An extremely sensitive issue, the cutting or not of widows’ pensions after the first three years of their payment, remains persistently outstanding, as it seems that no minister of labor wishes to touch it. However, the longer it remains pending, the more difficult its solution becomes.
The problem is as follows: Since 2016, the Katrougalos law stipulates that the bereavement pensions, for deaths that occurred after the law was passed, is paid at 70% of the deceased’s pension, during the first three years. Thereafter, if the beneficiary works or receives his/her own pension, it must be reduced to 35% of the deceased’s pension.
This cut was applied only to state beneficiaries, while even today, it is not applied to beneficiaries from the private sector, initially under the pretext of the inability of the Single Social Security Entity (EFKA) computer system to cope. This means there is a very large group of pensioners-beneficiaries of widow pensions who continue to receive 70% of the pension while they are not entitled to it.
This is one of the most controversial social security issues, not because there is no law regulating it, but because the law is not applied.