The majority was approved by its Committee on Economic Affairs ParliamentIn principle, the draft law of the Ministry of National Economy and Finance “Strengthening the Services of Development Programs and related organizational and administrative issues”. In favor of the draft law was the NDvoted against the KKE, reservation for their final stance on the plenary said other opposition parties. The bill is scheduled to be discussed in plenary next week.
In the Committee on Economic Affairs, their positions on the bill, they have formulated bodies that, in the vast majority, represent services that are responsible for the management and operation of development programs. As they said, the bill introduces arrangements that clarify payment procedures, prevent unnecessary delays in the implementation of projects, while in the positive direction, forecasts for salary incentives to executives of the Ministry of National Economy and Finance, services involved in the implementation of the programs. They also estimated that malfunctions that are at the expense of the smooth execution of the projects, that targeted improvements in the management and utilization of lignite areas in the transition process are being introduced, so that the development of new economic activities in these territories are faster and more effective.
The services of the Ministry of National Economy and Finance, represented in the process of listening to bodies, said that many arrangements are introduced after proposals they had made for their proper and more effective operation.
The Commander of the TAA Special Coordination Service of Orestis Kavalakis, after stressing that the National Plan of Greece 2.0 is the largest and fastest financial tool available to Greece, noted that the funding of the projects is based on the performance and the achievement of specific targets. There are, therefore, very tight timetables, Mr Kavalakis said and referred to the TAA implementation by informing the Finance Committee: “In our disbursements, our country has already received 21.3 billion, ie almost 60% of the resources in the country. Greece is also the first to disburse the resources as a percentage of GDP in 2023 while in 8th place, among the 27 Member States, in terms of disbursements, as a percentage of the overall budget of the design. In July, as you know, Greece also filed the sixth payment request of € 2.1 billion grants, where, with its completion, total disbursements will be EUR 23.4 billion, so 65% of the total resources. Fulfilled milestones and targets amount to 139, ie 37% of the total, ie average for all Member States. But precisely because milestones depict investment and reforms, where they expire and end at the end of the Fund, it is natural that the largest number of mountains will be concentrated at the end of the program. This applies to all Member States. However, with the completion of the sixth request for payment, which so far its evaluation is positive from the EU, the total number of paid mountains will rise to 178 and therefore 47% of the mountains and targets. “
Regarding the absorption, the Governor of the TAA Special Coordination Service said that for grants, payments have reached EUR 10.84 billion, so the absorption is 43%on the budget of the integrated projects. For 2025 the target of payments, for the first and second quarters, has been over -exaggerated, and “we go well” to achieve the third quarter goal. In relation to loan disbursements, Mr Kavalakis said that € 8.9 billion loans have already been on the market. “So the TAA resources, in total from grants and loans that have been channeled and channeled into the real economy, amount to $ 19.74 billion,” Mr Kavalakis said, stressing that the bill is introducing the necessary changes, because “as we close the program is up to the program.”
The President of the Hellenic Chamber of Commerce Konstantinos Kollias said the bill is an important opportunity to improve the absorption of available resources and create a stable and transparent environment for investment and growth. “The constant adaptation of the institutional framework, the integration of good practices and the active support of entrepreneurship are essential conditions for the sustainable development of the country and the enhancement of competitiveness at European level. The AIF is positively placed on the bill because it includes provisions with the aim of enhancing the proper functioning and staffing of the services of development programs and bodies supervised by the Minister responsible for the Public Investment Program and the acceleration of the absorption of European and European resources. Keep gaps and strengthen the framework so that there are no delays in critical projects linked to TAA, the new NSRF and the Public Investment Development Program.
On behalf of the Exporters Association, Symeon Diamantidis referred to the provision of the bill that changes the Board of Directors of the TIF. “The Board of Directors participated in the city bodies, the Association of Exporters, Industries, the Chambers. The Board will now be from the TIF Hypertension. All the stakeholders are complaining about it, “Mr Diamantidis said, noting:” We are the same entrepreneurs and we know what to do in an exhibition, what we need to do to attract customers, the contribution would be essential. If nine members of the Board of Directors cannot participate, please have one or two presidents from Thessaloniki bodies, to hear our voice, as we have helped the TIF grow. “
The president of the Panhellenic Association of Nikos Karageorgopoulos workers said that the bill ignores their demands, introduces opacity and renewal into the NSRF environment. He also accused the ministry’s political leadership of being responsible for the lack of institutional dialogue with the trade union of workers in the MAG.
“Greece is currently a good example in Europe for what it succeeds and to gain lost ground in investment,” Deputy Minister of National Economy and Finance Nikos Papathanassis said, and noted that through the available resources, businesses and society are also implemented. “We want to improve the processes. We respect the workers and believe that everyone is serving the common purpose. And in the hard time for the workers in the MAG, we were there, and we discussed and found solutions. We also trust civil servants. And we say that in order to run the programs, for the benefit of society, we open the NSRF to civil servants, because we trust them. So we open the process and even open it through the MAG. MOD will make the invitations. Therefore, we enhance transparency, enhance the recruitment process through ASEP. We respect the work you do. We also serve the strategic goal for Greece not to lose a single euro of resources, “the Deputy Minister of National Economy and Finance said, and stressed that TAA is a very important tool that will not be extended. “Greece remains the first country in disbursements in relation to GDP and in the NSRF absorption, in real absorption, Greece has 2nd or 3rd places between Member States,” the deputy minister said, noting that the bill contributes to accelerating procedures.