A wide range of government policies were put on the table at a press conference held on Thursday evening by State Minister Akis Skertosos at media outlets in Pieria, where he had toured with a government team earlier in the day.

And first, for the demographic, that “slow-fire bomb”, as he called it. On this problem, he announced that “the Prime Minister will report on it extensively”. The measures he will announce will have “a clear demographic bias, they will be measures of substance,” he said, while noting that “no developed economy has been able to solve it.”

On economics and market functioning issues, he asserted that “this government has shown that it is not afraid to clash with the biggest companies or to impose difficult measures on big businesses when we see them not operating on fair competition terms.” And at this point, he recalled the extraordinary tax that the government imposed on the energy market, the intervention, and billions of dollars at that, in the banking market, also the interventions in the insurance market.

For the housing crisis, “we have for the first time designed a strategy with 43 measures, which cost 6.5 billion”, which the Minister of State then listed. But he also spoke about other social policies, such as free digital tutoring, policies in the health sector that reduce the related costs and affect 6-7 million citizens or even the entire adult population.

In conclusion, “there are policies that show that the government cares. We understand the problems that citizens face in their daily lives. We can’t solve everything, and we certainly haven’t solved everything, but we are taking steps,” said the Minister of State, who completed his response by saying:

“Under no circumstances do we accept the nihilistic, flattening criticism of the opposition that does not recognize anything and talks about a ‘black Greece’, about a failed government. A situation that has nothing to do with what most citizens are experiencing.”

This situation, he continued, is recognized by foreign journalists, “the most authoritative publications from the US, the UK, and the rest of the European countries. They recognize the progress of Greece.” Nevertheless, he explained, “We are not triumphing, we are not celebrating, many Greeks are having a hard time, but we are here to do a fair and responsible management.”

Changing the subject, in response to a question about OPEKEPE, A. Skertsos started from a more general context: “The country went bankrupt in the past decade because we all did not show due responsibility.” And, recalling Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ saying, “legitimacy everywhere”, he pointed out that this “is not something that is gained overnight. It requires changes in the way institutions operate, it requires a conflict with state structures that still exist today and do not function as they should”. Digitisation plays a big role in reducing the hotbeds of corruption, he further observed.

And on OPEKEPE in particular, he said it was “a failure” but “the government has taken full political responsibility for our part. It is a long-standing problem; however, 2.8 billion euros have been accounted for since the beginning of 2000 to date.” He concluded his response by asserting that the government will confront anyone who attempts to reap Community resources in a way that is unfair to the community and the development effort. Imputations on more than 1,000 private individuals, freezing of accounts, etc., are some of what has been done so far, he added.

During the press conference, the Minister of State also provided data on the profile of Pieria: making use of data from the Ergani system, he noted that “since 2019 to date, a net surplus of 500 businesses has been added, which have created an additional 5,000 jobs. This represents a 24% increase in employment in the prefecture of Pieria. When we talk about inequalities, the best way to measure growth, the improvement in incomes, is the reduction of unemployment,” he also said, and continued:

“The data from ERGANI show us that the average salary in the prefecture of Pieria has increased over the last six years by 250 euros, that is an increase of 34%, which is higher than the national rate of increase of the average salary. The average salary in Pieria may be lower, but it is growing faster than the national average,” he observed.

And, he concluded by saying that “Greece now can return the dividend of growth to its citizens where it belongs.” One of the tools is regional development plans, and Pieria has its own. Every local community should be informed about these plans, he said, and invited citizens to submit their views, as the plans are open for consultation.