Economou: We have given 1.3 billion euros to deal with the energy crisis

“There is no country in the world that has given proportionately so much money, since September until now, for support in the face of the energy crisis. 1.3 billion have been given. For January alone it is 400 million, to reduce the imprint of energy inflation on households and businesses. Did we annul it? No. We are not kidding the world. But for the vast majority who consume up to 300 kilowatt hours, a 70-90% of the increases will be subsidized by the state in January,” said government spokesman Giannis Economou in an interview with SKAI TV.

Regarding Turkish provocations, after emphasizing that Greece is a European state governed by the rule of law and its foreign policy is based on international rules, international conventions and international law, he added that “our country is strong. It has strengthened its geopolitical and geostrategic footprint, its deterrent capacity. It has proved it in the field many times. It does not provoke, but does not make, any concessions, neither on its rights, nor on those that come from historical memory, from events that have been recognized by other Republics. We must not forget the genocides, the killings of civilians that happened in the past, we must honor them, we must not relive them.”

Regarding the possibility of going to early elections, he said characteristically: “We are going to elections in 2023. And until then we have a lot of time ahead of us to unfold our whole plan, our entire election program, to stand by society, to the challenges and the concerns it faces: The pandemic and its aftermath. ”

“The prime minister shares the difficulties that people face, that is why our policy is aimed at them. Development is not an end in itself. Numbers and indicators are not for just looking at Excel sheets and reports and rejoicing. It is in order that it becomes a social advantage. It is to make more money if you are at minimum wage. It is to support people to deal with the colossal increases in electricity. It is to make policies that allow people to pay less ENFIA property tax, less insurance contributions, to increase their income. It is to attract investments to Greece, so that people can find work. That is the purpose of our policy. Not the indicators and the numbers,” the government spokesman stressed.

Referring to the incident with Pavlos Polakis, Mr. Economou, after emphasizing that the regime-like perception Mr. Polakis has is known, adding: “The serious and larger problem is not Mr. Polakis. The serious problem is SYRIZA, Mr. Tsipras, the official opposition. An orchestrated attack is unfolding in recent days, with Mr. Polakis first, against Greek Justice, against key pillars of the Greek Republic. And this attack is morally and politically supported by Mr. Tsipras. I think that it is probably supported by the whole of SYRIZA, all of its parliamentarians, its officials. And this is a very serious issue. ”

“The big question is not Mr. Polakis. It is whether Mr. Tsipras – who, in his current article, also supports him morally and politically – shares these views. Greece is a liberal parliamentary democracy. Some people in the past tried to catalyze this by instrumentalizing the institutions, but they found society against them, they found the institutional resistance of democracy against them,” the government spokesman added.