If the attacks stop – something that remains to be confirmed as we are talking about a region with a long tradition of multiple conflicts – the impact on the Greek economy will be limited: this was pointed out by Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis, in an interview with regard to developments in the Middle East.

“In oil, there will be some normalization. Where there could be a more significant problem is in tourism, because we have hundreds of thousands of tourists from Israel every year, many of whom have had cancellations. We will see what happens in the next few days. If there is normalization and a feeling of greater security, then the year that started very well will hopefully continue,” he also said. In any case, he stressed, market controls will continue with determination until there is normalisation of the situation, as any increases in international prices cannot conceivably be passed on directly to the pumps.

Expressing the position of the Greek government, Hatzidakis stressed that what is needed in this region is peace. “From the very beginning we made it clear that it is not acceptable for Iran to possess nuclear weapons, but from the very first moment we also made it clear – and as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council – that the answer is not war but restraint and finding a peaceful and viable solution. There was a show of force and modern warfare techniques by Israel, there was also support from the US with bombing of the areas where nuclear weapons were believed to be present, and a reaction from Iran with casualties in Israel and attacks in Qatar for which there was prior warning. It is obvious that the strong party is Israel, while Iran is in a more difficult position,” he added.

Asked about the issue of the OPEKEPE, the deputy prime minister said: “We will not hide anything, nor will we allow suspicions to linger, but we will have to read the dossier first, and where there is well-founded suspicion, further investigation will be done. But we will not go on a witch hunt. There are already trials going on at the national level for various sophisticates who appear to have illegally obtained subsidies, and in all these cases, we will exhaust the avenues of justice.”

Hatzidakis noted that this is not the first time that fines have been imposed for this reason in the country, as the phenomenon has been around since the 1980s, and many financial corrections have been imposed for the periods of the PASOK and SYRIZA governments. Nor is it a Greek “privilege,” and it is a problem more acute in Mediterranean countries, he added.

“Investigations are currently being conducted by the European prosecutor’s office in 17 countries,” Hatzidakis said. “This does not diminish the importance of the problem, nor the need to be decisive. Interventions were made after 2019, for example, the subsidy for those who have pastures without livestock was abolished, regulations were made for a more efficient organisation of OPEKEPE, etc. But the issue was not addressed; the reaction should have been earlier and deeper. That is why the Prime Minister’s decision to absorb OPEKEPE from the AADE is moving forward,” he added.

Finally, on the fires in Chios, the deputy prime minister called it a strange situation, given that we had several fronts in a few hours. he continued: “I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but this is a fact. There was mobilization of the state apparatus from the very first moment.”