Total confusion with Greek unified insurance fund EFKA

March 9, 2017
Written by E.Tsiliopoulos

The unification of the many insurance funds in Greece (IKA, OAEE etc.) was something that had been planned a long time ago. Finally, the Greek government went forward with this plan as it was an obligation included in the economic program agreed with the lenders.

However, the transition period is not without problems. EFKA, as it is now called, sent erroneous payment notices to many beneficiaries. This mistake, although it was detected immediately, it will take up to -at least- 2018 to be corrected. Of the 1.194.000 notices only 323.000 have been payed so far.

Freelancers, especially, have been hit hard by the economic measures the all governments have passed in the years of this crisis, forcing them to change their profession as they were unable to pay their insurance obligations as well as their taxes. This of course has limited the number of the beneficiaries that eventually contribute to EFKA’s income. In total, more than 81.000 freelancers have chose to do this in the last two years.

The administration of EFKA from its behalf argues that by its decisions so far it has not been unfair to anyone, especially the freelancers, but in fact it has restored some earlier injustices done to some of them.

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