The situation in Ukraine will affect the issuance of a social dividend for Easter

The duration of the military operation of Russian troops in Ukraine, price dynamics and the impact on the economy are the factors that will determine the decisions of the Greek government regarding the package of measures to support households. What will happen to the Easter gift?

The financiers are looking at all possibilities while keeping a close eye on the Greek budget to determine the amount and criteria of the social dividend that they intended to give to vulnerable categories of the population before Easter, the newspaper writes. dikaiologitika.gr.

There is no doubt that the Russian invasion of Ukraine will lead to a revision of all planning. The much-needed easing of inflationary pressures has not materialized, and additional scenarios are now on the agenda. At present, no one can know what impact the war will have on the Greek economy, so the amount of funds allocated is unknown. However, it goes without saying that households and businesses will need additional support to cope with the impact of rising prices.

Economists say that the size of the emergency assistance, which was planned to be issued before Easter, remains open. Property and income criteria, as well as the number of beneficiaries, have not been established. Calculations made before the Russian invasion of Ukraine are now considered obsolete, and any decisions will be made after the war subsides and the first assessment of the impact on the budget execution process is carried out.

Similarly, the development of a package of measures to support households in connection with rising electricity and gas prices is being completed. Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the decision was made to cut subsidies slightly, as there was at least a slight slowdown in price increases. However, events have changed the situation, and, apparently, subsidies in March will be maintained at the level of February.

The Greek government is in contact with the European commissioners to develop a European plan to support the economies of the countries from the consequences of the war. The goal is to support energy-intensive enterprises, as well as provide fiscal buffers so that the budget does not suffer contractual damage.

Deputy Finance Minister Theodoros Skylakakis said yesterday that if the war drags on, there will be a general new intervention policy to a certain extent, especially in the energy sector. “So far, the duration of the war has not affected the reserves that we had. However, in general, if we have new data on the situation, we will have to adjust the policy, not only Greek, but also European,” he said.

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