With a new round of allowances, the government continues to respond to punctuality, with the Minister of Finance, Kostis Hatzidakis, leaving open a “window” for extraordinary allowance at Easter 2024 to vulnerable groups.
Specifically, Mr. Hatzidakis said while speaking to SKAI:
“If we have high growth rates, if, as has happened in previous years, we have a positive excess in relation to budget projections, we are here to return the surplus back to society.”
In more detail, the developments that will have to occur for the new allowance to be officially announced will be the course of tax revenues and the announcement of the GDP of 2023. This will be done on March 7 and then the final decisions are expected to be “locked in”. According to the timetable, the granting of new emergency financial aid to vulnerable households it will be clear by the end of Marchso we will know with certainty the beneficiaries and the amounts they will receive.
However, the previous examples show some evidence, but this does not mean that there cannot be a reversal, either with more or with fewer beneficiaries.
In any case, payment of should be expected at the end of April, during M. Week.
Easter 2024 emergency allowance: Beneficiaries and amounts
What do we know so far? Last Easter, the allowance was “cut” for several vulnerable groups and an amount was given – on a staggered basis – only to pensioners who had not received an increase in their pension due to a personal difference.
Instead, however, Christmas 2023 saw a ‘punctuation check’ – dubbed the social solidarity allowance – given to more groups.
Specifically, the amounts were divided as follows:
- From 175 euros to 1,400 euros, the 800,000 beneficiaries of OPECA’s child benefit received.
- 1,055,000 pensioners without a personal difference and a main pension of up to 700 euros received an emergency aid of 150 euros.
- 33,000 beneficiaries of the uninsured elderly benefit received an emergency aid of 150 euros.
- An additional 50% of the monthly benefit was received by 210,000 beneficiaries of the minimum guaranteed benefit.
- 225,000 beneficiaries of other e-EFKA benefits received an emergency aid of 200 euros.
When is Easter 2024
Easter is celebrated, every year, on the first Sunday after the full moon that occurs after the vernal equinox, i.e. after March 21 (in the old calendar), unless the full moon happens to be a Sunday, in which case it is moved to the following Sunday.
Hence, for 2024, Holy Week will begin on Holy Monday, April 28, and Easter Sunday will be celebrated on May 5, 2024.
It is recalled that the Labor Day holiday (Wednesday, May 1, 2024) falls during Holy Week and it is not excluded – as is customary – that it be moved to the first working day after Easter, i.e. Tuesday, May 7, 2024. However, we have to wait possible relevant government decision.
When is Maundy Thursday and Maundy Monday in 2024
Maundy Friday this year falls on March 7 and Clean Monday, which is also a public holiday, falls on March 18.