Mitsotakis signals temporary fuel tax cut if EU approves
Greece could consider a temporary reduction in fuel taxes if the European Union approves exceptional national measures, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Sunday.
In his weekly social media update, Mitsotakis said the government would announce measures in the coming days aimed at lowering the cost of heating fuel below last year's levels.
Heating fuel measures
The initial price of heating fuel would be kept below €1.75 per liter under the planned measures, Mitsotakis said.
The government also plans to increase heating subsidies across all forms of heating, with additional support for areas that experience particularly harsh winters.
Diesel subsidies will also be extended through October, according to the prime minister.
Athens seeks flexibility from Brussels
Mitsotakis said national measures alone may not be sufficient to address the pressure on household budgets and called for additional action at the European level.
He said that if the EU allows exceptional national interventions to be excluded from expenditure limits, Greece could examine a temporary reduction in fuel taxation.
The proposal comes as Greece and other EU countries continue to face elevated living costs following the energy and inflationary pressures that emerged after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Mitsotakis made the remarks from the United States, where he is scheduled to hold a series of meetings ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
