Greece today: heating oil is 40 cents a litre cheaper until 31 October, the relocation-grant platform is up, and primary teachers strike on 21 October

How much cheaper is heating oil from 15 October 2026?

Heating oil in Greece is 40 cents a litre cheaper from Thursday 15 October to Saturday 31 October 2026 inclusive: 20 cents comes from the state, including VAT, and 20 cents from the refineries.¹³ The Ministry of National Economy and Finance (Υπουργείο Εθνικής Οικονομίας και Οικονομικών, Ypourgeio Ethnikis Oikonomias kai Oikonomikon) and the Ministry of Environment and Energy (Υπουργείο Περιβάλλοντος και Ενέργειας, Ypourgeio Perivallontos kai Energeias) announced the discount on 14 October 2026, and expected heating oil to start the season at an average of about €1.95 a litre before it.¹ The ministries estimate the pump price after the discount at €1.55 a litre, within a range of €1.50 to €1.60 depending on international prices; that is an estimate, not a price cap.¹ΕΛ³ Insider.gr reported at 07:12 on 15 October 2026 that the first market estimates put the starting price at €1.52–1.53 a litre; that is an early market estimate, not a measured average price.²

Diesel is 20 cents a litre cheaper over the same period (15 cents from the state, 5 from the refineries), and unleaded 95 is 10 cents cheaper from Saturday 17 October 2026, all of it from the state.¹ The heating allowance rises by 30% for the whole winter, which lifts the maximum from €1,200 to €1,560.¹³ The allowance platform is expected to open by 10 November 2026, which is an opening date rather than a deadline, and the advance is expected to be paid by 23 December 2026.¹³ The ministries estimate that about 750,000 households, almost 60% of heating-oil users, qualify for the allowance.¹ Our heating-oil guide explains who qualifies and how the discount works.

Is the €10,000 relocation-grant platform open?

It appears so, later than announced. ΟΠΕΚΑ (Οργανισμός Προνοιακών Επιδομάτων και Κοινωνικής Αλληλεγγύης, Organismos Pronoiakon Epidomaton kai Koinonikis Allilengyis), the welfare-benefits agency, announced on 13 October 2026 that applications would start at 12:00 on Wednesday 14 October 2026 at relocation.vouchers.gov.gr.⁴ The Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family (Υπουργείο Κοινωνικής Συνοχής και Οικογένειας, Ypourgeio Koinonikis Synochis kai Oikogeneias) repeated on 14 October 2026, under Domna Michailidou's (Δόμνα Μιχαηλίδου) name, that the platform would open at 12:00.⁵ When we checked in a browser on the afternoon of 14 October, the page said the service was not available; when we checked again at 09:41 on 15 October 2026, it showed the application system's entry page, with a button to enter the service.⁶ We did not try to submit an application, and we do not know when the page came back.⁶

Neither ΟΠΕΚΑ nor the ministry had posted any notice of a fault or a number of applications on its news list by the morning of 15 October 2026.⁴⁵ Greek outlets reported on 14 October that the platform had "opened", in our translation, repeating the announcement.⁷⁸ The grant is €10,000, paid in two equal instalments of €5,000; the programme runs until 1,000 households are covered or until 31 December 2028, whichever comes first.⁴ Our relocation-grant guide explains who can apply.

How much undeclared short-term-rental income did the tax authority find?

ΑΑΔΕ (Ανεξάρτητη Αρχή Δημοσίων Εσόδων, Anexartiti Archi Dimosion Esodon), the tax authority, identified 34,000 taxpayers who had not declared short-term-rental income for tax year 2023, its governor Giorgos Pitsilis (Γιώργος Πιτσιλής) said at the Prodexpo 2026 conference in Athens, according to reports of his speech.¹⁵¹⁶¹⁷ The audit action led to 37,000 voluntary-compliance filings declaring €105 million of extra income; that is income declared, not tax collected.¹⁵¹⁶ The share of listings breaking the rule to show the property register number (ΑΜΑ, Αριθμός Μητρώου Ακινήτου) fell from 11% to 5%, he said, as reported.¹⁵ In 2025, €973 million of short-term-rental income was declared, more than ten times the roughly €70 million declared in an earlier period that the reports do not specify.¹⁶¹⁵ We did not find an ΑΑΔΕ release, so these figures rest on reports of the speech.¹⁵¹⁶

How many people in Greece face food insecurity?

ELSTAT (Ελληνική Στατιστική Αρχή, Elliniki Statistiki Archi), the Hellenic Statistical Authority, said on 14 October 2026 that 7.5% of the population faced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2025, and 1.7% severe food insecurity.¹⁸ΕΛ The figure rose from 7.0% in 2024 but is not the highest in the series: it was 8.0% in 2019.¹⁸ Severe food insecurity, which means going a whole day without food for lack of money or other resources, has stayed between 1.4% and 1.7% since 2019, and 2025's 1.7% is its highest value.¹⁸ The data come from the 2025 household income and living-conditions survey, with income referring to 2024, and a sample of 10,408 households.¹⁸

Which strikes and rallies are coming up?

Public-sector and pensioners' unions hold rallies at 18:00 on Thursday 15 October 2026 in Athens, at Klafthmonos Square before a march to the Finance Ministry and Parliament, and in Thessaloniki, at the Venizelos statue.¹¹¹² The rallies are a "nationwide day of action", in our translation, called by local, first-level unions, such as teachers' and pensioners' associations, not a strike called by a national confederation.¹¹¹² Their demands include restoring the 13th and 14th monthly salary and pension, real pay and pension rises, and measures against high prices.¹¹¹²

ΔΟΕ (Διδασκαλική Ομοσπονδία Ελλάδας, Didaskaliki Omospondia Ellados), the primary-school teachers' federation, has called a 24-hour nationwide strike of primary and kindergarten teachers on Wednesday 21 October 2026, according to two reports that reproduce its release.⁹¹⁰ Strikers rally at 12:00 at the Propylaia in Athens and at 11:30 at the Venizelos statue in Thessaloniki; their demands include caps of 15 pupils per kindergarten class and 20 per primary class.⁹¹⁰ ΑΔΕΔΥ (Ανώτατη Διοίκηση Ενώσεων Δημοσίων Υπαλλήλων, Anotati Dioikisi Enoseon Dimosion Ypallilon), the civil servants' confederation, has called a 24-hour nationwide public-sector strike on Wednesday 25 November 2026, decided by its Executive Committee on 9 October, as reported.¹³¹⁴

Business turnover and vehicle registrations

Turnover of Greek businesses that keep double-entry books was €36,035,188 thousand in August 2026, up 8.5% on August 2025, ELSTAT says; the figure is in current prices, not adjusted for inflation.¹⁹ Information and communication rose most, by 22.2%, while mining and quarrying fell by 15.3%.¹⁹ In September 2026, 21,902 motor vehicles, including buses and lorries, were registered for the first time, 1.2% more than in September 2025; passenger cars alone numbered 19,094, up 0.9%.²⁰