Back in January 2025, Greek opposition party PASOK had proposed for president former minister Tasos Giannitsis, who has been identified in the collective conscience with the –visionary and futile – attempt to reform the social security system back in 2001.
It is certain, based on the rules of common sense, that the party leadership did not consult him before submitting its recent proposal to support pensioners, which includes, among other things, the reinstatement of the 13th pension payment (in two phases, the first and third year of government). To calculate the cost of this proposed measure, one does not need to check the numbers given by PASOK and compare them with those presented by the government. It is enough to refer to public records on the annual pension expenditure in Greece, which exceeds €33 billion, constituting the largest social expenditure in the country.
Besides, the measure is also unfair, like all measures offered to everyone without exceptions, because it does not only concern low-income pensioners, for whom PASOK (correctly) envisages a new subsidy, but everyone. Those who receive a double or triple pension, those who retired at 50, those who have other sources of income, large real estate assets or continue to work more efficiently than ever due to experience (doctors, lawyers, journalists etc).
