Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastaurou discussed Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s announcements regarding the heating allowance during an appearance on ACTION 24 television. The minister also addressed the targeted support measures the government is expected to announce, developments concerning the Vertical Corridor energy project, and commented on the current Greek political landscape.
Papastaurou on the government interventions announced by Mitsotakis
Minister Papastaurou stressed that, as Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced during his Thursday afternoon (17/09) interview, the government will unveil specific measures for heating oil next week in coordination with the Ministry of National Economy and Finance. These measures will include a across-the-board increase in the heating allowance, set to benefit approximately 1.2 million citizens: “The Prime Minister mentioned two interventions regarding heating oil yesterday. The first is that when last season ended, the price stood at €1.75. Today, prices are starting from €2. That is a very significant increase for every household. So, with the measures to be announced on Monday, the price will be brought back below €1.75. The Prime Minister also made a second intervention. There will be a significant increase in the heating allowance, which is applied universally and covers approximately 1,170,000 of our fellow citizens — and it is not given only to the roughly 600,000 who chose heating oil last year, since eligible recipients may opt for natural gas heating — around 175,000 last year — nearly 320,000 chose electricity, and around 75,000 used firewood. For all of them, there will be a significant across-the-board increase.”
“Targeted support measures”
The minister emphasized: “The most important thing is to ensure prices that households can actually afford, because heating every home is an absolute priority. No one can change geopolitical developments. What you can do is put in place as many targeted support measures as possible, so that every household and every family can cope. The government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis has proven — and we did this from the very first moment the crisis erupted in March — that we use targeted measures to support society,” he noted.
On the European response, he explained that “One thing is clear — everyone can now see that the crisis, which some predicted would last only a few weeks, has gone on far longer, and nobody really knows how long it will continue. It has become a new normal. Unlike other countries that need to seek permission before considering support measures, we have the fiscal space to act responsibly and decisively.”
What he said about the excise duty on energy
When asked about discussions taking place across Europe regarding the special excise duty on energy, Papastaurou noted that such matters typically require “a decision at the level of a European Council summit of heads of state,” and added: “I want to be honest. It is difficult, because Europe does not leave much room when it comes to fiscal limits. And it does so precisely because the Economic and Monetary Union currently operates under very strict conditions regarding what member states can spend.”
Papastaurou: We laid the foundations for the Vertical Corridor last year
Speaking about the Vertical Corridor energy project, he underlined: “When we laid the foundations for the Vertical Corridor last year, many considered it an ambitious plan that would not work. And yet, just one year later, it has taken concrete shape. I would like to remind you that just a few weeks ago in Thessaloniki, North Macedonia and Serbia joined the Vertical Corridor. I can also tell you that within a few months, the 125-kilometre interconnection pipeline — a large portion of which is being implemented by DESFA — will be completed. It will connect Greece with North Macedonia and is set to begin operating as early as 2027.”
Finally, when asked to comment on the current political landscape and recent opinion polls, the minister stated: “The more you set the bar high, the more you solve problems that improve citizens’ quality of life every day, the more you carry out effective reforms — the more you win back the trust of those who had, for the time being, kept their distance.”
