Syriza's 'four pillars' plan for Greece's economic future

Regaining employment Credit: Syriza

As the Greek Prime Minister is sworn in, we take a look at the main planks of his party's economic plan for the country.

Before the election the Syriza party put forward four pillars of a national reconstruction plan, known as the Thessaloniki Programme:

  • Confronting the humanitarian crisis - A €2 billion 'grid of emergency interventions'. Including: free electricity for those under the poverty line, meal subsidies and housing guarantees. Syriza estimated cost: €1,882 billion.

  • Restarting the economy and promoting tax justice - This includes plans to restructure the tax codes and penalties and some writing-off of debts of those under the poverty line. Syriza estimated cost: €6.5 billion, Syriza total estimated benefit: €3 billion.

  • Regaining employment - This includes an 'employment programme for 300,000 new jobs' but there is no detail on what this programme would include. There are also plans to bring back labour laws which protected workers which were scrapped by the last government. Syriza estimated first-year cost: €3 billion.

  • Transforming the political system to deepen democracy - Syriza says it will act on this within its first year in power and plans to increase regional governance and devolution to local powers. Curtailing MPs powers and re-establishing public radio and television. Syriza estimated cost: €0.

Syriza claim that the estimated cost of the Thessaloniki Programme is €11.382 billion, with estimated total revenues of €12 billion.

Syriza also says that the issue of a forced loan given by the Bank of Greece to Nazi Germany during WWII is something they will pursue and said: "It will become the country’s official position from our first days in power."

The question now is how much of these plans the party will pursue now it has entered a coalition with the Independent Greeks party.