“Actions are what ultimately speak louder than words,” said Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in his regular Sunday review, opening with the topic of infrastructure — now firmly in the spotlight — with the aim of improving citizens’ daily lives and boosting both local and national economies.
The Prime Minister also touched on this year’s European Commission Rule of Law Report, occupational pension insurance, and the fight against financial crime.
His full post reads as follows:
“Good morning. I’ll start today’s review with infrastructure — a sector in which we chose to invest systematically from 2019 onwards, because actions are what ultimately speak louder than words. We are closing gaps that have been left unaddressed for decades while simultaneously launching new, complex road projects across many parts of the country, easing mobility, improving everyday life for citizens, and strengthening local and national economies.
The triple Skaramagkas interchange falls precisely into this category — a project that will complete an unfinished transport network of ring roads and grade-separated junctions in western Attica. Construction, expected to be completed within 36 months, will provide significant traffic relief for the entire Athens basin, while also boosting the dynamism of the port of Piraeus and the broader Aspropyrgos area. I’ll repeat what I said at the contract signing: a round of applause is due to the Governor of Attica, Nikos Hardalias, for his persistence in securing the necessary national funding to make this project a reality.
Major road infrastructure interventions are also being carried out beyond the Athens basin. Just a few days ago, we delivered the Rovies–Ilia section — a modern, safe road that makes the long-suffering northern Euboea more accessible for both residents and visitors. In doing so, we are honouring yet another commitment to the local community, addressing the dangers of landslides and putting an end to lengthy traffic detours.
The new road was funded by the Recovery Fund, as was the upgrade of the Istiaia Health Centre — one of 110 health centres renovated across the country in total. There, we also established a Dialysis Unit with 6 haemodialysis machines, so that kidney patients from the wider area, as well as visitors, no longer need to travel all the way to Chalkida. The Istiaia Health Centre is staffed by 65 employees — with 37 new hires since 2021 — and is supported by two Mobile Health Units from the 5th Health Region of Thessaly and Central Greece, while a Coast Guard ambulance boat is on 24-hour operational standby at the port of Oreos.
During my recent visit to northern Euboea, I had the opportunity to see up close both the road works and the transformation of local NHS infrastructure, as well as the interventions being carried out to restore the natural environment following the devastating wildfires and Storm Daniel. We are present, we are tackling problems with a plan and with efficiency, and we are supporting local communities in practice.
Shifting topics, I now turn to occupational pension insurance. The new provisions included in the Ministry of Labour’s draft legislation under consultation will create better pension prospects for workers and enhance the competitiveness of businesses — particularly small and medium-sized enterprises. This is a crucial reform, as our country remains one of the least developed in the OECD in terms of occupational insurance.
Currently, 27 Occupational Insurance Funds operate with nearly 55,000 insured members and an average individual account of approximately €10,500. Their assets amount to less than 1% of GDP, whereas in OECD countries with mature occupational insurance systems, that figure approaches 50%. This is why we are introducing Open Occupational Insurance Funds — so that smaller businesses can also gain access and retirement savings become easier for professionals. Contributions will be 100% deductible from taxable income, and full portability of entitlements will be established, meaning that a change of job or professional status will no longer result in the loss or erosion of accumulated rights, but rather their transfer to a new occupational insurance provider.
During the week, the new debt settlement measures for obligations to the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE), the Social Security Fund (EFKA), and financial institutions were activated immediately following their enactment — enabling more citizens to resolve their pending obligations and safeguard their assets. Repayment in up to 72 instalments is now available for debts owed to the state incurred up to 31 December 2023, while the scope of the out-of-court mechanism has been broadened to include debts from as little as €5,000. Through continuous improvements to the primary residence protection mechanism, we have now reached 64,406 successful settlements, corresponding to initial debts totalling €19.67 billion. In June alone, 1,800 new settlements were reached, with the participation of economically vulnerable households and persons with disabilities accounting for 12.5%. These specific settlements correspond to initial debts totalling €458.6 million.
