At this year\u2019s Thessaloniki International Fair, the leader of PASOK once again chose the easy road. Uncosted announcements, slogans without evidence, promises reminiscent of the most expensive illusions of the past. When asked how much the measures he presented would cost, he gave no figure. Instead, he confined himself to a historical review going back to 2009, avoiding the obvious: accountability.<\/p>\n
The country has already paid dearly for irresponsible announcements and for politicians who talked into thin air. It cannot afford to slide back into such adventures. PASOK\u2019s proposals far exceed the expenditure ceiling set by the European rules; they make no sense, they offer no direct or indirect benefit to citizens, and they would ultimately destabilise the Greek economy.<\/p>\n
An economy that has been transformed since 2019, that has become more resilient and outward-looking, but that cannot be undermined by irresponsible and uncosted commitments. We all know very well how dangerous such an agenda is.<\/p>\n
A characteristic example is the proposal to reduce VAT on food.<\/p>\n
The measure costs about \u20ac1 billion, without ensuring that the benefit will reach the consumer. In Spain, where it was applied temporarily, it was withdrawn simply because it did not work.<\/p>\n
As I have already mentioned in a previous article, I calculated that even if the entire available fiscal space of \u20ac1.76 billion for 2026 were given exclusively to reducing VAT, no one would substantially benefit.<\/p>\n
The net benefit would be minimal: for the lower-income class just \u20ac17.5 a year (\u20ac35 for a couple) and for the middle class \u20ac32 a year (\u20ac64 for a couple). On the altar of a meaningless reduction, all the targeted policies that today offer real relief to society would be cancelled.<\/p>\n
So what PASOK is ultimately telling us is that we should have left the middle class, young people and the vulnerable without support, choosing a policy whose real benefit for citizens would be practically zero.<\/p>\n
It is telling us that we should have squandered the fiscal space without doing anything for the small islands, for families, for low-income pensioners and for uniformed personnel. Our government chose to proceed with a tax reform that has a clear cost, is fundable and, above all, is effective for citizens.<\/p>\n
In the face of this reality, what else does PASOK propose? The reinstatement of the 13th salary in the public sector, a move that implies a 7.5% increase in payroll costs within a single year. In which European country, in which international economic environment, could such a leap stand?<\/p>\n
Such a philosophy and the policy proposals that accompany it are simply out of touch with reality and lead with mathematical precision to fiscal derailment.<\/p>\n
By contrast, the policies of the New Democracy government, as we consistently implement them, have a real and measurable effect. The increases in disposable income in recent years are already equivalent to paying a 13th salary. And the target of a minimum wage of \u20ac950 by the end of the four-year term is being achieved. This is the real, sustainable path to supporting workers.<\/p>\n
It is also no coincidence that PASOK talks about the \u201cde-Hellenisation of the economy\u201d. Only this reasoning, too, is completely wrong. In today\u2019s global economic system, dominated by imports and exports, we have succeeded, through the reforms we are implementing, in making our economy outward-looking and attractive for investment. This is the reality, not the sloppy aphorisms and populist generalisations used by PASOK.<\/p>\n
Society has paid dearly for illusions. The country has nothing to gain from costless promises. It needs truth and a plan, not delusions. Only with stable, costed reforms that support the middle and lower classes in practice, strengthen growth and create opportunities for all can we guarantee that Greece will keep moving steadily forward, without ever again going through adventures.<\/p>\n