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- Ελληνικά
In relation to what was said during yesterday's meeting of the Refugee Committee of the Parliament, as well as the content of some statements to the media that followed, the Ministry of Finance wishes to state the following in order to properly inform the public and restore the truth:
Regarding the issue of the budget of the Equal Burden Sharing Agency, the draft Budget of the Agency for 2024, MDA 2024-2026, as prepared by the Board of Directors of the Agency, provides for 2024, among other things, appropriations of €46 million. for loan concessions and €22.7 million for Interest Rate Subsidy and remains at the same level as in 2023.
The draft Budget of the Entity is currently under review by the Ministry of Finance and once approved by the Minister of Finance, it will be submitted to the Council of Ministers and then to the House of Representatives for passage into law.
In the event that additional appropriations are required in 2024 for the implementation of the Entity's Plans, the Ministry of Finance will allocate them in accordance with the newly established procedures.
Regarding the proposal of the State Ministry of Social Welfare to extend the "Care Allowance Scheme for Prisoners of War and War Veterans" and to include in it the parents of the fallen or disappeared, as well as the widows of the fallen and the spouses of the disappeared, the Ministry wishes to emphasise that the Ministry of Finance has always shown particular sensitivity and is always willing to approve projects that provide, always within the financial means of the State, financial assistance to honour the prisoners of war and those who died in the 1974 war. For this reason, for a number of years, by Council of Ministers' Resolutions, an honorary care allowance has been provided to the beneficiaries of the "POW/MIA Care Plan". In addition, in 2022, an additional six-monthly one-off honorary allowance of €1,000 was granted to prisoners of war during the Turkish invasion of 1974 and/or non-combatants/survivors of war of 1974 and/or disabled war sufferers as a result of their injury as soldiers or reservists during the 1974 invasion, at a total cost of €3,770,000.
However, the inclusion among the existing beneficiaries of the "Care Allowance Scheme" of persons who are parents of the fallen or disappeared, widows of the fallen and spouses of the disappeared cannot be satisfied since the allowance, which is granted to prisoners of war and war casualties of 1974, is in the form of an honorary allowance and cannot be extended to parents of the fallen or disappeared, widows of the fallen and spouses of the disappeared who are members of the family of prisoners of war and of the victims of the 1974 war. In addition, any satisfaction of this request would result in increased budgetary costs and, in addition, could potentially lead to an increase in requests from other population groups which could potentially jeopardize public finances.
The Ministry of Finance reiterates that it is closely following the Government's basic policy regarding social benefits and allowances provided to vulnerable groups of the population to ensure that they are targeted so as not to set a precedent for the satisfaction of requests in the future.
The Ministry of Finance reiterates that it is closely following the Government's basic policy regarding social benefits and allowances provided to vulnerable groups of the population to ensure that they are targeted so as not to set a precedent for the satisfaction of requests in the future.
