Greece will raise a permanent benefit for pensioners to 400 euros and pay it without any income or asset requirements, under a new measure included in the package announced at the Thessaloniki International Fair. The payment will be made to pensioners in November.
The new rule fully scraps the financial criteria that previously applied. The only condition that remains is age: pensioners must be at least 65 to qualify, while those who receive solely a widow's or widower's pension can qualify from age 60.
From November of this year, the benefit will be paid to 1.9 million pensioners, according to the announcement. A further 300,000 people who receive disability benefits will also be eligible. In total, the government put the number of beneficiaries at approximately 2.2 million people.
What is the Thessaloniki International Fair
The Thessaloniki International Fair, known in Greece by its initials ΔΕΘ, is an annual trade exhibition held in the northern city of Thessaloniki. For decades it has doubled as the traditional stage on which the Greek prime minister delivers a keynote speech setting out the government's economic and social policy priorities for the year ahead, typically in September. Tax breaks, wage measures and welfare benefits are routinely unveiled there before being formally legislated.
The 400-euro payment falls within that package of measures presented this year and is described as a permanent benefit, meaning it is intended to be paid on a recurring basis rather than as a one-off support payment.
Dropping income and asset criteria
Welfare payments in Greece have traditionally been subject to means testing, with eligibility assessed against a household's declared income and the value of property or other assets it holds. Removing those criteria simplifies the process for applicants, since eligibility for the 400-euro benefit will now be determined solely by age, rather than by financial declarations submitted to tax authorities.
The measure sits alongside other pension-related announcements made around the same period, including confirmation of payment dates for pensions due in October, as Greek authorities continue to set out the schedule of welfare payments for the closing months of the year.
