Reference to the Ministry of Development bill that protects consumers from abusive practices regarding loans up to €100,000 was made among other topics by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in his customary Sunday post.
The Prime Minister in his weekly review referred among other things to the progress made in the country’s relations with Libya, the “Dadades of the Neighborhood” platform, the “My Home 2” program, and the tender for cameras on the road network.
The Prime Minister’s post in detail:
“Euroleague.
Now that I have your attention, and after greeting you and wishing you a good month, let’s see what happened this week.
Besides the playoffs that started, a dynamic premiere was also made by the ntantades.gov.gr platform, with over 13,500 visits from the very first day of operation. The program is now entering universal implementation and expanding throughout Greece, offering an organized, safe and flexible care solution for infants and toddlers from 2 months to 2.5 years old. In its pilot phase, we saw how much it helped, as over 2,200 families were served, covering care needs for 2,370 children by 1,209 certified caregivers. I want to emphasize something I consider very important: family members, such as grandparents, can also join the caregiver network and will receive support without any deduction from their pension. The support is substantial, with €500 monthly for parents working full-time or who are self-employed, and €300 for those working part-time, students, or unemployed. Income criteria are expanded – €24,000 for mothers for the first child, €27,000 for the second, while for the first time in childcare programs, income criteria were completely removed for families with three or more children, to cover the majority of families. Our goal is for childcare to be not an obstacle but a support for parents, especially for mothers who are the program beneficiaries.
Another program with great social impact is “My Home II”, for which, according to official data, 13,461 loans have been approved, with a total value of €1.617 billion and an average loan amount of €120,150. The absorption of the total budget has reached 84.1% to date. If we include the approximately 9,000 homes acquired through “My Home I,” the total number of households (approximately 22,500) that have benefited from these programs approaches the population of cities like Pyrgos, Corfu, or Kilkis. The average income of those who acquired homes through “My Home II” is €20,800, with the greatest interest found in the regions of Eastern and Western Macedonia and Western Greece. For reasons related to the reallocation of Recovery Fund resources, to ensure not a single euro is lost – in consultation with the European Commission – June 2, 2026 was set as the deadline for loan contracting under “My Home II.” Of course, beneficiaries who sign loan contracts by then are not affected, but the Ministry of Finance has asked banks to complete required procedures in time to include as many as possible in the program. And of course, at stegasi.gov.gr, interested parties can find information about our more than 40 affordable housing policies.
Staying on the topic of banks and our transactions with them, the Ministry of Development bill is ready to protect consumers from abusive practices regarding loans up to €100,000 without collateral security. As we committed, we’re putting an end to “fine print” and illegal practices. Now, a maximum limit is set for how much a consumer loan can reach when you pay it off, which will be between 30%-50% above the capital borrowed from the bank, as applies on average in other European countries. Additionally, the possibility is given to cancel a loan within 14 days from when it’s concluded. These are regulations I believe create a clearer and fairer framework for everyone.
I have some pleasant news for our young people in rural areas: from this year, the monetary awards program for university entrance exam achievers from farming families, which was piloted last year, becomes a permanent institution and expands throughout the country. A total of 2,106 children who succeeded in university admission will receive a €1,000 reward. At the same time, we’re taking a step toward justice: single fathers in rural areas are now properly included in the monetary aid program for families with three or more children.
On Tuesday, the first compensation payment of €22,757,594.65 to 849 livestock farmers whose animals were culled due to foot-and-mouth disease was made. Compensations were paid directly to farmers according to data submitted by the Regions, with most money going to Thessaly. In Western Greece, compensations will be credited within the coming days.
During the week, the Ministry of Digital Governance announced an international tender for the procurement, installation, operation, and maintenance of 1,000 fixed cameras at selected points on the road network. This project is part of our broader road safety planning, aimed at reducing violations like red light running or excessive speeding, which often cause accidents. The cameras will connect directly to the Hellenic Police, and through a new digital management system, penalties will be imposed immediately and transparently. Already, the new traffic code measures, strict traffic controls, continuous breathalyzer tests, and the first cameras implemented have brought better results compared to previous years in fatal traffic accidents during the first quarter of 2024. Our goal is for Greece to stop being a negative exception in Europe regarding road safety, and we’re already on the right track.
I continue with another tender concerning the development of 40 new Comprehensive Mental Health Care Units, with free services for all citizens. For the first time, an extensive network of structures is being created throughout the country providing comprehensive – free, I repeat – services to people with autism and dementia, with simultaneous substantial support for their families. Besides Day Centers, home care through Mobile Teams is also provided. In 2024, mental health issues should not be taboo, nor should seeking help, whether by the sufferer or their family. One more thing: through the myHealth app, the ability to schedule new appointments at dozens of mental health units across the country is activated. Simply, immediately, digitally.
Together with my friend, President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides, we inaugurated the branch of the University of Nicosia in Athens, at Elliniko. It’s one of the 4+ non-state Higher Education Institutions operating in our homeland – licensed with strict criteria by the Independent National Authority for Higher Education – offering study programs in Medicine, Law, Pharmacy, Psychology, and Business Administration. At UNIC Athens’ high-specification facilities, 280 undergraduate students are already studying, and graduate and doctoral programs will be offered in the new academic year. Along with the increased funding, staffing, and extroversion we’ve secured for public universities, we want and can transform Greece into a regional and why not, if we think more ambitiously, a global educational center, with foreign students who can come study here and subsequently work in our homeland to strengthen the national economy. The upcoming discussion on constitutional revision and Article 16 will reveal whether opposition parties can overcome their rigidities and work for Greece in 2030.
Continuing in an educational environment, we’re establishing a Professional School of Cinema and Audiovisual Creation. After the sector’s recovery and attracting major international productions to our country, the need for specialized technicians is now urgent. This new public school will provide free initial training and connect studies directly to the job market through mandatory internships in productions supported by EKOMED. It’s a bet to give space and knowledge back to Greek creators and technicians in a rapidly developing sector.
A Greece with everyone, for everyone, including in transportation. Training of the first 386 Coast Guard personnel throughout Greece in serving passengers with disabilities and mobility difficulties was successfully completed. It’s an innovative program implemented by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs to enhance accessibility in maritime transport. These personnel come into direct contact with passengers at ports and are trained with the assistance of the National School of Public Administration to handle the needs of citizens with disabilities during boarding and disembarking, ensuring service upgrades with due respect for vulnerable individuals.
I saved for last the progress made in our relations with Libya, which was confirmed during the Foreign Minister’s recent visit to Tripoli. There it was agreed to proceed with discussions of Technical Committees concerning the delimitation of continental shelf and Exclusive Economic Zone. Greece seeks EEZ and continental shelf delimitation with the neighboring country, as states with opposite coasts, in full compliance with International Law of the Sea, as reflected in UNCLOS and as practiced with other regional states. Based on the timeline, the next round of talks will be conducted soon in Tripoli. It was also agreed to cooperate on other critical issues, such as migration, while Greece will continue presenting Libya’s positions in international organizations. Greece remains among the few countries that have established diplomatic relations at the highest level with both sides in Libya and will continue systematic efforts for a political solution ensuring the country’s sovereignty, free from external interference.
That’s all for May’s first review. Thank you for the time you spent reading it. See you next Sunday!”
