With 159 votes out of the 300-member parliament, Greece’s ruling New Democracy party (EPP) passed the 2025 budget, while a large majority voted in favour defence spending.
The vote occurred amid growing social dissatisfaction due to the high prices of essential goods.
New Democracy steadily leads the latest polls with 24%, down from 40.5% in the 2023 legislative elections.
It’s followed by socialist Pasok (15.9%), the populist right-wing Greek Solution (ECR) with 8.8%, the communists (7.9%), and leftist Syriza, which scored 7.1% – almost ten percentage points lower than in the 2023 elections.
The vote on defence expenditure received 258 positive votes against 41, with a total of seven parties voting in favour.
According to analysts in Athens, the positive votes in defence spending – also from leftist parties – show a general cross-party consensus about the need to invest in defence given that Greece is considered a critical part of NATO’s southeastern flank.
Greece is among the NATO members steadily exceeding the 2% GDP guideline agreed to in 2014 by the Alliance. This has pleased Washington and received positive comments from incoming US President Donald Trump.
“The United States commended Greece for exceeding its Wales Summit pledge by spending over 3.5% of its GDP on defence with over 45% of this used for major equipment purchases and modernization”, reads a joint statement of the US-Greece strategic dialogue meeting last February.
New Democracy, Pasok, Syriza, the Greek Solution, far-right parties, and the newly established leftist “Democracy Movement” – established after the break-up of Syriza – voted in favour.
“We are fully aware of the current situation and the responsibilities that arise from it, despite our serious reservations about the armament programs that the government is planning for the future, as well as the very serious deficits that currently exist in the armed forces”, commented Syriza leader Socrates Famellos.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis praised the opposition for its stance on the defence budget and presented a table showing that Athens spent €3.5 billion in 2019 and is projected to spend €6.1 billion in 2025.
Referring to neighbouring Turkey, defence minister Nikos Dendias stated that Greece faces “a real and present threat” and cited the casus belli posed by Ankara and suggested that if Greece expands its maritime borders in the Aegean Sea, this will be a cause of war.
Dendias also explained that compared to Greece, Turkey spends 14 times more money on equipment.
“There is a huge gap of one to 14 that comes next to another gap of one to 10 in population. A completely new approach is required, and this is hidden behind the budget numbers. The main direction is to enter the country into the century of innovation”, Dendias said.
Lastly, Reuters recently reported that Greece is in talks with Israel to develop a $2 billion anti-aircraft and anti-missile dome.
(Sarantis Michalopoulos | Euractiv.com)
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Publish date : 2024-12-16 03:33:00
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