“Serious degradation of Tyrnavos, with the closure of the National Bank” – ONLARISSA.GR Larisa News

She immediately proceeded to ask a topical question to the Minister of National Economy & Finance Mr. K. Hatzidakis, claiming his answers from the Plenary Hall, the Secretary of K.O. of PASOK and Member of Parliament for Larissa Evangelia Liakoulis, in relation to the closure of the National Bank branch in Tyrnavos, after last night’s relevant meeting of the local bodies of the municipality, in which he participated.

As the MP from Larissa points out in the text of her question:

“The imminent suspension of operations of the National Bank branch in the municipality of Tyrnavos is an extremely unpleasant development, which comes in addition to the closure of the Alpha Bank branch and the reduction of Piraeus Bank’s staff, with its approximately 23,000 permanent residents – not counting the land workers and their families – as well as the municipal bodies to express their opposition and concern.

As can be seen, the limitation of the physical presence of the National Bank in a predominantly rural municipality creates disproportionate problems, due to the blocking of access of farmers and breeders to banking services, without, of course, ignoring the costs for the rest of the transactions (entrepreneurs, professionals, employees and pensioners), at a time when the primary sector, but also the economy of Thessaly in general, have received devastating blows from the consequences of the Daniel and Elias disasters.

In addition, it should be noted that the process of the digital transition of the National Bank, through the drastic reduction of its branches and specifically the Tyrnavou branch, directly affects non-privileged groups of our fellow citizens, who do not have the necessary digital familiarity and will, as a matter of fact, be forced to move to other areas of the Prefecture of Larissa, in order to be served.

Following this and even though the specific decision belongs to the National Bank, the State must nevertheless exert pressure on the banking institutions for the benefit of the citizens, in order to avoid unilateral decisions that harm them, but also because the necessary digital services of the National Bank – like any of another systemic bank – they should operate in support of their existing structures and services and not be imposed as the only solution for serving citizens’ transactions”, Evangelia Liakoulis asks Kostis Hatzidakis “What are the specific measures he is going to take, in order to protect our non-privileged fellow citizens of the municipality of Tyrnavos from the violent exclusion they are experiencing, in relation to their physical access to Banking services and transactions?”.