While revelations about illegal agricultural subsidies from OPEKEPE continue and the government builds its defense line, another tactic is being outlined and implemented in parallel: That of counteroffensive, both in communication and politics, with initiatives that can help New Democracy overcome the OPEKEPE crisis. At the Maximos Mansion, they do not want to let this issue—no matter how serious it is—completely “overshadow” current affairs and are trying to enrich the daily agenda with measures and reforms that “touch” the average citizen and solve problems.
Moreover, regarding the OPEKEPE issue, the government’s will is to show that it can make deep cuts and decisive moves: With the rapid absorption of the Organization by AADE, the termination of any unfair practices in the payment of subsidies to farmers, the search and return of all unduly paid amounts with the help of the new special audit team, but also the fastest possible completion of projects, such as the complete Land Registry, forest maps, grazing management plans and the modern livestock registry.
It is no coincidence, therefore, that yesterday four ministers presented at a press conference the positive results of the strategy against fan violence, emphasizing that the measures implemented in the last year and a half produced substantial results. The message that this presentation wanted to convey indirectly is that the government can tackle chronic pathologies—such as stadium violence or irregularities in farmers’ subsidies—with a plan and tangible results.
The plan implemented by Maximos Mansion for the “forward escape”
The moves for the so-called “forward escape” concern issues such as construction in settlements under 2,000 inhabitants, which affects hundreds of thousands of citizens. With the proposed regulation that was presented, the pending issue with zone C is resolved and construction in more than 9 out of 10 small settlements remains within current limits. This solves urban planning issues that had arisen following a series of decisions by the Council of State which annulled the old demarcation of specific settlements that had been made by prefects. Also, as government sources point out, property values were restored and legal security was strengthened for owners, as the Council of State decisions had potentially called into question the boundaries of every settlement that was not institutionalized by Presidential Decree.
As the “positive agenda” focuses on solving problems, it includes the Labor Ministry’s bill, which will very soon go to public consultation, with regulations that on one hand simplify and accelerate hiring, fully digitizing contract management, and on the other hand respond to needs that life itself has shaped in the world of work, as competent sources characteristically emphasize. It also includes the activation of three new European Funds, worth over 8 billion euros, which come as a continuation of the Recovery Fund, from which it is estimated that approximately 1,500,000 households can benefit in total.
In the field of education, 74 new joint graduate programs were announced between Greek and foreign universities, such as NKUA – Yale University, AUTH – Harvard University, DUTH – Sorbonne Université. At the same time, the application platform for student housing allowance opened, something that gave the government the opportunity to remind that this has increased from 1,000 euros in 2019 to up to 2,500 euros today, that is, by up to 150%.
At Maximos Mansion, they place particular emphasis on the field of economics, highlighting the fact that unemployment fell below 8% for the first time after 17 years in May, with particularly large improvement noted in unemployment of both women and young people, a fact that, as they emphasize, shows that two population groups that historically had a smaller share in employment now have an increasingly greater participation in the productive process.
