The Minister of State Akis Skertsos referred to the Thessaloniki Metro. After recalling his origins in the city, he said he is “very happy that the Metro is finally being delivered. It is a day of joy today and tomorrow. It is a project that has caused a lot of suffering for the people of Thessaloniki. First and foremost, we must thank all the people who have worked over the years to deliver this first line and the extension next year to Kalamaria.”
At the same time, however, he continued, “We owe an apology to the people of Thessaloniki because this is where the weakness and unreliability of the public administration and the political system in previous years was shown,” who failed “to complete a critical infrastructure project for mass transportation of quality, respect, and safety.”
“There was incomplete planning, many contract amendments, many appeals to the judiciary. We have a lot to learn from how the implementation of this project was prolonged, and delayed. Those lessons need to be learned, and I think some of them will be said tomorrow at the opening ceremony.”
He added, “This big, very important project teaches us how to do big critical infrastructure faster, better, more economically – because the cost factor is also very important, it has cost a lot of money.” And, in the end, “a lot of hassle, but the result is positive. The people of Thessaloniki will save 50% of the time they spend in their cars today to be able to go from the train station to the new Switzerland station.”
But at this point, the Minister of State expanded on the projects in the rest of the country. “It is worth having major infrastructure projects in the rest of Greece, in the rest of the country’s regions, because one of the key objectives we have set – apart from the objective of income convergence with the rest of Europe – is to reduce regional and inter-regional disparities. Growth in our country – wrongly, very distorted – was concentrated in previous years, before the crisis, in Attica, and many regions were left behind. People in the other regions of the country are right to complain,” he acknowledged, describing the goal “to have every citizen of this country live and feel what is happening at the national level.” “What we call development in macro terms, to become a daily experience,” he noted, saying that “decentralization will only become a reality if there are quality services in health, education, security, transport in every corner of the country.”
On cameras on the roads, he said that “they are necessary because we have delayed too long as a country to implement them and because they protect, first and foremost, human life. And in road safety issues, where unfortunately Greece is among the European countries that still have high annual rates of road accidents and accidents. In this regard, about 600-650 people are lost every year on the asphalt in Greece, mainly young people, with a high involvement of two-wheelers in the incidents, he added.
At the same time, he stressed that “in addition to reforming the Road Traffic Code, we need to significantly improve the way the Code, rules and penalties are supervised.” He added that “we write very few tickets, it is true because the human resources of the traffic police are finite”. According to him, tickets are “very few” at the European level, which correlates with the fact that when “there is no sanction that is immediately applied, then the penalty is negligible”. But now, he said, “We are moving to a digitalized camera system that will be installed in Attica next year, in the first phase”. He added that Attica is where 50 percent of accidents and crashes occur nationwide.
After describing the new system and how the human factor will not be involved, how the municipalities will not be involved in the future, he stressed that “the ticket will have to be paid within a reasonable period of 2-3 months and if this is not done, it will be transferred as an overdue debt to the tax office. This is the catalytic change made thanks to the use of information digital systems.” However, he clarified, that the cameras are not only placed to protect human life on the tarmac, “they are very much useful in the work of the police in fighting crime.”
Changing the environment, on tax policy issues and the clash with the opposition, he said: “We are a tax-cutting government, no one can accuse this government of tax evasion or a hidden tax agenda, as SYRIZA and PASOK can easily be accused. This government has cut 60 taxes to date, direct and indirect.” Moreover, “our economy is doing better, investment is doing better, jobs are growing thanks to our pro-investment and fiscally sound policies. Another 12 taxes will be cut in the budget that will be passed.”
Then, after acknowledging that the direct/indirect tax ratio in Greece is “indeed problematic”, he argued that “we are an economy with a narrow tax base, with extensive tax evasion. We were, this is something that is being corrected.” But as the tax base expands, “the more we can make bolder and bolder moves, possibly on indirect taxes. This government has cut 23 indirect taxes since 2019,” he recalled.
While, after calling PASOK‘s proposal on VAT on food “irresponsible”, he said: “Indeed, in 2019, the New Democracy Party had proposed to reduce VAT, which was not repeated in 2023 when it was re-elected.” “We saw that where it was implemented, it did not work. It did not reach the final consumer, it was wasted money, which goes to the intermediaries and the pockets of businessmen,” he noted, citing the experience of Spain.
In criticizing PASOK, he also argued that “it is implementing a maximalist policy in terms of its declarations and largely undocumented while in opposition. But we see what happens when a member of the party, such as Mr Dukas, takes over the administration. He raises council rates. Mr. Dukas was elected on a program to reduce municipal fees – as PASOK is now saying, irresponsibly and flippantly, that he will reduce VAT – and he has come in and is raising municipal fees.”
According to Skertsos, the dividing line between the parties now is between “responsibility and irresponsibility – populism”. “We are a force of responsibility, what we have managed to do is to reduce 72 taxes,” he said emphatically, noting that tax revenues “in 2019 were 50 billion and in 2025 they will be 70 billion.”
The interview concluded with polls. “It’s always a tool to monitor,” he commented. In conclusion, “we respect the result of the polls and correct ourselves based on the suggestions made by the citizens,” the State Minister concluded.
