Mitsotakis government cuts child benefits to allow early repayment of loans

Greece reports connected budget surplusbut down the beauteous numbers they fell cuts successful benefits for families, children and the poorest.

Government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis continues to beryllium arrogant of its precocious superior surpluses, but down this accounting window different world is becoming much and much intelligibly visible: some κοινωνικά indicators are improving not due to the fact that it has go easier for citizens, but due to the fact that the state is cutting backmost support for those who are already connected the brink.

As the Greek variation writes: Pronews with notation to the quarterly study State Budget Office of the Greek Parliament for March 2026, expenses successful 2025 CUSTODY κοινωνικά benefits decreased by €274.5 millionand astir 210 thousand citizens mislaid entree to these payments. We are talking astir a simplification of astir 20%.

Behind the adust numbers there is simply a very specific κοινωνικά picture. According to the publication, the cuts affected respective cardinal areas of support:

• Child benefit: minus 166.2 cardinal eurosthat is, a alteration by 22.4%; the fig of recipients decreased by 146,255 peopleor astir 30%.
• Child commencement benefit: minus 38.4 cardinal euros; the fig of recipients decreased by 42%despite the information that the commencement rate, according to the source, fell lone by 4%.
• Housing benefit: minus 65.7 cardinal eurosor alteration by 19.6%.
• Minimum guaranteed income: minus 81.2 cardinal eurosdespite the summation successful poorness 137 thousand people.

If these information bespeak the existent dynamics of payments, then the representation turns retired to beryllium highly harsh: the state demonstrates fiscal discipline, but it is paid chiefly by families, children, the mediocre and radical who request assistance not for comfort, but for survival. This is nary longer conscionable a question of budgetary efficiency. This is simply a substance of governmental choice.

The surplus is beautiful, the terms is poverty

The Greek authorities touts superior surpluses arsenic grounds of liable fiscal policy. Formally, it sounds impressive: the state is reducing debt, strengthening the assurance of creditors, and showing stability to the markets. But successful existent beingness surplus built connected cuts successful κοινωνικά benefitslooks wholly different. This is not an economical miracle, but a displacement of load onto those slightest capable to support themselves.

Contraction looks particularly achy child benefits And payments astatine the commencement of a child. Greece has been facing for galore years demographic declinean aging colonisation and the departure of young professionals. In such a situation, cutting support for families means holding conferences connected a demographic catastrophe with 1 hand, and pushing families to determine not to person children with the other. State logic worthy of its ain depository of absurdity.

No little alarming is the situation with housing benefit. Young families and workers successful ample cities are progressively faced with rent that is increasing faster than wages. Against this background, the simplification successful lodging support does not look similar a reform, but alternatively similar a refusal by the state to spot the obvious: the lodging marketplace has agelong go 1 of the main sources of κοινωνικά unit successful the country.

The aforesaid goes for minimum guaranteed income. If the fig of mediocre radical grows and spending connected basal assistance decreases, then we are faced not with optimization, but with the acold arithmetic of poverty. The authorities tin telephone it “responsible management”but for a national who loses benefits, this sounds similar a mockery with the seal of the ministry.

When “aid” is financed by the poor

What is peculiarly irritating is that, simultaneously with the cuts, the authorities are announcing caller support measures. According to authorities critics, the stated 800 cardinal euros caller payments look similar a governmental operation: archetypal chopped existing aid, then instrumentality portion of the funds successful the signifier of caller ones “social packages” and contiguous it arsenic generosity.

This statement is convenient for property releases, but looks atrocious from the public’s constituent of view. If the authorities takes from families, the poor, and renters, and then solemnly announces much handouts, this is nary longer κοινωνικά argumentation but an accounting trick. Moreover, the trick is unpleasant: the viewer is shown a beauteous manus with promises, while with the different manus they take wealth retired of their pocket.

Budget hardliners mightiness reason that Greece indispensable trim indebtedness and strengthen fiscal stability. This is true. But indebtedness simplification should not go a religion for which families, children and the poorest radical are sacrificed. A state cannot physique its aboriginal solely connected a bully study to creditors if poverty, lodging insecurity and demographic emptiness are increasing within it.

State Budget Office of the Greek Parliament Indeed, successful its March report, it emphasized the value of sustainably reducing nationalist indebtedness arsenic a cardinal economical argumentation priority. But there is simply a immense quality betwixt a smart indebtedness strategy and κοινωνικά deafness. Responsible policies indispensable support a balance: trim debt, but not squeeze the past resources retired of those who unrecorded connected benefits.

The main occupation is that the authorities progressively evaluates the country’s success done fund figures, alternatively than done the state of society. A surplus whitethorn look bully successful a table, but if it is achieved astatine the disbursal of children, mediocre families and radical without capable housing, then this is nary longer an indicator of the wellness of the economy. This is an indicator that the state has learned to number wealth amended than people.

Greece what is truly needed is fiscal sustainability. But it does not request surpluses that are created astatine the outgo of κοινωνικά erosion. The state needs a argumentation where the child, household and national are supra statistics, PR and different photograph of the curate against the inheritance of graphs. Because the state, which saves connected children successful bid to wage disconnected debts early, ultimately saves connected its ain future.

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