06/12/2024 07:27
House President Annita Demetriou stressed the importance of a surplus budget and the need to support citizens struggling with rising costs during a meeting on Thursday with Finance Minister Makis Keravnos. The meeting took place ahead of Keravnos' speech at the Parliament on the 2025 state budget.
In her remarks at the start of the meeting, Demetriou noted the significance of the budget deliberation process, culminating in its final approval on December 16, 17, and 18. She described the Minister’s speech as a key reference point for lawmakers before they present their positions on the budget.
“It is highly significant that we are dealing with a surplus budget. We want the economy to perform well,” Demetriou stated, highlighting Parliament's role in managing challenging economic situations in recent years.
She stressed that the government’s priority should now be ensuring that economic growth translates into tangible benefits for citizens.
“The challenge is for people to feel in their daily lives that it’s not just the numbers that are thriving, but that this prosperity is reflected in measures and decisions that help them overcome their difficulties,” she added.
Finance Minister Keravnos reiterated the Ministry's commitment to maintaining stability and growth in a challenging international environment. He emphasized the importance of avoiding placing further burden on future generations, noting that they were already carrying significant weight.
He said that the government’s primary goal was to ensure stability today and sustain growth rates in a highly adverse environment so that they could turn the economy's positive indicators into real relief for those citizens most in need.