The Evidence The numbers say
The numbers say
what the politics will not.
Greece does not lack money. It lacks priorities. A €77 billion budget. An €8.1 billion surplus. Over €70 billion in EU funds. The question is who gets it.
€77bn Annual state budget
€8.1bn Budget surplus While cutting education
€70bn+ EU funds available
Where Greece Spends Today
Start with the domestic budget. €77 billion a year. A budget is not a spreadsheet. It is a statement of values. These are the current government's values.
€7bn Defence (rising)
vs
€6.7bn Education (being cut)
Greece spends more on defence than on educating its children.
9 countries Served by Evros LNG
vs
€0 Community benefit
Strategic contribution without local benefit.
Who does this budget serve?
- €8.1bn
- surplus
- -10%
- education
- -25%
- agriculture
- €30bn
- arms to 2036
Minimal Culture budget
The government spends more on a single weapons contract than on every cultural programme in the country combined. Villages empty. Young people leave. Identity erodes. AURIO treats culture as infrastructure.
Read the Culture policy →The Money Greece Already Has
That was the domestic budget. Now look at what Europe has already allocated. Over €70 billion in EU funds for 2021-2027. Not hypothetical. Allocated. Available. In many cases already disbursed. The problem is not the money. It is who gets it.
So Here Is What We Would Do With It
AURIO does not propose new spending. Every policy below is funded by money Greece already has. Same budget. Different priorities.
01
Food Sovereignty
Domestic Agriculture budget: €1.8bn (being cut 25%)
EU Funds CAP: €13.4bn. LEADER: €500m+
AURIO Redirect CAP investment toward small cooperative farms. Municipal food procurement mandates (30% local sourcing). Oppose Mercosur.
02
Community Energy
Domestic No dedicated community energy budget. €100m EU community energy funds returned unspent.
EU Funds Green Transition: €13.7bn. REPowerEU: €768m
AURIO Fix the captured cooperative law (Law 4513/2018). Mandatory democratic governance, transparent beneficial ownership, community priority enforceable in law. Turn the fee into ownership.
03
Local Economy
Domestic Greek regions produce the surplus. Athens captures the spend. SME and regional development concentrated in Athens and Thessaloniki.
EU Funds SME Support: €5.2bn. ESPA regional. LEADER. Article 20 of Law 4412/2016 (cooperative reserved procurement, decree pending since 2016).
AURIO Issue the Article 20 implementing decree. Redirect anchor procurement (universities, hospitals, municipalities) toward local cooperatives, on the Preston model. Worker succession buyouts under Law 4738/2020. Build. Own. Stay.
04
Direct Democracy
Domestic Municipal budgets already exist
EU Funds No dedicated EU funding needed
AURIO Legislate direct democratic institutions in every Greek municipality. Citizens' assemblies, participatory budgeting and open governance. Allocate 10% of discretionary municipal budgets to direct citizen decision making.
05
Education as Liberation
Domestic Education budget: €6.7bn (being cut 10%)
EU Funds Digital Transformation: €7.8bn. ESPA social/education
AURIO Reverse education cuts. Reduce standardised testing (saves money). Invest in teacher training. Use digital funds for craft based training.
06
Border Region Justice
Domestic LNG terminal revenue. Defence infrastructure in region
EU Funds Border/Migration: €1.6bn. Interreg cross-border. ESPA regional
AURIO Community benefit framework: strategic contribution demands proportionate investment. Redirect border funds from security to local development.
07
Culture as Infrastructure
Domestic Culture ministry budget: minimal
EU Funds LEADER/CLLD. ESPA cultural/tourism
AURIO Fund cultural programming from economic development budgets. Cultural events generate measurable local economic activity.
08
European Sovereignty
Domestic Defence budget: €7bn (rising). €30bn arms to 2036
EU Funds EU defence integration reduces national burden over time
AURIO Push for EU strategic autonomy. Oppose Mercosur. Reduced arms spending as EU defence integration progresses.
09
European Democracy
Domestic Greek MEPs operate in a parliament with no initiative power
EU Funds CAP: €55bn/yr (mostly industrial farms). Structural funds gatekept by national governments
AURIO Demand full legislative power for the European Parliament. Redirect CAP toward small and cooperative farms. Direct regional access to EU structural funds.
10
Gender Parity and Anti-Racism
Domestic 22% women in parliament. No parity law. No enforceable anti-racism framework
EU Funds CERV equality and rights: €1.55bn. Horizon research on democratic governance
AURIO Legislate zebra parity lists for all elections. Ratify and enforce anti-racism instruments. Build intercontinental partnerships with Rwanda, Senegal and the African Union.
11
Healthcare as a Commons
Domestic Health budget: €7.8bn. €1.486bn RRP Health envelope already allocated. 28.8% of spending leaves patients' pockets as fakelaki. 1.6M Greeks registered to a doctor with no clinical place. Less than 3% on mental health.
EU Funds EU4Health: €5.3bn. Recovery fund health provisions. ESF+ health workforce
AURIO Reactivate the TOMY Network of Local Health Units. Establish village practices on the Tudor Hart model. Train a Community Health Worker (LYK) cadre. Pass the ESY Charter Restoration to abolish informal payment by law.
12
Social Security and Dignity
Domestic €3.2bn income support. 40%+ cumulative pension cuts. ~25% informal economy
EU Funds ESF+ social inclusion. EU Child Guarantee. Recovery fund social provisions
AURIO Restore pension floor at dignity level. Pilot basic income in Evros. Formalise informal work through universal registration plus social protection.