Prompted by Eurostat data showing Greece ranking among the worst in Europe on energy poverty and the housing crisis, the Greek Left Alliance (ELAS) launched a fierce attack against the government.
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In a statement, Evgenia Fotoniata — ELAS Policy Planning Director and Coordinator of the INNAT Scientific Council — said that “Mr. Marinakis may be able to dispute European indicators. What he cannot dispute is the daily reality of millions of citizens who watch their wages evaporate before the month is even over. Seven years of government ‘success story’ and Greece is topping European rankings in all the wrong categories.”
Presenting specific data on poverty, she stated: “27.5% of the population is at risk of poverty or social exclusion, compared to 20.9% across the EU. Greece ranks second worst in the entire bloc.”
On housing, she noted that “Greece ranks first in the EU for housing cost overburden. 26.4% of the population lives in households where housing costs exceed 40% of disposable income, compared to just 7.7% across the EU.” On energy poverty, she added that the country is “first in the EU in the inability to adequately heat homes. 18.1% of the population cannot keep their home sufficiently warm, compared to 8.8% across the EU.”
She also stressed that, according to European Commission forecasts, real wages in Greece will still remain below 2019 levels even in 2026 — at a time when wages across the EU as a whole will already be higher.
“This is the Mitsotakis government’s version of growth. Leading the EU in housing and energy poverty, while lagging behind in workers’ purchasing power,” said Evgenia Fotoniata, adding that “the problem is not that Eurostat is measuring things incorrectly. The problem is that government policy is distributing the fruits of growth in all the wrong ways.”
“ELAS is not content with simply identifying inequalities. We are fighting for an economy in which work is fairly rewarded and growth genuinely improves the lives of the social majority.” The ELAS Policy Planning Director also outlined her party’s key proposals:
- A minimum wage of €1,000 by 2027.
- An average full-time wage of €1,800 by the end of the four-year term.
- Strong collective bargaining agreements, meaningful pay increases, and the restoration of workers’ negotiating power.
- Abolition of the 13-hour working day and effective protection of working hours.
- Affordable housing and cheaper energy to deliver a real boost to purchasing power.
“Labor creates wealth. New Democracy cannot celebrate its growth while workers are being left behind in its distribution,” concluded Evgenia Fotoniata.
