The price of procrastination

Greece’s social security and pension system is, perhaps, the most representative example of the destructive logic that has prevailed in the political system for decades.

This logic was simply based on putting off difficult decisions because of the political cost they would carry, and leaving them up to the other politicians that would appear down the road. The inevitable consequence is that when the problem becomes explosive, the decisions that need to be taken are even harder – and this is the case right now.

The cowardice, quick fixes and procrastination that have been the norm for so many years and which have led to the near collapse of the system have resulted in the adoption, basically, of the main points of a reform plan presented by Tassos Giannitsis some 15 years ago and which had been flat-out rejected by almost everyone. And what’s worse, it is being adopted at a time when unemployment is already above 25 percent and undeclared labor is somewhere around the same mark.