Deputy Minister of National Economy and Finance, Nikos Papathanasis, during the debate on a related topical question submitted by the official opposition in Parliament, while also referring to the measurable results that the government’s economic development policy is producing for society.
The following are the key points from Nikos Papathanasis’s opening and closing remarks:
“Today’s debate reveals a fundamental contradiction: PASOK has come to Parliament to describe a ‘failure’ that the facts themselves have already disproved. 256 milestones have already been met, and with the new revision, the funds the country will receive amount to 30.5 billion euros—that is, 85% of the program’s total budget. Under the grant component, 15.5 billion euros have already been channeled into the economy over the course of five years. Meanwhile, the loan component, totaling 17.7 billion euros, will support 46 billion euros in investments.
100% of the loan component’s funds have been absorbed and contracted before the deadline. You cannot accuse the government of failing to meet a target when that target has already been met. This is not a picture of inaction. It is a picture of high administrative maturity and systematic implementation.
The claim that small and medium-sized enterprises were excluded is refuted by the data itself. Of the 859 loan agreements, 519—or 60.4%—involve small and medium-sized enterprises. Six billion euros in investment projects involve SMEs, and three billion involve micro and small enterprises. A total of 15,700 SMEs took advantage of the program (loans and InvestEU) to carry out investments, upgrade their production equipment, digitize their operations, and strengthen their international presence. In addition, 90,000 small and medium-sized enterprises received grants for digital tools, and approximately 1,000 for energy-efficient equipment. Therefore, the notion that “resources are reserved for the few” does not hold up to scrutiny of the numbers.
Revising the program does not mean abandoning projects. Our choice is clear: we are revising it so that resources are not wasted, we are including projects that meet society’s real needs, and we are making the most of every available euro for the benefit of citizens.
I ask PASOK: Which of the new projects we’ve included do you believe should not have been included? Should we not have proceeded with the restoration of Thessaly’s road and rail network after storms Daniel and Elias? Should we not have included the flood-protection projects in Evros and Rodopi? Should the 26,800 afternoon surgeries not have taken place? Should we not have increased the number of electric buses from 250 to 425? Should we not have built the 800 smart crosswalks outside schools? Should we not have strengthened seismic inspections of public buildings? Should we not have expanded the “Antinero” program, which cleared hundreds of thousands of stremmata of forest? Should we not have implemented the “My Home II” program to provide primary residences for thousands of families?
A simple, clear, and unyielding question: Does the Recovery Fund benefit the few or the many? Do the 39,194 interactive whiteboards being installed in schools across the country benefit only the few? Is the Digital Tutoring Platform—which provides free access to knowledge for every student, every family, and every corner of Greece—for the few? Is the increase in electric buses in Athens and Thessaloniki from 250 to 425 for the few?
Or does it concern the worker waiting at the bus stop, the senior citizen who wants cleaner and safer transportation, and the young person who wants a modern city? Does the expansion of the “Prolambano” program—with more beneficiaries and new screenings—benefit only a select few? Does a screening test that detects cancer early benefit only a few? Does a diagnosis that can save a life benefit only a few? Does the national health hotline 1566 benefit only a few? What about the mobile telemedicine units? The more than 26,000 afternoon surgeries? The 150,000 disability cards? The 800 smart crosswalks outside schools? The 300,000 gigabit vouchers for homes? The “My Home II” program for thousands of young people and families?
If all of these benefit only a few, then who, exactly, are the many? The many are the students. The many are the patients. The many are the workers. The many are the young people looking for a home. The many are people with disabilities. The many are the residents of the islands and remote areas. The many are every citizen who demands a state that is fairer, faster, and more humane. That is why I call on you to answer without evasion: Which of these projects would you cut? Which medical exam would you not provide? Which surgery would you not fund? Which bus would you not purchase? Which school would you leave without modern equipment?
Politics isn’t judged by how loudly you speak out. It’s judged by how much you change people’s lives for the better. And this is the truth you cannot overturn: The Recovery Fund is not just for the few. It concerns all Greek women and all Greek men. It concerns Greece as a whole.”