The expansion of the categories of beneficiaries of Christmas gifts and the granting of emergency financial assistance to residents of mountainous areas are among the issues that concern today's meeting of the Council of Ministers, as mentioned by the President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulidis, in his introductory statement at the start of the meeting of the body , noting that the number of beneficiaries of the Christmas gift will increase by 40 thousand.
President Christodoulidis said that today decisions will be made on the extraordinary Christmas gift for 2024, which, he said, includes new categories that the Government considers should be helped.
Indicatively, he said that the number of beneficiaries will increase by 40 thousand, which now exceeds 100 thousand, while to those who received a Christmas gift last year by decision of the Council of Ministers are added the national guards, new mothers, resettlers, three and many children who receive child allowance , as well as single-parent families who are beneficiaries of the allowance, regardless income category and amount of deposits.
The total cost is approximately 20 million. euros, increased over three million euros from the decision taken last year in the same period, he noted.
In the same context, continued the President of the Republic, it will be decided today to grant emergency financial assistance to all residents of communities with an altitude of more than 600 meters, equal to 50 percent of the amount granted to them. "We are talking about approximately 23 beneficiaries, from 10 households in 128 areas, with an expenditure reaching close to 3 million. euros", he added.
"It is indicative of responsible financial management that responds not only to the upgrades that are particularly important for many reasons, it is not something that does not touch the world, more it touches the world, because the upgrades bring quality investments, bring down interest rates, help to make targeted social policy and to increase beneficiaries compared to previous times, precisely because fiscal responsibility allows us to proceed with the expansion of beneficiaries", he pointed out.
Meetings with new EU Commissioners
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Addressing the members of the Council of Ministers, the President of the Republic invited them, given the fact that the new European Commission took over in Brussels from December 1st, to hold meetings with all the new Commissioners, in view of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU.
He added that in addition to the introductory meetings, the issues to be discussed, the bilateral issues, the Presidency, but also the relationship that needs to be built should be presented. "It is with the Commission that we hold the Presidency. From January, the trio of our Presidency begins, therefore, we follow even more carefully the discussions, the developments at the EU level", he noted.
"And within this context, the participation of all of you in the Councils, at the ministerial level, is necessary, in Brussels. And now the discussion at the level of the Council of Ministers will become more regular about the developments in the Commission, about the issues, the various files, always in connection with the preparation that is being done for our Presidency", he added.
