Cost of state certificates to rise as part of spending cuts
A Labor Ministry initiative aimed at reducing government spending in line with the troika?s demands foresees notaries undertaking the job of certifying and electronically registering weddings, divorces and deaths.
The scheme would save the state some 400 million euros, Labor Minister Yiannis Vroutsis told a press conference on Thursday.
From its introduction in January, citizens will be obliged to pay a fee of between 40 and 50 euros for a wedding or divorce certificate. In the case of deaths, the cost will be borne by the insurance fund of the deceased.
The aim is for data gathered by the notaries to be accessible to the Computer Center for Social Security Services (IDIKA), which oversees a new electronic prescription system, the Manpower Organization (OAED) and the Finance Ministry?s General Secretariat for Information Systems so that they can swiftly suspend the disbursement of pension and social benefits to non-beneficiaries and thus curb fraud.
