BRUSSELS — The Greek government will continue the exploitation of domestic and European funds, methodically with efficiency and social justice, in its efforts to mitigate, as much as possible, the impact of the current ordeal on households and enterprises and to lay the foundations for a swift and strong recovery, Finance Minister Christos Staikouras said on Tuesday. Commenting on the first disbursement of funds from the SURE programme, Staikouras said the 2.0 billion euros received on Tuesday will be used on support measures for workers and employers to preserve job positions in the country.

"Seven months after a Eurogroup decision to create a safety net for workers through the SURE programme and six months after its establishment, Greece, today, receives the first disbursement of funds from the programme. This disbursement totals 2.0 billion euros, from a total of 2.7 billion euros earmarked for the country as a loan by SURE with extremely low -close to zero – borrowing cost. This money will be used to preserve job positions," the finance minister said.