Nikos Androulakis harshly criticizes the government over the budget

Nikos Androulakis, speaking on behalf of the Movement for Change parliamentary group, strongly criticized the budget being debated in the plenary session of the Hellenic Parliament. Mr. Androulakis argued that the budget is unrealistic and that the economic miracle of recovery it cultivates does not correspond to reality. «When a government takes measures to support the economy in the order of 25% of GDP, but the replenishment of its losses is in the order of 11.7% cumulatively for the two-year period 2021-22, then there is absolutely no reason for triumphalism, especially when the basis for this leap is 2020, when the economy was “closed”,» he said characteristically.

«The ”Greek miracle” of growth is not as real as the government is trying to portray it,» he said, adding: «16 other EU countries achieved a full recovery from their 2020 losses in just one year, 2021, with much less fiscal measures than us. Another factor that debunks the myth of the growth miracle is the fact that the faster return of GDP to pre-crisis levels was accompanied by an even greater surge in the trade deficit. This suggests that as GDP recovered, so did its structural weaknesses.

«For us, therefore, the country is not returning to “normality”. It continues to be mired in a state of stagnation and distortion that keeps it stuck in the mistakes of yesterday,» he noted, adding that «the issue, therefore, is not to blame the government for whether or not money was injected into the market, as SYRIZA is doing, but to seriously criticize where the money went, i.e., whether its distribution was effective and fair.».

Nikos Androulakis went on to say that «instead of responding to the enormous challenges by proposing appropriate solutions, the government chose to put forward a plan that reflects its own problems and weaknesses, without offering a real way out.» Regarding the resources of the Recovery Fund, he criticized the government for not channeling the money into supporting the real economy, but only caring about absorption.

The president of PASOK and KINAL noted that the government's budget perpetuates inequalities and does not restore social cohesion, as the growth that is occurring is not distributed fairly. «For us social democrats, of course, recovery cannot have any real meaning without benefits for employees, pensioners, the younger generation, and small and medium-sized entrepreneurs, real returns, real benefits. The government may boast about GDP growth rates, but according to EUROSTAT data, Greece ranked second to last among the 27 countries of the Union in terms of per capita income at purchasing power parity in 2020,» Mr. Androulakis emphasized.

Mr. Androulakis proposed «a credible, social democratic plan for sustainable and fair growth that will have completely different priorities,» specifically: «Instead of reducing taxation on profits and dividends, as the government is doing, we propose a permanent reduction of 3 percentage points in social security contributions for private sector employees, and not just for 2022. We propose redesigning the VAT rates on goods and services so that the cost of the basket of goods for the most vulnerable households is distributed proportionally. A strong and revitalized National Health System (ESY) with an emphasis on primary care and prevention is our priority. We propose strengthening the National Health System with all the necessary equipment and staffing funds from the Recovery Fund, as Italy did with €15.6 billion. This is a perfectly legitimate decision, since this Fund was created precisely to deal with the pandemic and similar risks in the future.

He made special reference to the pandemic, arguing that the government is dealing with successive waves without a plan and with indecision: «It did not strengthen the National Health System and primary healthcare as required by the circumstances, and teleworking was implemented to a limited extent compared to other European countries. Even mandatory vaccination for healthcare workers was delayed by several months compared to countries that had similar problems, such as Italy. And, of course, the much-discussed Tsiodras-Lytras report simply confirmed what we all already knew.».

«All of this should have been addressed by spring 2020,» said Mr. Androulakis, while also criticizing SYRIZA for continuing «to fish in murky waters, this time with the anti-vaccination movement. The country has thus lost an opportunity, as the two major parties have undermined the joint effort with their tactics. So, what neither the government nor the official opposition can do, our party is called upon to do. As I informed the President of the Republic yesterday, we are launching a new information campaign as a movement to strengthen the vaccination program, breaking down the wall of fear and misinformation.».

Regarding the climate crisis and the green transition, he argued that it should be done through the gradual phasing out of lignite-fired power plants, so as not to disrupt social cohesion, in order to ensure a fair transition for all energy-intensive regions and, of course, the stability of the grid.

Nikos Androulakis referred to demographics, recalling that Fofi Gennimata was the first to propose the creation of a Cross-Party Parliamentary Committee on this very serious national issue. He spoke of a comprehensive and long-term Demographic Recovery Plan, incorporating best practices from other European countries, citing the example of Portugal, where 15% of the Recovery Fund's resources are invested in social housing.

«So here we are again, PASOK and the Democratic Alignment, ready to be the government of the future. A progressive, realistic, programmatic government that will respond to the problems of the Greek people. So we are here to hold high the banner of responsibility, the banner of realism, the banner of seriousness. So we hold this banner high. A modern, social democratic party that gives hope and prospects to Greek women and men. A party that defends national dignity and social justice in every way. That is what we were, that is what we are, and that is what we will fight for,» concluded Mr. Androulakis.