As announced during the regular briefing of political editors by Pavlos Marinakis, there will be a meeting between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and farmers on Monday at 1 PM. Specifically, the government spokesperson stated: “Yes, there is an agreement in principle for a meeting on Monday at 13:00 with the Prime Minister at Maximos Mansion, under the condition that all roads remain open. We are informed that all blockade points are gradually opening. This must continue across the board, and yes, God willing, this meeting will take place, following the previous meeting, which after many hours of constructive discussion, proved to have only positive results for the primary sector overall.”
“Many misunderstandings were resolved when the prime minister had discussions with farmers, there are no other measures available,” emphasized Pavlos Marinakis in response to a question from parapolitika.gr, focusing on dialogue that provides solutions and was “recognized by the people who were at Maximos.” He said in detail: “no other measures will be forthcoming. We are here to discuss and gladly resolve technical issues without fiscal cost. The meeting will resolve misunderstandings and misconceptions as happened in the day before yesterday’s long discussion between Mr. Mitsotakis and other farmer groups. Also on the table will be local issues which are equally important.”
Complete opening statement by Pavlos Marinakis
“The first of the new, ultra-modern Belharra frigates has arrived in our country and at this moment the at-sea reception is taking place in the presence of the Prime Minister and the President of the Republic. In a few days, the ceremony for its incorporation into the Fleet will take place. The Greek government substantially supports the Armed Forces, strengthening them. The integration of the newly built frigate “KIMON” and the three remaining Belharra frigates into the Navy that will follow constitutes a historic milestone for National Defense and creates the strongest Navy that Greece has ever possessed. By the end of the year, the integration of the frigates “Nearchos” and “Formion” is expected to follow, while in 2028 the current Belharra shipbuilding program will be completed, with the integration of the fourth frigate, “Themistoklis”, in whose shipbuilding program there will be domestic participation of 25%. The integration of new ships with upgraded capabilities into the Navy fits fully within the framework of the “Agenda 2030” Reform, with the goal that Greece will have the strongest Armed Forces in its history by the end of the current decade. A series of records were broken by the issuance of Greece’s new 10-year bond by the Public Debt Management Agency.
Our country borrowed 4 billion euros with a yield of 3.47%, down from 3.63% last year and while European interest rates increased by about 25 basis points. Interest was unprecedented with 49.5 billion in offers from 330 investors. This is the largest order book ever recorded for a Greek issue. It should be noted that with this 10-year bond issue, Greece covered 50% of its borrowing needs for 2026. The Minister of National Economy and Finance and president of the Eurogroup Kyriakos Pierrakakis spoke of the most convincing response to those who question the value of investment grade. In practice, this development means lower borrowing costs for the State, for businesses and citizens. It means more growth. The ratification of the new agreement between the Greek State and the Italian railway group Ferrovie dello Stato and its subsidiary Hellenic Train is being voted on in Parliament today. This is an extremely positive development for the Greek railway. With the signing of the agreement by Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Konstantinos Kyranakis, the order for 23 brand new trains is activated, with investment from the Italian Government and delivery horizon of the first within 18 months. This is the largest land transport investment in the country, worth 308 million euros, and for the first time since the Olympic Games period, Greece is acquiring new – not used – trains.
With the arrival of the new trains and completion of works on the central Athens-Thessaloniki axis, the goal is for journey times to be reduced to under 3.5 hours. This agreement constitutes a significant success for the Government and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis personally, as the total investments planned by the Italian Government reach 420 million euros and will be financed entirely from the Italian state budget. A new program to boost women’s employment, worth approximately 102 million euros, is being launched by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security through the Public Employment Service. The initiative concerns subsidizing businesses for hiring 10,000 unemployed women aged 18 and over. Emphasis will be given to mothers of minor children up to 15 years old.
Under the program, 5,000 new full-time jobs and 5,000 new part-time jobs will be created. Fourteen of the country’s 25 universities have been included in an ESPA program for implementing “Actions to strengthen and promote equality in universities and support Psychological and Counseling Support Centers.”
The total public expenditure for the 14 Higher Education Institutions amounts to 6.55 million euros. The process of submission, evaluation and inclusion of projects continues for the remainder. Under the initiative, the following are expected to be implemented in each university: establishment and operation of a Support Office for the Committee on Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination, development and implementation of innovative work organization methods and administrative procedures aimed at creating an inclusive culture, data collection actions related to gender, information and training in the use of inclusive language, integration of the gender dimension in study programs, compilation of relevant guides and toolkits, actions facilitating balanced participation of women and men in university decision-making centers, as well as unimpeded and equal advancement of men and women in the academic hierarchy, and actions to combat sexual violence and harassment.”
