Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis shared his usual Sunday update on Facebook, addressing the current tense atmosphere.
PM Mitsotakis stated:
Wishing you a pleasant day! As we enter another busy week, I hope you’re engaged with our discussions. This past week saw numerous government initiatives across various sectors. To begin, I want to highlight an important issue: the case of the Monastery of St. Catherine at Mount Sinai, following the Ismailia Court of Appeal’s decision. We firmly support the historic monastery, advocating for the respect of its long-standing traditions and established status. The Egyptian government’s commitment to preserving the operational status of the Monastery, as endorsed by President Sisi, reflects Cairo’s intention to address this matter positively. A recent meeting between the Greek and Egyptian Foreign Ministers further solidified this commitment, as both sides agreed to secure the Monastery’s legal rights. Our aim is to resolve this issue fairly and to continue fostering strategic cooperation between our nations.
Now, let’s review the government initiatives from the past week, beginning with legal matters. As you may recall, 15 months ago, we implemented stricter regulations to combat violence in sports venues, including mandatory cameras, digital fan ID checks, limiting clubs to one per team, and automatic sanctions for misconduct. These measures have proven effective. We must ensure the safe conduct of sporting events, with strict application of the law in all cases. We expect team owners, managers, players, and fans to uphold this standard. While competitive tension is part of sports like Greek basketball, it is our collective responsibility to protect the spirit of the game, eradicating any illegal actions from the field.
Our universities must also be free from violence and chaos. Enforcing the law is crucial for the safety of students and faculty. In 2019, we restored true academic freedoms, moving away from the lawlessness of previous years. The notion that “nothing has changed” is inaccurate and does not reflect our efforts. Since then, 48 occupations have been cleared, and over 500 individuals have been apprehended for criminal activities on campus. While some efforts saw success, gaps and a lack of responsiveness still exist from various authorities. We’re now proposing 11 additional interventions to bolster protections against violence in universities, including automatic suspension of any student facing prosecution for up to 24 months and enhanced access control measures similar to those used in schools abroad. Our recent meeting with university rectors reinforced their support for our commitment to public universities. Effective planning must start with establishing a culture of prevention and zero tolerance.
Speaking of improvements, the “Marietta Giannakou” program will kick off in 426 schools across 245 municipalities as the school year ends. This marks the first extensive renovation and upgrade of public school infrastructure, prioritizing special schools in border and disaster-affected areas. This €100 million initiative is funded by the Hellenic Union of Banks, with an additional €50 million allocated annually from national funds to further enhance our school facilities.
With a simple click, citizens can now access information regarding various housing programs, subsidies, and tax relief options tailored to their profile—whether they are homeowners or tenants—on stegasi.gov.gr. This platform details 43 government housing actions with a budget of €6.5 billion, allowing users to calculate potential savings and tailor benefits to their needs, facilitating immediate applications.
Shifting to the evaluation of public services—a topic oft-misunderstood in Greece—this process is wrongly perceived as punitive when it is fundamentally a tool for enhancement. For the first time, we invited citizens to share their opinions through the axiologisi.ypes.gov.gr platform on various public service structures. In just two weeks, 65,000 citizens participated in this unprecedented poll. The findings are revealing—available for viewing on the same site. It’s now our duty to transform these insights into actionable improvements while mayors must seriously consider the feedback to enhance daily lives. We’ll reconvene in six months for a follow-up evaluation.
Regarding civil servant evaluations for 2024, the results are intriguing. A total of 172,474 employees participated—8,808 more than in 2019, including 22,725 supervisors—the highest number recorded. While previously, 90% of employees were seen as high performers, the new assessment of 186,836 objectives painted a different picture: only 15,615, or less than 1 in 10, were rated as high-performing. Furthermore, only 4 in 10 supervisors were deemed excellent. Notably, the number of training programs nearly quadrupled, with €29.1 million in bonuses awarded to those meeting targets. Genuine change in the civil service requires consistent evaluation and accountability, ensuring it serves our citizens and society effectively.
On a positive note, the latest report from Brussels recognizes the impressive performance of the Greek economy, characterized by high primary surpluses and growth rates doubling the Eurozone average, alongside decreasing debt service issues. Importantly, we secured approval to activate the escape clause for defense spending, generating fiscal room of €500 million for 2026 to be directed towards development and social programs. The Commission also accepted our request to use 2024 as the baseline year for calculating defense spending as a percentage of GDP, applicable to all member states. For us, defense is a national priority.
We continue to invest in our future—not merely as a phrase, but as an active approach. Accelerating strategic investments in vital sectors is key to transforming our economy. The Ministry of Development and the Inter-ministerial Committee for Strategic Investments have sanctioned four new projects totaling €780 million in energy, infrastructure, innovation, and tourism. These include a CO₂ capture unit at the TITAN plant in Boeotia; a fiber optic broadband network by United Fiber aimed at covering 1.6 million households by 2027; the HERMES project by Intracom Telecom for rural and suburban wireless network development; and a multi-themed tourist complex in Preveza. Through our new development law, we’ll provide over €1 billion in funding to enhance Greek entrepreneurship, targeting sustainable growth, improved competitiveness, and better-paying job creation.
That’s all for now! While some news may resonate more than others, knowing these updates is essential for our progress. Thank you for your attention during this review, and have a great day!
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