PASOK President Nikos Androulakis submitted an urgent question regarding inflation addressed to Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
The text of the question reads as follows:
“To Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis
Subject: Does he finally intend to take effective measures to address inflation, or will he simply continue to ‘express regret and anger’?
On November 14, 2025, in response to my urgent question regarding the high cost of living, the Prime Minister defended his government’s policy on the rising cost of living.
The Prime Minister, in keeping with his usual habit, reiterated the long-standing argument that inflation is primarily an international and imported phenomenon, caused by the pandemic’s impact on global trade and the energy crisis that followed the war in Ukraine, while once again asserting that Greece’s cumulative inflation rate was lower than the European average.
He also argued that the government is addressing inflation primarily through a sustained increase in incomes. Furthermore, he cited the creation of the Single Market Surveillance and Consumer Protection Authority, as well as market interventions through the “e-Consumer” platform and price regulations on essential goods, as major regulatory measures.
On March 11, 2026, the government issued a Legislative Act (LA) titled “Urgent Measures to Curb Unfair Profiteering.” This Act established restrictions on the retail prices of liquid fuels charged by petroleum marketing companies and gas stations, as well as on the profit margins of products essential for consumers’ nutrition and livelihood.
On March 25, 2026, it issued the Legislative Act “Urgent Measures to Address Rising Energy Costs and Protect Affected Sectors of the Economy.” Through this act, it proceeded to provide financial assistance to vehicle owners due to rising energy costs, based on income criteria.
Nevertheless, six months after the Prime Minister’s response to my question, citizens not only failed to see the supposed “benefits” of government policies, but were surprised to hear the Prime Minister declare last May at the New Democracy conference that “he is saddened and angered that high prices are eroding citizens’ incomes.”
In mid-June, the “PosoKanei” database for comparing retail prices of consumer goods was unveiled with great fanfare “PosoKanei”—an upgraded version of e-Consumer—was unveiled with great fanfare, at the by no means insignificant cost of 370,000 euros excluding VAT, as announced.
Last Monday, June 29, 2026, following a meeting between the Prime Minister and market stakeholders, it was announced that the cap on companies’ profit margins would not be extended, emphasizing the business community’s commitment to maintaining the same prices for the next two months—in other words, an extension was granted to inflation.
All of the above demonstrate that the government is clinging to an ineffective policy for addressing the cost of living, while at the same time insisting on presenting its policy as the only way forward and boasting about fiscal “surpluses,” which do not stem from real and sustainable growth, but from inflationary tax windfalls that are draining society.
In fact, Eurostat data consistently expose the government: for six consecutive months now, Greece has consistently recorded higher inflation than both the Eurozone average and that of the 27 European Union member states. It is telling that in the last two months, Greece has recorded much higher inflation—4.6% in April and 4.9% in May—while the Eurozone average stood at 3% and 3.2%, respectively.
It is no coincidence that, in his review of the government’s work over the seven-year period from 2019 to 2026, presented on Sunday, June 28, the Prime Minister chose to compare the cumulative increase in inflation in Greece with the European Union average only for the period 2019–2025.
However, if he had presented the corresponding comparison of food inflation with the Eurozone and the EU from July 2019 through April 2026, it would have been revealed that the cumulative increase in food prices in Greece (42.4%) was higher than the EU average (40.6%) and the Eurozone average (36.0%).
It should also be noted that, according to recently published Eurostat data, Greece recorded the lowest per capita GDP in terms of purchasing power in the European Union in 2025 (68% of the European average), now ranking last alongside Bulgaria.
Furthermore, while real household income remains about 15% below pre-crisis levels, housing prices have surpassed 2007 levels, dramatically increasing housing costs. Rents rose by 10% in 2025, following a 50% increase over the previous four years.
As a result, the ratio of total housing costs to disposable income (mortgage payments, rent, utility bills, heating), according to Eurostat, is by far the highest in Europe.
Savings in Greece remain consistently negative, demonstrating that the increase in savings pertains to a very small number of depositors, as evidenced by data from the Hellenic Deposit and Investment Guarantee Fund (TEKE).
At the same time, overdue debt to banks, funds, the government, and the EFKA continues to break one record after another, while, according to available data from the European Commission, the country collects the fourth-highest indirect taxes as a percentage of GDP in the European Union.
At the same time, the major oligopolies in the energy, banking, food retail, healthcare, and telecommunications sectors continue to accumulate—and, in some cases, flaunt—their excessive profits.
All of the above point to a rapid redistribution of wealth at the expense of workers, as corporate profits as a percentage of GDP are the third highest in Europe, while wages as a percentage of GDP are the second lowest in the European Union.
This reality reveals that the benefits of economic growth are not distributed fairly. On the contrary, the increase in wealth generated is disproportionately directed toward profits, while workers, pensioners, and the middle class continue to see their purchasing power eroded by high housing costs, rising daily expenses, and mounting debts.
In light of the above,
Mr. Prime Minister, we ask you: instead of merely “getting angry and feeling sorry” about the high cost of living that is eroding citizens’ incomes—as your policies have proven to be completely ineffective—
1. Do you intend to revise the overall mix of your government’s public policies so that it acts as a buffer rather than a multiplier of the inflation that is eroding citizens’ incomes?
2. Will you finally take substantive measures—such as those I have repeatedly proposed—to curb profiteering, to protect and bolster citizens’ disposable income, and to establish a realistic and sustainable framework for resolving the overdue debts of households and businesses?”