By Penelope Galliou

The government is fighting a two-front battle to appease the active fronts of the agricultural mobilizations on one side and on the other side of the occupations in the Universities, choosing over the farmers only – for the time being – the tactic of appeasement and insisting on dialogue, with the Prime Minister himself giving the stamp of the intentions.

“The farmer of Thessaly is right to complain” admitted Kyriakos Mitsotakis, during his interview on SKAI radio and Pavlos Tsimas, referring to the amendment which was submitted to the Parliament the day before yesterday, although the relevant promise had been given since November and provides that the electricity will not be cut to the flood-affected farmers of Thessaly. “We have done things and we must do more” continued the prime minister, talking about the wounds left in Thessaly by the devastating passage of bad weather Daniel and turned everyone’s eyes to the Parliament, where on Friday, as part of the prime minister’s hour, he is expected to refer to what the government has already done but also to announce in advance what it is expected to do.

A first tangible sign of the government’s intentions is the announcement by the prime minister of the second round of aid to farmers and breeders affected by the recent September floods of up to 10,000 euros, with the relevant platform expected to open next week. “I asked the ministry to immediately proceed with the increase of the first aid and from 2,000 to go to 5,000 to 10,000 euros so that we can give the money to the people faster. This aid concerns damage to the equipment, we say that we will give additional money for this” , said Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The efforts and calculations of the relevant Ministries are currently focused on one of the most basic demands of the farmers, which has to do with oil and with the return of the excise tax. A measure that the government implemented for 2022 and 2023 and is considering the possibility of being implemented for the current year, 2024, depending on the possibilities, which are “weighed” in order not to affect fiscal planning and fiscal stability. After all, this is a measure claimed not only by the affected farmers of Thessaly, but by all farmers throughout the country, with farmers’ representatives going a step further and demanding tax-free oil.

In any case, the prime minister urged dialogue in order to find solutions to the existing problems. “We rushed to keep the doors of dialogue open, every form of mobilization must be reasonable and not burden society in general. We listen, we respond, and I myself make sure to step on the gas and correct weaknesses,” said Mr. Mitsotakis.

The government is not taking a step back for non-state universities

Despite the low tones and negotiating attitude of the government towards the rural mobilisers, it appears unmoved and determined to proceed with its decisions towards the reactionaries for the establishment of non-state universities. “The bill will be voted on before the end of February,” the prime minister stressed and reiterated that the government’s priorities are to support the public university which – as he said – “is in a much better condition than four years ago”. As Kyriakos Mitsotakis pointed out, of the 200 articles of the proposed bill, 170 refer to the public university and only 30 refer to the establishment of non-state, non-profit universities.

The prime minister dealt directly with the squatters, who are keeping dozens of University schools closed, in the middle of the examination period. Characterizing squatting as an “illegal act”, intolerable. “Squatting by its nature is an act which is illegal” he said and directly questioned whether the decisions of the squatters are made by the majority of the students. “I’m not even sure it reflects the real will, because we know how the decisions are made,” he commented, referring to whether the sit-ins reflect “the real will of the students.”

After all, the message that the Maximos Palace has been sending since the announcement of the reform in Higher Education is that “we want the bill to be passed and it will be passed” considering that the reactions are in the minority and noting that the issue has been delayed for many years and it is time for the country to move forward in this area as well.