A difficult 48 hours in Parliament concluded for the government, which faced intense criticism and accusations from the opposition regarding OPEKEPE, with the issue now politically referred to the Parliamentary Investigation Committee, expected to begin work in early September. Kyriakos Mitsotakis‘ intention is to highlight the positive work of the government in the coming period, which is why he travels to Ilia this afternoon for the long-awaited inauguration of the Patras-Pyrgos highway.
Read: OPEKEPE: Parliamentary proposals for preliminary investigation rejected – Opposition walks out
On the major housing issue, the Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family’s draft law titled “Social Counter-provision, Social Rental, Third Child Status and other provisions” was put to public electronic consultation yesterday, with the responsible minister, Domna Michailidou, emphasizing that “we are utilizing public property to provide housing to vulnerable citizens.”
Mitsotakis: After OPEKEPE battle, at Patras-Pyrgos inauguration – Government restart
Today, the Prime Minister will attend and speak at 7:30 PM at the ceremony for the delivery of the new Patras-Pyrgos national highway route, near Alpochori in Ilia. From tomorrow, drivers will be able to use the first 65 kilometers of the new highway, specifically from Pyrgos to Alissos, while the next 10 kilometers toward Patras will be delivered by November. Overall, the project includes construction of the 75-kilometer Patras-Pyrgos section, with widening of the existing National Highway for the first 13 kilometers and new routing for the remaining 62 km.
Referring to the Patras-Pyrgos case and the problems caused by the fragmentation strategy followed by the previous government, Kyriakos Mitsotakis emphasized that “we convinced the European Commission services that this project had to proceed as we had designed it and be co-financed by European resources.” As he characteristically told citizens of the broader region, “this negotiation was not easy at all. It was not a simple matter at all. And for me it was also a personal bet, because I myself had undertaken the commitment to you that this project would be completed, so I must tell you that I also consumed significant political capital, trying to convince the European Commission to do the right thing.”
Next, Kyriakos Mitsotakis wants to emphasize that Greece’s 13 satellites will soon be launched into space and our country will acquire a modern and essential “tool” while gaining a competitive advantage in many sectors: Defense, Civil Protection, Migration-Refugee issues, and others. At the same time, the country’s geopolitical power increases significantly, thanks to the observation and risk assessment capabilities offered by the microsatellites.
Thus, on Monday, together with Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou, he will visit the Athens offices of European space tech company ICEYE, which manufactures the radar systems for Greek microsatellites here, allowing Greece to monitor critical areas of interest, significantly enhancing its capabilities in natural disaster detection and maritime surveillance. Mr. Mitsotakis wants to highlight both the fact that radar systems are being manufactured in Greece for the first time to be sent to space and that a major European company has established itself in Athens, contributing to the so-called brain regain – the return of Greeks from abroad.
This is followed by preparation in the government staff for Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ trip to Thessaloniki at the end of August and announcements for projects in the city and broader Macedonia, and a week later his speech at the Thessaloniki International Fair, on which the Maximos Mansion is betting heavily for the “launch” of the positive agenda and climate reversal. Simultaneously, with a series of initiatives and actions, the prime ministerial staff ambitiously aims to put the government on a full reform trajectory, give it new momentum, and set it on a path of polling recovery. The core of government work to be implemented during autumn – and in any case before year-end – involves a total of 25 major reforms spanning multiple ministries. The goal is for the government, immediately after the Prime Minister’s announcements at the Thessaloniki International Fair, to capitalize on the positive momentum expected from announcing measures and benefits – especially for the middle class – and bring the political game to its own “field.”
“It is very easy, you know, to succumb to simply managing daily routine, and I know how heavy this is for each and every person individually, but it is very important, at the cabinet level, to have charted a roadmap with specific goals and prospects with an implementation horizon by the end of this year,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis emphasized during his introductory remarks at the recent last cabinet meeting before the brief summer break.
