The Greek Parliament adopted on Wednesday a “humanitarian crisis” bill to help its poorest people despite the opposition expressed by the European Union. This development came before the participation of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras at the summit of EU leaders on Thursday, at which he is to seek more financial help, EurActiv reports. The package of social measures, which was proposed by the main ruling party SYRIZA, gathered broad political support as some MPs of the conservative New Democracy also voted in favour. The bill arranged for free electricity and food stamps to be provided to the poorest households, which were one of the key electoral promises made by Tsipras. The legislation also calls for providing up to 30 000 households with housing allowance and 300 000 people with food subsidies. Help is also foreseen for people, who have lost their jobs in the recent months and no longer have social security coverage. Greece, which is in a dire need of cash, is waiting on further financial assistance from its international creditors, but before that the EU has to approve the proposed reforms. Tsipras is to meet later on Thursday with the leaders of Germany and France and top EU officials in an attempt of relaxing the terms of the Greek bailout.
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