I now want to turn to this year’s European Commission Report on the Rule of Law. The report confirms that Greece is making steady and measurable progress. From 2020 to today, the Commission’s recommendations have decreased from seven to four, and for the third consecutive year, progress has been recorded across all recommendations from the previous year. Ten member states this year have more recommendations than our country, and five member states have the same number as us. Greece is therefore not, based on the most official European comparative data, a “dystopia” of dysfunctional institutions and a deficient rule of law — as the opposition would have people believe. These are the objective findings of a comparative European assessment that applies the same criteria to everyone. And that is precisely why it carries more weight than the sweeping narratives that insist on dismissing every positive development.
This, of course, is no reason for complacency. On the contrary, it is an incentive to move even faster. The constitutional revision we are proposing includes significant institutional changes to strengthen the independence of the judiciary, reinforce accountability, protect journalists, and improve the quality of legislation. At the same time, we are implementing new initiatives for more effective anti-corruption efforts: a digital registry of corruption cases, the completion of the framework protecting journalists from abusive lawsuits, enhanced dialogue with civil society organisations, and improved transparency and lobbying oversight frameworks. Our goal is for the next report to include even fewer recommendations and, by 2030, for Greece to rank among the top 20 countries in the world in combating corruption and in the functioning of strong, transparent, and effective institutions. Because a modern European country cannot simply grow economically — it must continuously improve the quality of its democracy as well.
And since we are speaking about the rule of law, its foremost principle is the presumption of innocence. Unfortunately, the otherwise “institutionally sensitive” opposition failed to respect it in the case of New Democracy members who were investigated by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office in relation to OPEKEPE. The archiving of 9 out of 13 cases proves that ministers and MPs from our party were targeted and defamed for partisan gain before justice had even spoken. The same presumption, of course, applies to the remaining four members, whose cases will be further examined for misdemeanour offences through the expedited procedures we established to ensure no shadow of doubt remains. At the same time, I would remind everyone that rooting out any practice that led to the abuse of agricultural subsidies remains a firm priority. More than 2,900 individuals identified by the authorities as having unlawfully received subsidies have been prosecuted, and the first convictions have already been handed down.
On the front of combating financial crime, another major success of the Internal Affairs Division of the Hellenic Police was the uncovering of a massive VAT fraud scheme through a complex network of companies in Greece, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, and Bulgaria. The months-long investigation, carried out in cooperation with the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, led to the identification of a ring trading electronic goods within the European Union without remitting the corresponding VAT while simultaneously claiming tax refunds it had never paid. The loss to Greek and European public finances is estimated at at least €71 million. Authorities also seized cryptocurrencies and other digital assets worth approximately €5.5 million — the largest such seizure ever carried out at the national level — thanks to the advanced digital forensic analysis conducted by the relevant units of the Hellenic Police.
I now turn to the protection of our natural heritage. The Presidential Decree establishing the South Aegean Marine Park in the Southern Cyclades has been signed, and in the coming days it will be followed by the signing of the corresponding decree for the Ionian Marine Park. Together, they will create one of the largest protected marine areas in the Mediterranean. Greece will thus achieve its European targets ahead of schedule — by early 2027 instead of 2030 — and at a higher rate, protecting 35% rather than 30% of its marine areas. Working together with local communities, local fishermen, scientists, and international partners, we want these parks to become true sanctuaries of life, protecting our biodiversity and marine habitats. Their monitoring will be carried out by dedicated vessels, one of which — the “Syrna,” acquired with Recovery Fund resources — has already been handed over to the Natural Environment and Climate Change Organisation, which is being reinforced with 300 permanent staff members.
In the same area, a major reform for the holistic management of water resources has been put out for public consultation. Currently, more than 735 different bodies in our country manage issues of water supply, sewerage, and irrigation — each with different financial profiles, different capacities, and unequal levels of service. To put the scale of this fragmentation into perspective: in Ireland, these responsibilities are handled by a single central body. The current model leads to overlapping responsibilities, increased operational costs, and difficulty in implementing investments in networks and infrastructure. This, in turn, means inefficient water management, losses and waste, and an inability to formulate a unified national strategy — at a time when water scarcity, climate change, and their consequences make this need more urgent than ever. Through the Ministry of Environment and Energy’s draft legislation, the National Water Strategy, and the funding of infrastructure projects across Greece, we are seeking to meaningfully improve the daily lives of millions of our fellow citizens, while fully maintaining the public character of water.
