ATHENS – Main opposition SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance leader Alexis Tsipras on Thursday criticised the draft law on climate tabled in parliament, saying it was not designed to protect the environment but to protect the profits of big business, while passing on the cost to society as a whole.

Addressing the parliament plenary on Thursday, Tsipras also said that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, instead of trying to come up with answers for issues that were critical for the survival of the economy or the issues facing citizens in their day-to-day life, was instead seeking answers for the ‘survival’ issues faced by his government.

The ‘green’ transition was essential and its cost must be paid, for the sake of future generations, he emphasised, but the crucial question was who paid for what. “We say that those who are financially strong should pay the lion’s share but you say that the cost should be paid by the ‘suckers’,” Tsipras added, while he accused the government of serving specific interests with item of legislation.

He also wondered how the government can speak of having “a vision for an equitable and sustainable energy transition” when it had allowed runaway profiteering in the electricity and fuel markets to shrink the income of households and businesses.