Dimitris Markopoulos has put the brakes on speculation regarding the restoration of the 13th pension and the 13th salary in the public sector, citing the high fiscal cost, while he also announced new targeted support measures for pensioners.
The Deputy Minister National Economy and Finance, Dimitris Markopoulos, highlighting the limits of the Greek economy and the need to maintain fiscal stability, and clarifying the government’s position regarding demands for the full restoration of bonuses. Mr. Markopoulos explained that such a decision would create an imbalance in public finances, as these are inelastic expenditures that exceed the budget’s current capacity. As he pointed out, “the cost of the 13th pension is 2.5 billion euros, and we are talking about an expenditure with permanent characteristics.”
Seeking to provide a clear picture of the scale of the issue, the deputy minister contrasted this cost with the government’s recent announcements to highlight the significant difference in financial scale. “The previous TIF package, which was one of the most generous, amounted to 1.7 billion. That’s not enough,” he stressed, noting that adopting such a measure would absorb all available resources at the expense of other social groups and needs.
On the other hand, Mr. Markopoulos presented the framework of targeted interventions being implemented by the New Democracy government, focusing on direct support for the disposable income of retirees through legislation and benefits. “Under the bill we are introducing, retirees will receive 300 euros—plus 200 million from what they were previously receiving in benefits,” he said, and while specifying the timeline for the next phase of aid, he added: “On January 1, there will be an additional 700 million in aid.”
