“We all understand that this is an unstable situation, unfortunately, natural gas and oil prices have become extremely volatile. I think at the moment it has more to do with the fact that there was an agreement in principle between the European leaders on the natural gas ceiling, so even if it wasn’t defined at the level of technical details “I think it served as a deterrent to price increases” , the Minister of State stressed. George Herapetritis, for the decline in the price of natural gas.

“Subsidies will exist as long as there is a need. The prime minister promised that the strengthening of Greek society would be permanent. Therefore, in any case, when we decide that prices are prohibitive, especially for the most vulnerable households, we will intervene creatively,” he added. “I think they’re a bit overpriced so public support is needed,” he said of whether today’s prices are prohibitive.

In terms of food, Mr Gerapetritis said that “the prices we see on supermarket shelves are shaped over time and linked to the supply chain. So it is logical that there will be a time lag. Depending on the prices, there must also be appropriate government intervention to keep these prices, usually at their source.”

He indicated that there were no thoughts on Fuel Passage 3 at this time, adding that “interventions that are being taken to strengthen the most vulnerable categories must be measured and targeted, because we do not know how long they will last and because perhaps asymmetry can lead to very negative consequences.”

Also, Minister of State Giorgos Gerapetritis stressed that we will not see the example of the emptying of the treasury that we saw during the pre-election period in Greece in 2022-2023. “We will have a very balanced policy, what was announced by the Prime Minister has already been enshrined in law and is being gradually implemented. There will be no derogation from what has already been announced, and on the other hand, everything we do will not jeopardize the fiscal balance of the country,” he said, stressing that “we will not see memorandums or similar commitments with the current government.”

Speaking about the investment level, he said that the government believes that we can get it before the elections. “This is a very high goal, in this direction we received a number of positive ratings from all houses, positive ratings from all supervisory reports. We believe that we can and have the right to receive an investment rating that will essentially lead Greece to a normal budgetary state in 12 years,” he said.

Regarding the simple analogue, he said that this is an ordinary bomb that can bring serious problems. “Unfortunately, political associations do not exist so that one can comfortably talk, as it would be in other countries, about a simple analogy. The time of crisis we are living in requires very quick reflexes, it needs a government that can find a solution with a very fast and strong mandate,” he stressed.

In addition, Mr. Gerapetritis mentioned that the elections will take place at the end of the four-year period of the 2021 census, noting that, according to the first estimates, in the electoral districts. “The timing of the elections will not affect the national elections,” he added.

Finally, regarding the extension of the territorial waters south of Crete, the Minister of State stated: “Greece will exercise its right to extend the territorial waters south of Crete whenever it thinks fit. He reserves the absolute sovereign right to use it at the appropriate time. Absolutely no rights will be granted, and on the other hand, there is a very structured foreign policy that has strengthened the international position of the country, and we will continue to implement it without concessions and only taking into account our national interests.”

RES – OIE