Dimitris Markopoulos announced new relief measures, 72 installments, expanded benefits, support for debtors, criticism of the opposition, and also spoke about Samaras\u2019s party <\/p>\n
The government\u2019s new package of economic measures<\/strong> is in full swing, aimed at boosting incomes, supporting debtors<\/strong>, and addressing the housing crisis<\/strong>, as stated by Deputy Minister of Finance Dimitris Markopoulos<\/strong> in an interview with ERT News. He spoke of a \u201cholistic plan\u201d rather than piecemeal interventions, while responding to the opposition\u2019s criticism regarding the ineffectiveness of government measures. <\/p>\n Mr. Markopoulos emphasized that the bill completes a series of significant measures implemented in recent months, focusing on pensioners, renters, and workers. <\/p>\n As he noted, the measures for retirees amount to 560 million euros<\/strong>, with a subsidy of 300 euros<\/strong>, while the income criteria for rental rebates<\/strong> are being expanded, covering approximately 70,000 additional tenants<\/strong>. In total, these measures affect more than one million citizens<\/strong>. <\/p>\n At the same time, he announced new initiatives regarding short-term rentals<\/strong>, noting that in certain areas, the expansion of Airbnb-style accommodations<\/strong> has reached up to 60%, affecting citizens\u2019 access to housing. <\/p>\n A central element of the bill is the new debt settlement plan in up to 72 installments<\/strong>, combined with the further strengthening of the out-of-court mechanism<\/strong>. <\/p>\n The deputy minister argued that the data refute those who claim the measure has failed, characterizing such reports as \u201cfake news<\/strong>.\u201d According to the data he presented, there was a 65% increase in enrollments<\/strong> in May 2026 compared to 2025, while 62,000 cases<\/strong> have already been enrolled, with total settlements amounting to 19 billion euros<\/strong>. <\/p>\n The package also includes the lifting of foreclosures<\/strong> under certain conditions and an increase in the exemption threshold<\/strong> to 1,600 euros<\/strong>. <\/p>\n Referring to loans in Swiss francs<\/strong>, he announced that the relevant settlement program is being extended until September 30<\/strong>, due to increased interest from borrowers. As he said, thousands of citizens have already enrolled, with the participation rate approaching 50%<\/strong> of those who have taken steps in this direction. <\/p>\n Mr. Markopoulos argued that government policy is based on the continuous boosting of incomes<\/strong>, citing the 83 tax cuts<\/strong>, of which 36 will take effect after 2023<\/strong>, as well as increases in the minimum wage<\/strong>. Regarding retirees, he noted that total increases since 2019 exceed 20%<\/strong>. <\/p>\n Regarding inflation<\/strong>, he estimated that the easing observed in certain indicators, such as oil prices, will gradually filter down into citizens\u2019 daily lives. <\/p>\n Responding to the opposition\u2019s proposals to reinstate the 13th pension<\/strong> and the 13th month\u2019s salary for public sector employees<\/strong>, he argued that these are fiscally unrealistic options. As he noted, the 13th pension costs approximately 2.5 billion euros<\/strong> and the 13th salary 1.5 billion euros<\/strong>, for a total of 4 billion euros<\/strong>, an amount that far exceeds last year\u2019s TIF<\/strong> package, which totaled 1.7 billion euros<\/strong>. <\/p>\n At the same time, he launched a fierce attack on the opposition, speaking of economic populism<\/strong> and a lack of a comprehensive plan, while also referring to Alexis Tsipras<\/b>, arguing that a clear economic program and a dedicated team are needed. <\/p>\n Finally, commenting on the scenarios regarding the establishment of a new political party by Antonis Samaras, he described him as an \u201cexceptional prime minister,\u201d but expressed his disagreement with such a prospect, noting that it would be \u201ca mistake given his historical trajectory\u201d. At the same time, he took a dig at figures in his inner circle, arguing that their choices have led him into political isolation. <\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \n Dimitris Markopoulos announced new relief measures, 72 installments, expanded benefits, support for debtors, criticism of the opposition, and also spoke about…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11236,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11235","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11235","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11235"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11235\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11236"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11235"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11235"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11235"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} Aid for retirees and renters <\/h2>\n
Out-of-court settlement, 72 installments and loans in Swiss francs <\/h2>\n
Message regarding the 13th pension, Tsipras and Samaras <\/h2>\n