Three years after the great Dadia wildfire, a comprehensive forest ecosystem restoration and prevention programme — with a total budget of approximately €86 million — is underway. Anti-erosion interventions have been completed, large-scale flood prevention works are progressing, targeted reforestation has been carried out with the planting of 54,172 seedlings, and the new Birds of Prey Observatory has been put into operation. In parallel, vegetation clearance and firebreak maintenance continue through the Antinero programme, strengthening the resilience of an ecosystem of unique value.
Also significant is the major national initiative to revitalise the country’s historic university infrastructure, making use of a €160 million donation from the four systemic banks. We chose to direct the donation in a targeted manner towards older, landmark university buildings — where the intervention will have a real and lasting impact on students, faculty, cities, and the public university system. The primary funding is directed to the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, while interventions will also be made at the National Technical University of Athens and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. At the same time, the state has already set in motion significant investments across most public universities, including the upgrading of existing and the creation of new modern student residences in Thessaly, Crete, Western Macedonia, and Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, the strengthening of teaching staff, and new undergraduate and postgraduate programmes aimed at boosting the international profile of Greek universities and attracting new students.
Another interesting development comes from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki — the first public university in the country to adopt electronic examinations via tablets and dedicated software. The new process is tamper-proof, significantly reduces grading and results announcement times, eases the administrative burden on teaching staff, and saves thousands of sheets of paper. The system has already been used by more than 8,000 students across 27 departments and 165 undergraduate courses. I hope other public universities will follow suit, adopting what is now a well-tested digital practice.
On the digital front, the new “Evmaios” platform has been created to remove barriers to cultural access. It is a modern digital portal for people with disabilities, those with chronic or rare conditions, the elderly, and, more broadly, all citizens with accessibility needs. Available in both Greek and English, the platform provides reliable and detailed information on access conditions and available facilities, facilitating visit planning for people with disabilities. So far, 120 archaeological sites, museums, and cultural points of interest across the country have been recorded, with their accessibility certified by specially trained inspectors.
The number of digital documents and services available to citizens through the GovGr Wallet is also growing. The 13th addition is the Greek passport, which is now available in the app for identification purposes and as a travel document within Greek territory. Users simply need to update the app on their Android or iOS device.
I also want to address the safety of sports facilities. Seismic safety checks of 2,500 sports complexes across the country have been completed in record time by trained and certified engineers, with on-site inspections of approximately 1,000 more to follow. The earthquake-proofing effort is funded with €15.5 million from the Recovery Fund. For the first time, the state is systematically and scientifically inspecting sports infrastructure using a unified methodology — as part of the operating licence requirement we introduced — with the sole aim of protecting athletes, spectators, and staff. Dedicated spaces for persons with disabilities are also explicitly required, proportional to each facility’s capacity. In short: temporary operating licences will not be granted where all safety requirements are not met.
On Lesbos, four completed cultural projects were handed over to residents and visitors: the northern perimeter of Mytilene Castle, the roofs and domes of the Church of Saint Therapon, the modernised Resin Museum, and the restored medieval Gattilusio Tower in Ambeliko. These are works that were saved and brought back to life with Recovery and Resilience Facility resources. They form part of the Cultural Charter for Development and Prosperity and treat cultural heritage not as a static imprint of the past, but as a living pillar of identity, social cohesion, and sustainable development.
I close today’s review with a figure who was loved by all of Greece. With great emotion, I also bid farewell to Maro Kontou — a remarkable lady of the “Golden Age” of Greek cinema and theatre, who devoted herself to the arts as well as to public life, having served as a Member of Parliament for our party and as an Athens city councillor. We will all remember her with respect, tenderness, and love.
We hold close all that was accomplished this week, we are well aware of how much still needs to be done, and we press on — with a plan, with consistency, and without complacency. Have a wonderful rest of your day!”
