Greek main opposition criticizes government for handling of energy crisis

The Greek main opposition on Friday blamed the government for "making a deliberate political choice to plunder society in the energy sector."

Nasos Iliopoulos, a spokesman for Syriza, accused the ruling New Democracy party of giving subsidies to Greeks from money taken from them.

"The money for the subsidies that the government is giving to keep prices down is taken from society at a time when there are increasing tax revenues, which from value-added tax alone amount to €2.5 billion.

"And inflation is running at 11-12%, when the ruling New Democracy party refuses to reduce the excise tax on fuel or the VAT on basic foodstuffs," he told leftist radio station Sto Kokkino.

If the Public Power Corporation, a Greek power producer and electricity supply company, was under public control, prices would be restrained, he said.

"It is irrational not to follow the model of Spain and Portugal. All this time, these two countries pay €100 to €170 per megawatt hour, and in Greece, we pay €400 to €650," he added.

Echoing Iliopoulos, Syriza MP Manolis Famelos said Greece should follow Europe's example in handling the energy crisis.

"We see a global shift in Europe. There is an example of Macron in France, who has spoken clearly about the need for state intervention in the energy market and nationalized the French electricity giant EDF. Germany is nationalizing Uniper, its biggest natural gas importer," Famelos said in an interview with the Yellow radio station.

Like many European countries, Greece has been facing a challenge of energy crisis in recent months.

The Russia-Ukraine war has created chaos not only in geopolitical terms but in the everyday lives of residents across Europe.

Greeks are among those greatly affected, facing challenges on various fronts, including the rising cost of electricity, fuel and essential commodities, as the government has offered help with electricity bills and fuel vouchers.