“Greece is elsewhere than it was old”
The intention of the Greek government to request the exclusion of defense spending from European rules of fiscal discipline announced by the Minister of National Economy and Finance, Kyriakos Pierrakakis.
The minister pointed out by speaking to ERT that the Greek side’s goal is to create The necessary fiscal space to cover defense spending in the following years.
“The increase provided from 2025 to 2026 is half a billion euros planned and this is also concerned in the coming years. There is a very specific program of defense spending we have presented as a government, “he said, stressing that the amount of € 500 million for 2026 will be excluded from the calculation of the expenditure rule.
Referring to the new budgetary rules of the European Union, Mr. Pierrakakis explained:
“What needs to be passed as a message to the world and I also want to emphasize it, is that the European Union has now been having other budgetary rules for a long time. What had we learned? That we had to have high primary surpluses that we had to have now? It goes without saying that it continues to apply, but you can’t manage this surplus. (…) Can you exclude this for time? You can, under conditions, a natural disaster is excluded. A special policy measure you receive is excluded. “
He added that the success in the fight against tax evasion has created an additional fiscal space, which the government used.
Asked if the resources released can be directed exclusively to military spending, Mr Pierrakakis replied:
“We paid them for military spending anyway. So if you exclude military spending on expenses, they obviously give you an additional fiscal space as a whole so that you can make the development and social prioritization you want. “
The minister also underlined Greece’s difference over other European countries As far as defense expenditure is concerned:
“What is the difference between Greece on the table for defense over other European countries? The other European countries say we increase spending compared to the year 2021, for example, where they were low, everywhere. Greece was the exception. Countries such as Greece, countries such as Poland were exceptions to the European Union. (…) So they give us the opportunity to be able to prioritize other things that are very vital and essential for us. “
With regard to any new measures that may be announcedMr. Pierrakakis referred to the Prime Minister’s statements on the Thessaloniki International Exhibition:
“But what I can tell you is what the prime minister said. Weights reduction in the middle class, reduction of taxes in the middle class. This was the title and these are things we will see in much more detail as we approach the TIF. “
Mr Pierrakakis referred to his meeting with the US Minister of Finance, referring to a very good climate between the two countries:
“The Greece -America relationship is a geostrategic relationship with a long history and a very long future,” he said.
The Minister also conveyed the message he expressed to the meeting:
“The trade wars have no winners and losers. We want to be in an environment, Europeans and Americans, zero duties ideal, removal of obstacles. (…) We as Europeans must also remove obstacles we have between us. (…) We believe in free trade. That must be the goal. Everything else we will discuss along the way. “
Referring to his participation in an event of the International Monetary Fund, Mr. Pierrakakis spoke about the symbolic importance of this presence:
“It was very symbolic and very moving, 15 years after Kastelorizo, the Greek finance minister came to participate in an event of the International Monetary Fund entitled” Stories of Success “. (…) After three memoranda and rescue packages, with sweat and effort by the Greek people, Greece is elsewhere than it used to be. We have to safeguard this. We are otherwise facing the room, above our size, because of this enormous effort by the Greek people. “
Finally, referring to the issue of duties and negotiations at European level, the Minister said:
“The goal is currently in the European context to see that this can all be removed from the table. That is, we have not yet reached a point where the negotiations have failed to have to get into such small details. (…) But we are still claiming something better for Europe as a whole. “
