New Democracy wants the best possible result in the European elections, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis says

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The measures taken by the government against high prices were “partially effective”, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in an interview on the television Action24 on Wednesday, noting that the high cost of living was the “biggest problem”.

Talking about the upcoming European Parliament elections, he noted that Europe was “at a difficult point” and stressed the need for a “critical core” of pro-European parties in the next European Parliament. He also stressed the importance of a good result for ruling New Democracy:

“We want the best possible result that will give us greater impetus to implement our programme. The 41% are the citizens who voted for us…we will not question the choice of the citizens. The better the result for ND, the stronger the additional mandate we will have,” Mitsotakis said.

On the issue of high prices, he said the focus will be on increasing incomes and lowering unemployment:
“High prices can only be tackled by further supporting income. Wages are increasing. We have margins due to the way the market and multinationals operate,” he said, adding that the government had asked for Europe’s assistance “and can bring results because our voice is heard.”

He noted that the problem with multinationals has recently become worse, prompting him to intervene, while the solutions proposed by main opposition SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance, such as reducing VAT, would be exorbitantly costly and must be counterbalanced by cuts in spending or new taxes.

Mitsotakis denied rejecting all opposition proposals, pointing out actions taken to regulate short-term leases as an example, while noting that “easy populism” had no place in Greece in 2024.

The prime minister said the next tax reductions would concern employer contributions, with more specific announcements to be made at the Thessaloniki International Fair, while the focus will be on reducing unemployment and giving more opportunities to those who feel socially excluded.

“We are interested in giving more incentives for employment. We do not want to give someone an incentive to remain jobless when they could be working,” he said.

Referring to foreign policy issues, he stressed that Greece will go ahead with plans to establish marine parks in the Aegean, noting that these were within the country’s territorial waters.

“There has been too much discussion on this issue… It does not concern Turkiye. If Turkiye wants to create its own parks within its own territorial waters, that is none of my business,” he stressed, adding: “For Greece there are no grey zones in the Aegean. The issues of sovereignty in the Aegean – I said this to President Erdogan as well – are decided by the Lausanne Treaty.”

On relations with Turkiye, he said they remained difficult but that there “was greater ease in direct communication and a clear defining of red lines,” while he pointed to positive aspects, such as a reduction in airspace violations and better cooperation in migration.

Mitsotakis said that Greece would like to buy more Rafale fighter aircraft, increasing the current 24 to 30, but that this is subject to budget constraints, along with planning for more corvettes, while repeating his proposal for a European anti-missile shield from a common fund.
Regarding neighbouring Albania, the prime minister said its treatment of the mayor-elect of Himare, Fredi Beleri, was “unacceptable”, noting that both Albania and North Macedonia must realise that their European course was subject to rules.

Commenting on the rise of the far-right, he said this was a threat to Europe and that there must be a “critical core” of European forces in the European Parliament. “It is important to understand that Europe is at a difficult point. We can play a leading role and I want New Democracy to be as strong as possible,” he said, noting that this will not change the balance of power in the Greek parliament but was important for voters that had supported ND. He also expressed concern over high rates of abstention, saying it was one of the reasons for introducing postal voting.

Source: ANA-MPA

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