Bleak social security outlook

The Greek κοινωνικά information system has languished successful a peculiar “gray zone” for years, where laws person been passed, circulars person been issued and decisions of precocious courts person been passed down, without ever being afloat implemented.

This has resulted successful a web of pending issues that fosters uncertainty, deepens inequalities and poses a changeless hazard of fiscal derailment for the full system.

Kathimerini has compiled galore cases that overgarment a alternatively disappointing and telling picture: The Greek κοινωνικά information system continues to run connected the ground of obsolete laws and inactive tribunal decisions, and cannot beryllium considered stable.

A premier illustration is the instrumentality connected bereavement pensions. According to this legislation, three years aft the decease of an insured individual, the surviving spouse’s pension indispensable beryllium reduced by 50% if the beneficiary is working oregon receiving their ain pension. However, this proviso has seldom been applied successful the backstage sector. Consequently, two chiseled categories of pensioners person emerged: those who proceed to person a afloat pension and those who person seen their benefits reduced.

The situation is akin successful cases of bereavement pensions successful operation with old-age pensions for farmers.

Another captious substance involves the outgo of a treble nationalist pension when a retiree receives some their ain pension and a bereavement pension – an contented presently pending earlier the Council of State.

Court decisions make further pressures. The Court of Auditors has ruled that the pensions of judicial officers cannot autumn beneath 60% of their existent salaries, and that the solidarity levy for the years 2017 and 2018 was unconstitutional, paving the way for refunds.

Significant delays are besides recorded successful the tract of disablement pensions. The aforesaid representation is presented by basal regulations, such arsenic the Sickness Benefits Regulation and the Insurance Regulation for employees and self-employed persons.

In the tract of occupational insurance, an announcement is pending regarding the caller betterment of the auxiliary κοινωνικά information funds. Finally, the farmers’ work licence lawsuit precocious highlighted the hazard of sudden changes successful the mentation of the legislation.