Free access to medicine for 310,000 pensioners and “hazard pay” for 150,000 uniformed personnel

The announcement for EKAS beneficiaries is for new pensioners who retired after the abolition of the Social Solidarity Benefit for Pensioners in 2016. Those EKAS beneficiaries until that time retained their right to be exempted from participation in medication. However, since then until today, another 130,000 new pensioners have emerged who received the same or lower pension (below 500 or 400 euros per month!) but did not have access to free medicine, as have another 180,000 pensioners who were also beneficiaries of EKAS before 2016. With the new data, a total of 310,000 old and new minimum pensioners will be relieved of a very significant financial burden to pay for medicines.

The scenarios for uniformed ivil servants

For members of the Greek Police, Fire Brigade, Coast Guard, and Armed Forces, the prime minister spoke of “practical recognition” of the hazards of their profession. Here things are not yet clear, neither about the type or amount of the benefit, nor the timing of its payment.

One of the plans that was reportedly being discussed in the past days and weeks in the economic staff was to give a salary increase or a one-time annual special allowance. However, as the new budget just passed does not provide for a commitment to a corresponding salary increase (of possibly €500 or €600 per year for each beneficiary or €75-90 million in total per year), it does not seem clear whether their payment can start in 2025 or the following year.

Much will become clearer today at 11 am, however, as the Minister of National Economy and Finance Kostis Hatzidakis will announce details of the Prime Minister’s announcements, as well as on the doubling of the ENFIA on the seized properties of banks and servicers or on the reductions in charges and all the other new measures to facilitate depositors and borrowers, which Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced yesterday in Parliament.