Christos Staikouras

The government is seeking to ride the new momentum created by the health crisis in Europe, at the expense of the once unique recipe of austerity, while the first-quarter fiscal data compiled by the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) indicated an annual deterioration of 1.3 billion euros.

Finance Minister Christos Staikouras suggested on Thursday that the funds Greece expects to receive from the Next Generation EU recovery package as proposed by the European Commission on Wednesday could allow for a reduction in taxation.

Greece will submit a list of how it plans to use resources from the EU's coronavirus Recovery Fund to the European Commission in October, Finance Minister Christos Staikouras said on Thursday.

The state will cover only a third of landlords' losses from the 40% rent reduction for tenants who were hurt professionally by the coronavirus measures.

Finance Minister Christos Staikouras said on Thursday that the government will address the issue of additional tax cuts after October as any decisions will depend on the course of the coronavirus pandemic, on Greece's fiscal performance and on the cash the country has in its coffers.

Year-round hotels will open on 1 June along with camping sites and summer season hotels will follow suit on 15 June, Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis told a news conference today on the government's third phase of coronavirus-related measures.

Greek Finance Minister Christos Staikouras on Wednesday presented a new package of 15 policies to be implemented from June until October 30 in the framework of the third phase of a plan for economic recovery.

Greece's economy may shrink by 10-13 percent this year following a lockdown imposed to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, the country's finance minister said on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will announce steps to revive the economy in a televised address on Wednesday. These steps will be mainly focused on tourism but will also concern other sectors affected by the coronavirus pandemic. 

During Friday's Eurogroup teleconference, Finance Minister Christos Staikouras is determined to press for swift decisions and efficient procedures so that support programs are immediately implemented in the eurozone.