The Prime Minister is either trying to conceal reality or is not being informed by his associates and has no picture of Greece during his period in government, argues the PASOK-KINAL press spokesperson, Kostas Tsoukalas, commenting on the Prime Minister’s Sunday post.
“He sees the upgrades but for some reason forgets the continuous downgrades by Eurostat”, Mr. Tsoukalas says.
According to the PASOK press spokesperson, Eurostat’s recent report “completely demolishes the government narrative and resoundingly disproves Mr. Mitsotakis.”
As he states, from the data in this year’s report “Key figures on European living conditions 2026” on Europeans’ living conditions, it emerges, in PASOK’s reading, that Greece, instead of converging with the European average, is diverging from the EU.
From 2022 through 2025, years for which Eurostat’s tables allow direct comparisons, the relevant indicators of poverty, social exclusion and inequalities are worsening, Mr. Tsoukalas argues.
In 2025, the share of the population at risk of poverty or social exclusion in Greece rose to 27.5%, compared with 26.3% in 2022. According to the statement, this is the second-highest rate in the EU, after Bulgaria, where it stood at 29.8%. As PASOK notes, however, Bulgaria improved its position in the intervening period.
Disposable income
The PASOK press spokesperson places particular emphasis on median equivalised disposable income in PPS.
According to the data he cites, Greece ranks in the third-lowest position in the EU in 2025, with median equivalised disposable income standing as follows:
- Hungary: 11,958 PPS
- Romania: 12,861 PPS
- Greece: 13,612 PPS
- EU median average level: 22,630 PPS
Based on these figures, Greek median disposable income corresponds to 60.2% of the EU level, according to the calculation cited by PASOK.
“Greece is not only not converging but is diverging from the EU”, Mr. Tsoukalas states characteristically.
Criticism of economic policy
The PASOK press spokesperson argues that the country cannot lose any more time and links the picture of incomes and productivity with the government’s overall economic policy.
“After 7 years of governance by New Democracy, Greece is at the bottom of Europe both in the productivity of the economy and in the purchasing power of citizens. On the contrary, the profitability of the very large groups is flourishing”, he notes.
According to him, economic growth is not reaching workers, is not spreading across the whole business sector, and does not concern the country’s primary sector.
In this context, Mr. Tsoukalas sets as a priority “real reforms”, which, as he says, will strengthen the competitiveness of the Greek economy.
At the same time, he calls for mechanisms that will turn European resources into sustainable productive strength, a demographic imprint in every institutional intervention, and a social orientation in every legislative initiative.
“In order to make convergence with the European Union a reality, because we have no more time for words”, concludes the PASOK-KINAL press spokesperson.