ATHENS – Government spokesperson Yiannis Oikonomou on Thursday rejected assertions that the government is “tolerating profiteering”, referring to them as “fairytales” at the start of the daily press briefing.

“We are doing everything within our power with policies that support the vulnerable and we respond to the fairytales with actions,” he said, adding that the government has three responses to make.

Firstly, he noted, that 90 percent of the energy providers’ excessive profits will return to society as tax, as the prime minister said in parliament.

Secondly, in terms of tackling profiteering, in the last month there have been 3,500 checks in the market, in which 841 breaches were found and fines of up to 500,000 euros were imposed, adding that these checks will continue.

Finally, the law voted on Wednesday in parliament provides for close monitoring in seven categories of products at all stages in the supply chain, among them fertilisers, animal feed, corn, wheat, flour and all vegetable oils except olive oil.

Oikonomou said that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is in Brussels to take part in the NATO Summit adding that he will again express Greece’s support for Ukraine, for the sanctions against Russia, Ukraine’s right to self defence and Greece’s support for the refugees from Ukraine, of which 13,000 were already in Greece. He also said that Mitsotakis will refer to the need for cooperation between the EU and NATO and will underline the importance of European strategic autonomy.