The government is calling on farmers to come forward with concrete and unified representation and with specific and unified demands, as it seeks ways out of the burning issue of agricultural mobilizations, which have almost monopolized the news agenda over the last ten days. As government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis stated on Tuesday, “the government and the prime minister have emphasized from the very first moment that the doors of dialogue are open to representatives that the farmers themselves will designate.” Discussion will certainly take place within the ruling party, as today at 3 pm the Minister of Agricultural Development and Food, Kostas Tsiaras, has called MPs who participate in the permanent committee of production and trade of Parliament, as well as any other New Democracy MP who wishes, to the central offices of New Democracy on Pireos Street, to inform them about all government initiatives on the contentious issues concerning the agricultural sector.
The measures the government is considering for the agricultural issue
The government has a sincere disposition for dialogue, but responsibility is also needed from the other side, Mr. Tsiaras emphasized in successive interviews, repeating the invitation to farmers for dialogue. The government appears willing to put on the table the extension of the “Gaia” program, which ensures low electricity prices at 9.2 cents/kWh, and possibly even exemption from the Special Consumption Tax at gas station pumps. At the same time, Mr. Tsiaras announced the completion of payment for Measure 23 -with 157.5 million euros to 131,000 beneficiaries- and emphasized that “there can be no solution without both sides sitting at the table”.
Intra-party reactions in New Democracy from the payment of Measure 23
This specific payment, however, provoked the first intra-party public reaction: Six New Democracy MPs (Arabatzis, Karaoglou, Panagiotopulos, Kyriazidis, Paschalidis, Giorgos) issued a joint announcement arguing that “despite the danger signal we sent regarding the supplementary payment of coupled support, unfortunately, as it appears, the OPEKEPE administration decided to apply retroactively and after the fact control filters and cross-checking of ownership status for compensation payment with reference year 2024.” The relevant ministry rushed to clarify that “controls in relation to ATAK and KAEK of properties should not be confused with the issue at hand” and at the same time to point out that “for the declarations that were committed, after the control is completed, producers will be paid at the end of December”.
The Maximos Mansion, meanwhile, picked up the gauntlet thrown by PASOK, with Nikos Androulakis’ presence at the blockades in Karditsa and Trikala and the fierce attack he launched on government handling of agricultural issues. “Once again Mr. Androulakis was dragged down the path of populism,” stated government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis, who accused the PASOK president of lies and inaccuracies and called on him “to answer the basic question to citizens who are suffering: Does he agree or not with the closing of roads?” As he noted subsequently, “his presence today at the blockades automatically gives the answer and demonstrates in reality the direction his party is moving.”
