Greek Finance Minister and Eurogroup President Kyriakos Pierrakakis has announced a 30% increase in the heating allowance.He said: “In a difficult economic climate, with the energy crisis testing the resilience of households across the globe, our priority is to ease the pressure on families. That is why we are proceeding with dual support for heating oil: a direct subsidy at the pump, which will immediately reduce the price, and a 30% increase in the heating allowance compared with last year, a measure that will cover hundreds of thousands of families throughout the country”.The ministries responsible are expected to present further details of the measures on Wednesday.The announcement follows Greece’s call for the EU to loosen its spending rules, which would give governments more room to help households and businesses cope with rising energy costs.Governments elsewhere in Europe are also trying to ease pressure on motorists, with fuel prices reaching record highs in several countries in recent weeks.Several EU countries have introduced tax cuts and subsidies to cushion the impact of higher prices. Germany introduced a temporary fuel duty cut of 17 cents per litre on petrol and diesel on 1 October, while Spain extended its existing fuel tax cuts. Both countries’ measures will remain in place until the end of December.