High fuel prices have forced the Greek government to intervene again to curb the rise in food prices. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced a new package of measures on Wednesday afternoon, with the main focus on diesel for vehicles and heating oil. In Greece, the average price of unleaded gasoline, 95 octane, was around 2 euros and 21 cents per liter on Tuesday, while diesel was around 2 euros and 23 cents. On some islands, prices are even higher, going up to 2.45 euros per liter.
Thus, according to Mitsotakis, from October 1 to 15, the state subsidy for motor oil will increase from 10 to 15 cents per liter. With the additional reduction expected to be provided by refineries, the total relief could reach 20 cents per liter. For gasoline, no direct subsidy from the state has been foreseen so far. The measures will be reviewed every 15 days, as the government says that international oil prices continue to fluctuate greatly.
Attention is also being paid to heating oil, the sale of which begins on October 15. The government's objective is to keep the initial price below 1 euro and 75 cents per liter, while the average price last year was around 1.15 euros per liter. Final decisions on the level of support and subsidies for citizens in need will be announced by October 14. The package is not limited to fuel. The government is also expanding the scheme for repaying old debts of small and medium-sized businesses to the state, from 72 to up to 120 installments, with a minimum installment of 30 euros.
The rules for companies that manage bad loans are also changing. If a servicer violates a regular agreement with a debtor, fines of up to 500,000 euros are foreseen, while new limits are also imposed on prepayments required of citizens. But for Greek families, the most urgent problem remains prices at the pump. Gasoline and diesel remain above 2 euros per liter and the government warns that the measures may change again depending on international markets.
