The government is preparing further measures to address the high cost of living, with new steps beyond those already in place under consideration, Finance Minister Makis Keravnos has said. He was speaking after a meeting at the Presidential Palace between the President of the Republic and the trade unions OEKDY-SEK, PASYEK PEO and DEE-KDOKO DEOK, which he attended.
Package for the Council of Ministers
Asked about the matter, Mr Keravnos said that "the Government is working on some packages and at the next Council of Ministers there will be a package".
"We are continuously working on and assessing the situation, and the Government will continue to do what it has been doing for so long, to support all social strata, and particularly the lower strata and vulnerable groups, especially in this period of crises we are going through," he added.
He said new measures beyond the existing ones are also being examined.
Targeted and horizontal measures
Asked whether the measures to be announced would be horizontal, the minister said: "The aim is always for the measures to be targeted. Of course, in cases where this is impossible, they also take on a horizontal character, because some problems affect everyone."
Comparison with other European countries
Asked about the European model being used in relation to economic measures, Mr Keravnos said: "My own assessment is that, as Cyprus, a member state of the European Union, with the measures we are implementing and the social policy we pursue, we have surpassed many other countries in whatever measures they are implementing, and Cyprus could serve as a model in tackling high prices."
Asked about the Italian government's decision to impose a cap on fuel prices, he said: "We have taken measures for two years now, which are much more refined than any measures taken by any other European government."
Planned protest outside the finance ministry
Asked to comment on a protest planned for the afternoon outside the Ministry of Finance, Mr Keravnos said: "I think we are in a state governed by the rule of law, in a democracy, and everyone can, of course, demonstrate and express their demands and their feelings."
