Dev. Min.: End of carefree days during upcoming winter of discontent

Adonis Georgiadis, Minister of Development, spoke to MEGA channel noting that: “The president of France said something very telling about the coming winter in Europe. The president of France, Emmanuel Macron said that the times of carelessness are over and we are entering a very difficult winter. It is clear that the war in Ukraine and the effects of the pandemic will cumulatively affect the citizens of Europe.”

The minister called on citizens to “arm themselves” with patience and determination for winter and predicted that the winter of 2022-2023 that “will not be easy”.

Energy crisis: “The government introduced the largest electricity subsidy in the world”

On the issue of energy, the Minister of Development said: “If you consider that the prices of natural gas are skyrocketing from one day to the next, then the cost of energy is multiplying exponentially. The government came out with a very large subsidy to absorb the huge increases in electricity in the month of September and what was the opposition’s response to this? That with our own money the government is subsidizing the energy cartel and PPC should be transferred to state hands. And I wonder if PPC was in state hands would the cost not increase? Most of the €2 billion subsidy comes from taxed company money and does not come from the state budget.”

The Minister of Development emphasized that the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis established the largest electricity subsidy on the planet and not only in Europe, so that it can support consumers.

Regarding the duration of the subsidy on electricity bills, Mr. Georgiadis expressed the Prime Minister’s intention that as long as the crisis lasts and as long as the country’s finances allow, the government should help and stand by citizens.

Progress of the Economy: “Greece in 2022 achieved an all-time record of receipts in Tourism”

Regarding the country’s finances, the Minister of Development noted: “Our Economy. luckily, it’s doing better than all the predictions. Greece is achieving in 2022 the absolute all-time record in receipts from Tourism and does so with three markets closed to Greek Tourism, Russia, Ukraine and China. The Greece of 2022 has the highest investment record of all time. In 2022, the growth recorded by the Greek economy will be greater than in the five years of the Tsipras government”.

Overall, on the Economy of 2022, Mr. Georgiadis emphasized that it closes with a record in Tourism, investments and exports.

Regarding inflation in relation to minimum wage, Adonis Georgiadis explained: “The indicator that each government measures is disposable income. All the statistical studies and Hellenic Statistical Authority-ELSTAT, say that for 2021 – because 2022 is still being measured – the disposable income in Greece increased because not only the increase in the basic salary is measured, you also measure the reduction of taxes”.

The planet as characteristically described by Adonis Georgiadis “is in a phase of enormous hyperinflation. Greece cannot be outside this.”

“We have a “war” on profiteering and inflation”

As for supermarkets, he commented: “We have created a service, DIMEA (Interdisciplinary Market Inspection Unit), to carry out checks, we have created the provisions for dealing with profiteering and the ceiling on fuel. This is how we try to tame inflation.”

The Minister of Development assured that in Greece we are not going to see measures as in Germany, as Greece will not face a question of adequacy.

Question of wiretapping and surveillance

“We have a National Intelligence Agency, which, based on some information it had, asked the Prosecutor to allow the legal connection to the mobile phone of Nikos Androulakis,” explained the minister.

Regarding the resignations that occurred, Mr. Georgiadis said that they happened because the prime minister was not aware and when asked if he should have been aware, he answered that he should have been and that is why the resignations followed.

The Minister of Development argued that based on the data so far, the surveillance appears to be legal. As for whether the government is politically exposed with the fact of the tapping on Nikos Androulakis’s mobile phone, Adonis Georgiadis’ position is that the government is not exposed at all.

“Of course, the Intelligence Agency can monitor someone through legal procedures”, Mr. Georgiadis emphasized and continued that a priori no one should be exempt.