Greece – Daily Brief

• The Finance Ministry posted a bill for public consultation with the measures announced at the 90th Thessaloniki International Fair, to apply in 2026 and 2027. Consultation runs to 1 November, with the aim of legislating within November; the bill includes a 0% tax rate up to €20,000 for families with three children and for full-time farmers.bankwars.gr (el)enikonomia.gr (el)
• Former prime minister Antonis Samaras criticised the government's economic policy at a business conference in Kalamata. He called it neoliberal and called for a 13% VAT rate on catering, lower energy costs and a dedicated financing body for small businesses.sofokleous10.gr (el)thepressproject.gr (el)Uncertainty: Figures cited are Samaras's own claims, not confirmed
• PASOK said the government's commitments on energy, pensions and VAT are unfunded. Its spokesman Kostas Tsoukalas said the prime minister refuses to discuss a cut in fuel excise duty. SYRIZA said Mitsotakis's weekly Sunday messages show ineffective policies.thepressproject.gr (el)focusfm.gr (el)Uncertainty: Opposition party statements; claims not independently verified

• PASOK said in a statement that higher electricity, gas, petrol and heating-fuel prices weigh on household and business costs, putting the monthly burden at 450 million euros after amounts covered by the state and refineries. It called for a change in energy policy and a cut in the excise duty (EFK).thepressproject.gr (el)Uncertainty: Opposition party claim; the 450 million euro figure is not confirmed by official data in the items.Single source: thepressproject.gr.
• Bankingnews.gr wrote that Brent stands at 110 dollars and that global fuel prices have risen despite a US-Russia oil deal, which it attributes to the closure of Hormuz. It cited unnamed voices expecting further food and goods price increases if the energy shock continues, and proposed a Russian oil purchase deal and a special refinery tax.bankingnews.grUncertainty: Commentary-style piece from a single outlet; price forecasts of 20-25% are attributed to unnamed sources and not verified.Single source: bankingnews.gr.
• Former prime minister Antonis Samaras, speaking at a Messinia small-business congress in Kalamata, criticised the government's economic policy and called for VAT on restaurants to be cut to 13%, lower energy costs and a dedicated financing body for small firms. He said SME operating costs rose 35% in two years and that fewer than 10% of businesses joined the 72-instalment private-debt scheme.sofokleous10.gr (el)Uncertainty: Figures are the speaker's own claims, not independently confirmed.Single source: sofokleous10.gr.
• A study by the InSocial institute, presented by Efsyn, found Greece has had the lowest average productivity per worker among the reference countries (Spain, Portugal, Italy, Turkey) over 2019-2025, although productivity has risen gradually since 2020.efsyn.gr (el)Uncertainty: Single report of a think-tank study; only partial text available.Single source: efsyn.gr.
• PASOK spokesman Kostas Tsoukalas said in a newspaper article that the party's bill on private debt would restore first-home protection with income and asset criteria and extend protection to farmland. He accused the government of presenting a misleading success story on private debt.news.gr (el)Uncertainty: Opposition position; the article text is truncated.Single source: news.gr.

• Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis recently said work on the Great Sea Interconnector (Cyprus–Greece power link) will restart, according to a commentary piece. The piece says Turkey has already voiced reactions to the project.taxydromos.gr (el)Uncertainty: Reported only in an opinion piece. The text available does not give Gerapetritis' statement in full, the date, or the content of Turkey's reactions. No obstruction of works is reported.Single source: taxydromos.gr.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hopes to avoid a direct confrontation with Turkey, citing the Jerusalem Post. He said he doubts relations can normalise under President Erdogan and described Erdogan's statements on Israel as a security concern.newsit.gr (el)Uncertainty: Single report of Netanyahu's remarks, relayed via a Greek outlet citing the Jerusalem Post. No Greek-specific element is stated.Single source: newsit.gr.

• A magnitude 3.5 earthquake struck offshore east of Attica early on 19 October, according to the Athens Observatory Geodynamic Institute. Residents reported feeling it in several parts of Attica, and the item reports no damage or emergency response.newsbomb.gr (el)Uncertainty: Single report. EMSC's automatic solution gives 3.4 and a different depth and epicentre.Single source: newsbomb.gr.

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