Mitsotakis says government will not stop talking to the farmers, pledges to visit Thessaly again soon

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The government will not stop talking to the farmers, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis promised in his weekly review of government actions, posted on social media every Sunday. “Very soon, I will visit Thessaly once more and meet with their representatives,” he added, while praising the orderly way in which farmers carried out their protest action in the Greek capital.

“The government recognises that the farmers are right about many things – not all – and we satisfied as many [of their demands] as we could, exhausting the fiscal margins,” he said.

“ A sustainable farming sector is one of our highest priorities and this is the goal of the Greek initiative to seek, together with the countries of the Mediterranean, changes in the Common Agricultural Policy,” the prime minister noted. He pointed out that the relevant ministers of the EU MED-9 countries (Greece, France, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain, Cyprus, Croatia and Slovenia) are to convene on Monday on this issue.

He also referred to an expansion of the school meals programme and the start of repairs of schools in areas affected by storms “ Daniel” and “ Elias”, as well as referring to the start of afternoon surgeries in the national health system with the use of 60 million euros from the Recovery and Resilience Funds, so that patients are not burdened with the cost of the operations.

The prime minister welcomed the launch on Monday last of the electronic platform where voters can register for a postal vote and concluded his post with an invitation to the public to visit the National Gallery’s exhibition “ Urbanography: The life of the city in the decades 1950-1970” featuring dozens of artworks and films by 78 artists, exploring daily life in the city and how this shapes us over the years.
Mitsotakis began his post with a reference to his recent trip to India and the prospects for cooperation between Greece and a rapidly growing economy of 1.4 billion people. He noted that Indian companies expressed strong interest in potential investments in Greece, including its role as a gateway to Europe.

He also praised the way the Greek police had handled the farmers’ protests and a “ complex demonstration with the use of heavy vehicles such as tractors”, saying it was a practical demonstration of the application of the new law on gatherings, “ which some said sought to repress mobilisations.” Mitsotakis contrasted the outcome to that in other European countries, where the farmers’ protests had culminated in clashes with the police.

The prime minister also noted the launch of an electronic platform for granting residence permits to third-country nationals with a job offer in Greece, provided they have been resident in Greece for at least three years up until November 30, 2023.

“ This is a one-off measure that aims to facilitate finding the working hands needed in the agricultural sector and elsewhere,” he added, pointing out that Greece was in the process of drawing up agreements with six countries to cover the country’s need for labour with controlled, legal migration.

Source: ΑΝΑ – ΜPA

Weather to deteriorate, with heavy rain and storms in many parts of Greece from Sunday night