ATHENS – Main opposition SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance spokesperson Nassos Iliopoulos, in an interview with Ionian TV late Wednesday, said that “Mr Mitsotakis, with his refusal to intervene in energy pricing policy, is subsidising the excessive profits of the energy companies with the Greek people’s money,” adding that he should finally stop deceiving the Greek society.

Iliopoulos criticised the government for the abrupt phasing out of lignite, which increased the country’s dependence on the natural gas, underlining that “only two of the seven lignite plants we have that are licenced [to operate] until 2028 were working last week.”

Concluding, he said that what is needed is an immediate reduction of the special tax on fuel and oil, control of profiteering, intervention in the Public Power Corporation’s pricing policy, an increase in the minimum wage and settlements and write-offs of pandemic debts so as to provide some respite to small and medium-sized enterprises and the self-employed.