By S. Papapetros
A World Bank report on Greece recommends a radical, by Greek standards, reduction in the country’s mostly non-essential welfare spending system and specific benefits.
The 75-page report was concluded last April and subsequently presented to Greece’s labor ministry.
According to the basic points in the report, which have been viewed by “N”, no less than 15 welfare benefits, subsidies and bonuses are recommended for elimination.
Proposed cuts, by the WB, include a heating fuel subsidy for low-income households; vacation coupons for the unemployed; the employment bureau (OAED) summer camp program; the same agency’s Funding for Union Organizations program; OAED’s subsidized tourism program; free inter-city travel passes for eligible families; a vacation subsidy for eligible beneficiaries and employed beneficiaries of the ETAP-MME fund (which provides primary social security benefits to media sector employees) ; vacation subsidies for public sector pensioners; another ‘social tourism’ program lasting six days via coupons; another holiday subsidy program for senior citizens; vacation subsidies for people with disabilities; family bonus and marital status bonuses, and finally, subsidies for first-time hirings.
