Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis announced an expansion of performance bonuses and reinforcement of employee evaluations in the public sector, during an interview today with ERT.

“No one wants to operate in a punitive manner,” stated Hatzidakis on Friday morning, referring to the beginning of the discussion on lifting tenure in the public sector.

He explained, “This is a broader issue of the public sector’s effective operation, which is not raised by the government or based on ideology. It comes from society itself.”

“Everyone who works in the public sector – whether we are ministers or just civil servants – we are servants of society. Therefore, this must be reflected in the daily functioning of the government and public administration,” added Mr. Hatzidakis, citing examples from several European countries.

In response to concerns about the objectivity of employee evaluations, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that “there will be rules and specific criteria upon which people will be assessed.”

He further stated that “performance bonuses will be expanded” and that “evaluation will go deeper in the education sector,” linking these developments with constitutional revision plans announced by the Prime Minister.

“We intend to support the middle class”

The Deputy Prime Minister also addressed social support measures, stating that the government’s goal is to support the middle class. Speaking about the acute housing problem, he announced actions to reduce prices by increasing the supply of available housing.

“Our main effort will be to boost the supply of properties,” he said, adding that “at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF), we may announce further housing initiatives.”

“The government, beyond supporting property owners through a 35% reduction in ENFIA (property tax), favorable inheritance and parental gift tax policies, and other interventions, is also considering renters and those without housing,” he added, referencing ongoing housing programs and incentives for property owners to release more apartments and homes onto the market.

“Given the importance of the issue, we are trying to tackle it through multiple policies,” he said, also mentioning the development of social housing: “We are also working on transforming state-owned houses or plots into residential units to become social housing, such as the CHROPEI complex in Piraeus and the Anatolia site in Nea Ionia.”

As part of this comprehensive approach to the housing issue, he highlighted a recent government initiative: “As announced by the Prime Minister, the state will refund one month’s rent out of the twelve that a tenant pays each year.”