Social benefits to be thoroughly reviewed

The study assigned to the Economic Development Organization for seven months will be expected by the government in June, in order to decide what social benefits will be cut in 2012.

Until then, even contributory social benefits will be under pressure through the newly reduced budgets and stricter controls. Thus, rent allowance was reduced from 200 to 180 euros and harsher controls will be in place in order to detect forged documents and grant the allowance only to those who rightly deserve it. Also, the Labor House for Social Tourism reduced funding by 20%.

Stringent income criteria are also expected for student allowances, while a principle of an income ceiling for large family allowances will be established. Unemployment benefits will find themselves in a vice in the coming years.

Also planned is a reduction from the current 14.5% to 8%-9% for the number of disability pensions, averaging the EU rate. It is estimated that some 60,000 to 70,000 fake disability claimants have been receiving disability pensions to this day. Overall, the beneficiaries of disability pensions are calculated at 350,000, and the Labor Department hopes to reduce this number to 160.000, ie, to halve it through the re-testing to be undertaken by the Unified Center for Disability Certification.