prices already pose a great danger,
Despite the raging war in Ukraine and its impact on all of Europe, reforms must be implemented swiftly in all areas, especially ones delayed for years.
The most vulnerable social groups are being battered by price hikes and a looming recession, and inflation is sapping the income of citizens in lower income brackets.
In the current war and the resulting international political crisis, the PM adopted a clear and direct stance against the Russian invasion and its revisionist foundations.
Projections so far regarding how Greece’s summer tourist season will fare, despite difficult economic conditions and the war in Ukraine, suggest that it will return to pre-pandemic levels.
Greece is not confronting the current crisis as a lamb to be slain. It has climbed up to Golgotha many times over the last years, and now it deserves a national resurrection.
Greece, like the rest of the planet, is facing successive crises that create a protracted period of uncertainty for which everyone – society and the political system – must be suitably prepared.
With a plan combining gas extraction with the green economy that will be attractive for companies, the entire mix will be ideal and will obviously upgrade Greece geopolitically.
It is up to us – the Greek people and the country’s political and economic leadership - to honour and exploit to the greatest degree possible Greece’s natural resources.
The responsibility for dealing with the current economic situation is not only Greek, but also EU-wide, as during the years of the pandemic the Union appeared to comprehend that harsh fiscal rules are not always a prescription for success.
Political parties are obliged by circumstances to put aside their partisan flags and to seek a minimum common ground, at least as regards the management of the many consequences of the ongoing war.
the leadership of the finance ministry and of the entire government must avoid any imprudent expenditure and readjust its economic policy, which must be guided by the durability of choices and fiscal discipline.
Open air athletic stadiums will be allowed to seat 50 percent of capacity (compared to the current 10 percent), restaurants, bars, and nightclubs will be allowed to have customers standing, and the percentage of tele-work will be reduced.
The current government, which came to power in 2019, was not able to implement its electoral platform, as the public health crisis that ensued and its negative impact disorganised everything.
A breather through tax cuts for the middle class is necessary. That is not only because it was a central plank in the government’s electoral platform, but also because it is yet another way to support labour.
There is also a more optimistic and dynamic picture of our country, exemplified by the arrival of JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon in Greece, in the context of the purchase of a stock package of a Greek advanced technology company.
In our country, what is exceptionally problematical is the explosive rise in the price of natural gas (135 percent), electricity (45 percent), and heating fuel. They comprise an extremely sensitive whole that can trigger a new inflationary cycle.
SYRIZA’s spokesman reiterated proposals for a minimum wage hike, lowering the special consumption tax, and intervention in the pricing of the Public Power Corporation (PPC) in order to stem inflation.
To the extent that monetary policy changes in order to manage the possible consolidation of inflationary pressures, the Greek economy will confront additional difficulties – funding and others.
Inflation, either in basic goods or energy, creates a chain reaction of repercussions in the entire economy, decreasing consumption, and aggravating the situation for already burdened businesses.
In Greece and internationally, the huge surge in infections has not for the time being been accompanied by a corresponding spike in hospitalisation, intubation, or deaths, or by additional pressure on the National Health System.
At the beginning of 2021, all those involved in managing the public health crisis had the illusion that the COVID-19 pandemic was coming to an end and that everything would be better by summer.
The lessons gleaned from the pandemic will be a valuable guide for the new German chancellor in bolstering the health system, restoring the role of the state, and revising the content of work.
The government has proven in a variety of sectors that it has the necessary reflexes and that it can create a useful combination of the lessons of the pandemic with long-term planning.
Even devoted readers of the major European news outlets, that have reflected Greece’s improved image, did not expect such a positive reception of the Greek “brand” by the incoming German finance minister.
A flexible, extremely swift, and stable justice system contributes to building a state that can more easily attract investment. It helps improve the state's relationship with companies and citizens.
Public health restrictions were necessary. When one has 6-7 thousand daily infections, when hundreds of patients are filling hospitals nationwide, and when dozens are dying daily, one has no other choice.
The government must take measures for the positive macroeconomic picture to have a positive impact on household budgets, because success lies not in economic reports, but rather in the prosperity of society.
Certainly, the minimum wage is an extremely important issue. A two percent rise as of 1 January, 2022 has already been decided, and I am determined that go ahead with a second increase of the minimum wage.”
It is an issue of individual and collective responsibility, but also of social cohesion, for those who espouse irrational theories and expect to enjoy the privileges of vaccinated citizens to understand that this cannot continue..
It is necessary to remain steadfast on the difficult path of reforms and major structural changes in the state and its enterprises, so that the economy can regain its proper place and investment grade in international markets and attract investment .
Greece's strategy of alliances should be a model in the immediate future as we confront the energy crisis, the terms of the recovery of societies, and continuous violations by Ankara both of Greece’s rights and of human rights in Turkey.
