Gaps, ambiguities and shortcomings are present in the announcements of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis , as they were formulated in his speech at the 90th Thessaloniki International Fair . Behind the twelve measures of the “Progress and Prosperity Agreement” and behind a timetable that extends until the end of 2027, hidden amounts that, when translated on a daily basis, change dramatically in size. And hidden are entire policy areas that were not mentioned at all.
Starting from the arithmetic of everyday life , the annual support for pensioners is increased to 400 euros and extended to all over 65. Divided into twelve months, the amount gives 33 euros per month. Divided into days, it gives 1.10 euros per day . This is a one-time annual payment that is not incorporated into the pension, is not counted in the calculation base and is not transferred to subsequent years as a permanent increase.
The same arithmetic applies to the rest. The permanent Christmas bonus of 500 euros gross to civil servants, which will be paid for the first time in December 2027, corresponds to 1.37 euros per day gross , therefore significantly less net after deductions. The indexation of disability benefits , with an average additional annual benefit of around 220 euros for 220,000 citizens, corresponds to around 60 cents per day . The reduction in social security contributions by half a percentage point from April 2027 gives a worker on the minimum wage around 4.60 euros per month , i.e. less than 20 cents per day .
Even more revealing is the magnitude of the electricity price increase. The only direct intervention in the price is the reduction of the Public Utilities charges in household tariffs from 6.9 to 3.45 euros per megawatt-hour from 1 January 2027. For an average household with an annual consumption of 3.5 megawatt-hours, this reduction translates into approximately 12 euros per year , or around 3 minutes per day . The large number, 30% by 2029 , concerns the wholesale price and not the bill, and is not accompanied by any mechanism that guarantees its transfer to the retail market.
The picture is more complex for the minimum wage , but not more generous. It currently stands at 920 euros gross , as of April 1, 2026. The target of 1,000 euros by early 2028 means an increase of 80 euros gross per month over about two years, or less than 3.10 euros gross per day at the end of the path, with the first step being placed in April 2027. The amount is nominal. It was not accompanied by a target in purchasing power terms, nor by a reference to inflation in the intervening two years.
The largest amounts are found where the intervention is tax and not subsidy. The zero rate up to 20,000 euros for farmers by main occupation gives a benefit of 1,183 euros to anyone with exactly this income, i.e. 3.24 euros per day , and 2,900 euros to anyone with 30,000, i.e. 7.95 euros per day . However, it concerns approximately 50,000 farmers . The zero rate for three-child families concerns approximately 87,000 families , while the increase in the large-child allowance by 1,000 euros for each additional child is equivalent to 2.74 euros per day .
Beyond the amounts, there are the gaps themselves. The first and most serious is temporal . The heaviest measures are activated after the next election. The Christmas bonus is paid in December 2027, the minimum reaches 1,000 euros in 2028, the electricity target is set for 2029. These are commitments that presuppose a mandate that has not yet been given.
The second concerns the budgetary coverage . The Maximos Palace insisted that all the measures are costed, but no single sum or analysis of the source of the space was presented. The opposition estimates the package at between 2 and 2.2 billion euros, with SYRIZA accusing the government of not utilizing the flexibilities of the new European budgetary framework and PASOK noting that the prime minister finally found the space he denied existed. The assumption of growth on which the plan is based and what happens in the event of a slowdown are missing.
The third gap is accuracy . The package addresses income, not prices. There has been no intervention in food, profit margins or fuel, while the opposition claims that accuracy has already swallowed the announcements.
The fourth concerns housing . The 2 billion “My House 3” finances buyers, does not increase the housing stock. No construction program, utilization of vacant properties or intervention in short-term rentals was announced. The new 15% transfer tax concerns buyers outside the European Union and leaves out buyers from member states.
The fifth is the average wage and collective agreements. The minimum has an amount and a date, the average wage in the private sector has neither, nor was the tool with which it will be moved mentioned.
The sixth is the absence of health and education from the list of twelve. The only relevant intervention is the double refund of rent to doctors, nurses and teachers. No mention of recruitment in the National Health Service, waiting lists or emergencies.
The seventh is the arithmetic of the Piggy Bank . The example of 60,000 euros in eighteen years assumes uninterrupted savings of 100 euros per month and an assumed return on investment that was not made public. The measure benefits those who have a surplus to save and concerns children up to two years old, without specifying what applies to older children.
The eighth is livestock farming without numbers . The restructuring plan was announced as a personal gamble of the prime minister, without amounts, a timetable or the amount of compensation for the herds that were lost.
Two counterarguments must be recorded in order to complete the picture. The government argues that dividing an annual amount into days artificially downplays its size, since the measures operate cumulatively and a household can simultaneously receive pensioner support, tax relief, ENFIA reduction and rent refund. It also argues that the aim was precisely to avoid uncosted promises and that a public implementation calendar per month constitutes in itself a form of accountability. On the other hand, the opposition characterizes the package as insufficient in view of the size of the problem.
