This government will not yield to blackmail, Mitsotakis stresses in message to cabinet

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis began his introductory remarks at Tuesday’s cabinet meeting, the last of 2025, by referring to the ongoing farmers’ protests, expressing hope that these will soon start to subside. He noted that more funds were disbursed to farmers on Monday, while all payments the government had promised will have been made within the coming week, amounting to a total of 3.8 billion euros.

“Not without some delays, of course, as we had said that this was a complex process that had to be carried out while on the move, with OPEKEPE [the Greek payments agency for EU agricultural aid] being transferred to the Independent Authority for Public Revenue, but with more funds than last year and certainly – this must be emphasised – much more reliable inspections,” he said, pointing out that 20 of the farmers 27 demands had either been met or were up for discussion. “The second thing we must emphasise at every opportunity is that our country is finally acquiring a fair and fast method of compensation in the place of a system that was, for all intents and purposes, bankrupt,” he added.

Mitsotakis noted that only ruling New Democracy had supported this important reform, which was essential for Greece to acquire an efficient and transparent system for subsidies, in Parliament and he repeated that the government intends to set up a cross-party Parliamentary committee to examine medium- and long-term issues affecting the primary sector.

“The farmers have sent their own messages, and the state has also responded based on the resilience of the economy as well as the very specific commitments it has undertaken vis-à-vis the EU. Now, I believe the time has come for shared responsibility toward society – toward commerce, public transport, transportation, which obviously must remain free, toward local markets that need to operate, toward winter destinations that are counting on these days to boost their turnover, and toward the tens of thousands of travellers who have planned to celebrate these days in the countryside.

“All of these fellow citizens should neither be inconvenienced nor, most importantly, be put at risk, Minister, of any road accident on dangerous detours. And here I want to be absolutely clear: the primary authority for reopening any road lies with the traffic police, and road safety is always the first and non-negotiable priority.

“So, to those who prefer a paradoxical stance – to make demands but refuse to engage in discussion, and to speak while we are calling them to dialogue – I will say it again: this government will not yield to blackmail, nor can we, on the other hand, show favouritism toward one social group at the expense of others. We will engage in dialogue wherever necessary. We have said many times that many of our farmers’ demands are justified, and we are moving, within our capabilities, to meet them. But the framework of the government’s capabilities has now been defined with absolute clarity,” Mitsotakis said.

He stressed that the government has always opted for actions that support the many by increasing incomes and reducing taxes as a buffer against high prices, such as the refund of one month’s rent to 900,000 tenants, the now-annual 250-euro benefit for low-income pensioners, retroactive pay increases for members of the Armed Forces and a series of measures to boost the available income of pensioners.

The prime minister also pointed to additional income-support measures targeting more disadvantaged areas, such as the lower VAT for islands in the east and northeast Aegean, lower property tax in small villages, and the next planned increase in the minimum wage in April. “I will repeat once again that the government has been absolutely consistent in meeting its pre-election goals regarding the increase of wages and the minimum wage and we project that the average wage will have reached 1,500 euros in 2027,” he added.

Mitsotakis repeated that none of this was “happening in a vacuum” but also coincided with the greatest drop in unemployment seen in the last decades and continuous government work on the level of daily life, such as the agreement for the purchase of 23 new trains for intercity and suburban rail lines. “It is a deal exceeding 300 million euros in value and I think we can say with certainty that a new day will dawn for our railroads in 2027, with regular, fast and absolutely safe Athens-Thessaloniki trains and renovated stations,” he said.

“ I would also like to make a reference, since these are the holidays and people will be travelling, to the effectiveness of the new Highway Code. I estimate that for the first time we will end 2025 with a significant reduction in fatal road accidents, in combination with the new cameras which now already issue fines to offenders in an automated and transparent manner. I think that here, truly, something is changing in the area of legality on the roads, just as it has already changed in neighbourhoods, stadiums, and universities,” Mitsotakis commented.

He reiterated that reforms are delivering results, even if they may encounter some obstacles at the beginning of their implementation. “ That is why I am very optimistic about the battles that lie ahead of us in 2026 as well – on housing, on the ongoing fight against the deep state, and on issues related to the cost of living. As long as we remain focused on our goal and remind every interlocutor of where we started, where we are today, how unstable the world around us is, and how safe our country is in contrast.”

The prime minister emphasized that people should not take what has been achieved for granted and noted that 2026 will be a full year of government work before entering 2027, which will have pre-election characteristics.

amna.gr