ATHENS – Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis assured Greek households and consumers that his New Democracy government would keep up subsidies for staggering electric bills at least through May.

Bills have nearly doubled in a year and gas prices have also skyrocketed, with Mitsotakis again pushing the European Union to jump in to help out because all the 27 countries in the bloc are affected.

During a visit to the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on the island of Revithoussa near Athens, he said that his government’s priority is helping people deal with bills that many can’t pay.

“We are facing an unprecedented situation with the explosion in gas prices. This problem is imported and concerns the whole of Europe and that is why I have personally fought for a pan-European answer,” he said, reported Kathimerini.

“The government is committed to continuing to support energy consumers through a subsidy scheme that will continue next month,” he said, not indicating if it would go beyond that as it’s costing some 500 million euros ($541.88 million) monthly.

“I want all Greeks to know that the Greek government is ready to take significant additional measures to absorb as much of the increase in electricity bills as possible allowed by the budget margins,” he also said.