For yet another time, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has demonstrated the recklessness and inconsistency of his government with new promises to lower fuel prices, said Costas Tsoukalas — spokesperson for PASOK — following the Prime Minister’s Sunday announcement and the latest measures aimed at curbing fuel costs.
A Pattern of Unsubstantiated Promises
Tsoukalas noted that just two weeks earlier, Mitsotakis announced fuel price reductions without clarifying how they would be implemented. It later emerged that refineries would offer corporate social responsibility contributions of unspecified value — with no tangible impact at the pump.
From Criticism to Adoption
When PASOK, at the outset of the crisis triggered by the war in Iran, proposed a costed measure — temporarily reducing the Special Consumption Tax on fuels to bring Greece closer to the EU average — the government dismissed the idea as ‘money trees’. Today, under mounting public pressure, it has effectively adopted PASOK’s proposal.
Yet critical questions remain unanswered, Tsoukalas stressed: Where will the funds for these cuts come from? Could they be drawn from the overcollection of VAT on fuels — which, to date, has extracted over €80 million from consumers and businesses?
Populism in Disguise
The Prime Minister frequently presents himself as responsible and engaged in a ‘war against populism’. Yet, Tsoukalas argued, he consistently serves it — relying on fleeting impressions and empty rhetoric rather than substantive policy. A telling example is the government’s high-profile claim that trains now operate with the European Train Control System (ETCS), while quietly omitting that the system remains non-operational on the Athens–Thessaloniki line.
Rebranding Old Spending as New Policy
Another instance cited is the National Development Programme — presented as a bold new initiative, but in reality rebranding expenditures that were already scheduled under the Public Investment Programme. The €23 billion announced for 2026–2030 does not represent new funding; it reflects budgetary commitments the state must fulfill regardless. This, Tsoukalas said, is a communications exercise designed to obscure a deeper concern: after the Recovery Fund concludes, Greece risks losing its primary engine of growth — with no credible plan for what comes next.
Unanswered Questions
Tsoukalas concluded by highlighting key questions the government has failed to address — including the evaluation of the 2021–2025 National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF): What are the measurable outcomes of the government’s work so far, as referenced by Deputy Finance Minister Christos Papathanasis? How were NSRF funds allocated? How much went to feasibility studies versus actual infrastructure projects?