Projections indicate that by 2100 the EU will have 30 million fewer citizens and that it will likely not have enough workers for its hospitals, hotels, and factories. Hence, states will not easily come up with the funds needed to pay pensions.
The PM reiterated his core belief in the need for tertiary education to be linked to the labour market, so that graduates may more easily find employment and in order to boost the competitiveness of the economy.
Precisely because Greek economic growth remains exceptionally fragile and is inextricably linked to developments abroad, which are often unexpected, the government has a duty to plan its moves extremely carefully, especially as regards the disbursement of money.
More rational citizens realised that the vaccines are effective, defeated fears, and greatly limited the prospect of grave illness from COVID-19. All around the world, vaccinated people feel more secure and free to move and act.
They want to build a future and keep coming up against obstacles – distrustful employers, a state that does not help, and patronage networks comprised of acquaintances, family, and connections
It is not the role of the opposition to constantly agree with the government. Yet, every time it battles against the essence of a necessary, long-delayed reform, nobody wins, not even the party that momentarily benefits.
The post-pandemic period is indeed one of rebirth. Greece, more injured than any other country due to the preceding decade-long economic crisis, has the preconditions for the desired leap forward.
If we want power to become more independent (at least from big capital) and more effective in meeting the demands of society, then we must decentralise.
They survived an exceptionally difficult decade with protracted periods of unemployment, wage cuts, hunting for the cheapest supermarket products, and moving into smaller homes.
Obviously, political developments will be dynamically affected. Nothing will be the same after this summer. Those who still peddle disaster scenarios are by all appearances off the mark. They must re-evaluate their stance and behaviour.
The growth spurred by EU funds will not trickle down into Greek society. On the contrary, the reconstructed productive base of the economy will aggravate inequalities.
In view of the upcoming tourist season and a new sense of normalcy, the PM’s visit to the Dodecanese island of Astyplaaia yesterday could well serve as a trailer to promote Greece in the coming period.
'Both sides expect a Washington visit to happen, and I think it will largely be determined on how things proceed in terms of finally defeating the pandemic and getting us back to the normal business of face to face diplomacy.'
The possible upgrades of the Greek economy with the help of the Recovery Facility may enable Greece to again play ball on the investment level.
If the vaccine rollout continues at the current pace, thirty-somethings will be a step closer to normalcy and can effectively lure the rest of society in the same direction so as to build a wall of immunity.
An economic boost can be achieved in the capital - with a nationwide ripple effect, through the six redevelopment projects, most of which have been included in the “Ellada 2.0” plan, that the government has announced.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his cabinet yesterday reviewed the government’s National Recovery Plan that is about be submitted to the European Commission for approval so that Greece may receive its share – 32 billion euros – of EU Pandemic Recovery Fund monies.
There should have been a heavier schedule of routes in mass transit and demonstrations and a public backlash should not have been encouraged.
One of the most important lessons from the pandemic, as the PM put it in an article of his that Ta Nea has published today, is the valuable, decisive, and irreplaceable role of the state.
State organisations, services, and elected officials were passing the buck between them by exploiting the diachronic dysfunction of overlapping jurisdictions.
In general, electrical grids that do not incorporate competitive elements and characteristics obviously need public care and public funding as private funding is unavailable.
It is well known that long after a citizen retired he or she was up in the air without money, awaiting payment, and making great sacrifices. That reality did no honour to a civilised society.
Just as after wars, so too after major economic recessions there comes a time to pay off the debt or at least reduce it in relation to GDP through economic development and inflation.
Before the summer season trips in Greece should be feasible and absolutely safe both for visitors and tourism workers and all other citizens.
Tourism and related economic sectors for example will not be freed up nor will they have a shot at quick recovery at 2019 levels, as most had expected.
The example of Portugal and the threat of a third wave are very much with us and jeopardise the enormous efforts made by societies so far.
Διαχειριστής - Διευθυντής: Λευτέρης Θ. Χαραλαμπόπουλος
Διευθύντρια Σύνταξης: Αργυρώ Τσατσούλη
Ιδιοκτησία - Δικαιούχος domain name: ALTER EGO MEDIA A.E.
Νόμιμος Εκπρόσωπος: Ιωάννης Βρέντζος
Έδρα - Γραφεία: Λεωφόρος Συγγρού αρ 340, Καλλιθέα, ΤΚ 17673
ΑΦΜ: 800745939, ΔΟΥ: ΦΑΕ ΠΕΙΡΑΙΑ
Ηλεκτρονική διεύθυνση Επικοινωνίας: in@alteregomedia.org, Τηλ. Επικοινωνίας: 2107547007
Αριθμός Πιστοποίησης Μ.Η.Τ.232442
