Greece is finalising the digitisation of 53 million handwritten social security stamp cards in a move expected to further speed up the processing of main and supplementary pensions, Greece’s Minister of Labour and Social Security, Niki Kerameus, has said.

Speaking to parliament’s Standing Committee on Social Affairs during the presentation of a draft law to modernise Greece’s occupational pensions framework, Kerameus outlined the government’s broader priorities for strengthening the social security system.

She highlighted that speeding up pension processing times remains a key priority, noting that the average time required to award a main pension has fallen from around 500 days in 2019 to less than 42 days today.

Kerameus also stressed that the government’s top priority is strengthening the first pillar of social security, including e-EFKA, Greece’s public electronic social security institution, and TEKA, the state-run auxiliary pension fund.

She acknowledged the developments supporting this objective, including 563,000 additional workers in the labour market compared with 2019 and an increase in registered working pensioners from around 35,000 to more than 308,000.

These changes, alongside the increase in declared work, have contributed to a significant rise in e-EFKA’s revenues.

Kerameus also pointed out that the government is focused on strengthening pensioners’ incomes, as evidenced by a series of measures introduced over recent years.

These include pension increases, the introduction of an annual additional tax-free allowance of €300 each November, the gradual abolition of the personal difference, the revision of the solidarity contribution, and the removal of reductions to widows’ pensions.

She also noted that people with disabilities can now work without losing their disability pension.

The other government priorities include improving the disability certification process and inclusion of public-sector healthcare workers in the heavy and hazardous occupations pension insurance category.

The draft law, entitled Strengthening occupational insurance: more opportunities for workers and businesses, expanding the options for supplementary pension savings, introduces Open Occupational Pension Funds and Open Group Occupational Retirement Insurance Products (OAPES), provides stronger tax incentives for occupational pension savings, and protects insured persons' full portability of their rights.

In closing, Kerameus said that the reform of the social security system is a “continuous effort to ensure a system that is sustainable, socially just and adapted to the needs of the time”.

“And the bill we are debating today is moving in exactly this direction,” she continued.

“It strengthens the second pillar of the insurance system, i.e. it creates more options for additional pension income. More choice for employees, more tools for businesses. It upgrades the protection of insured persons and contributes to the long-term strengthening of the national economy. And above all, it serves a fundamental goal: for every employee to be able to feel even more secure about their future.

“With these thoughts, therefore, I call on you to support the provisions of the bill, contributing to a reform that strengthens social security, expands the possibilities of citizens, and strengthens the social security system of our country as a whole."

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