Greece unveils measures to ease rising living costs


ATHENS, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday announced a 500-million-euro (585 million U.S. dollars) support package aimed at easing the burden of rising living costs, following stronger-than-expected fiscal performance.

In a televised address, Mitsotakis said that despite a volatile international environment, the Greek economy has demonstrated resilience and continued to outperform expectations, enabling the government to return a targeted "growth dividend" to vulnerable groups.

The package primarily targets at families with children, renters, low-income pensioners, people with disabilities, farmers and over-indebted borrowers who meet specific criteria.

Among the measures, families will receive a one-off allowance of 150 euros (176 dollars) per child in June, benefiting nearly 1 million households, and approximately 1.9 million low-income pensioners, uninsured elderly individuals and people with disabilities will receive a permanent annual payment of 300 euros (351 dollars) in November each year.

The measures also extend support to around 1.5 million over-indebted borrowers. Subsidies on diesel fuel, introduced earlier this spring, will be extended until June, while fertilizer subsidies for farmers will remain in place through August, Mitsotakis said.

The announcement came after the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) reported that Greece recorded a primary budget surplus of 12.13 billion euros (14.18 billion dollars) in 2025, equivalent to 4.9 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), up from 4.8 percent of GDP in 2024.

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