There may be a delay in his «letters» ENFIA, however No extension will be granted for the payment of the first installment, as the Deputy Minister of Finance clarified, Theodoros Skylakakis on OPEN’s «Ora Ellados» program. And he explained the reason: «There’s a delay, but we’re not thinking about it, because ENFIA it will be lower. ». It is certainly coming earlier this year than in other years, but there are no plans to extend the payment deadline.".
The Deputy Minister of Finance declined to disclose when the government would announce its new measures to address the energy crisis, but emphasized that The plan is multi-layered. «They will take place very soon. They will be announced by the prime minister and will be significant. For me, the key is to restore calm to the economy.”. The initiative will be multifaceted. It will leave no one behind. »It will meet society's needs for a sufficient amount of time, so that citizens can go about their business without the sword of Damocles hanging over their heads," he said.
Mr. Skylakakis was cautious about what the package of measures would entail, but he did provide some guidance: «The intervention will be in two levels: first on society and the economy to bring inflation under control and second, it will uses several tools so that it’s effective. The intervention isn’t exactly the same for everyone, and it will bring everyone back to levels they can manage. The biggest problem is people who heat their homes with electricity and use air conditioners in the summer. We will not leave any household without support.».
In response to a question about where the funds will come from, Mr. Skylakakis noted: «The package is included in the budget plan we submitted at the end of April. The funds to be allocated are available. There are fiscal developments that require us to implement this multi-level intervention: Our deficit it was lower than we had estimated, public debt It's 10 points lower by 2025; the upgrade by S&P, as well as the positive assessment by the institutions. At the same time, the pace of growth remains robust.».
«We're paying an outrageously high price for natural gas»
Speaking about the EU’s proposed embargo on Russian oil imports, Mr. Skylakakis emphasized on OPEN that «Oil will cost the country dearly due to rising international prices. It’s trading at $105–107 on the markets. If there weren’t this discussion about the embargo, the situation would be better.”. We're paying an outrageously high price for natural gas. The war and the energy war will continue. We are planning during a period of extreme uncertainty. Neither Putin nor the West knows what they want to do. You mustn't let the economy collapse, because then we'll all go down with it. There is no fiscal leeway in the country, given the debt, the pandemic, etc. Our plan is for the reasonable non-positive scenario. »For 100 euros per barrel and 100 euros for natural gas. We are not counting on the optimistic scenario that prices will fall.".
«Greece is among the four countries that received the first installment from the Recovery Fund»
«Proper implementation of the Development Fund’s terms led to the disbursement of the tranche. We are one of the four countries that have received the first tranche, 3.5 billion euros. These funds cannot be used for support but must be directed toward investments,» Mr. Skylakakis stated.
