On Wednesday morning, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the president of SYRIZA, Stefanos Kasselakis, will meet for the first time.

As the government representative Pavlos Marinakis said, the meeting is scheduled for 10 am, the day after tomorrow and will take place in the office of Mr. Mitsotakis, in the Parliament.

In particular, Mr. Marinakis said: “On Wednesday, November 1, at 10:00 the Prime Minister will meet in his office in the Parliament with the president of SYRIZA-PS Stefanos Kasselakis, while at 11:00 he will address the Plenary of the Parliament in debate on the draft law of the Ministry of the Interior “New system for selecting public sector administrations, strengthening their efficiency and other provisions”.

In his opening statement while briefing political editors, the government spokesman said:

During his participation in the work of the European Council in Brussels, the Prime Minister reiterated the country’s positions regarding the Middle East and the war in the Gaza Strip. He emphasized Israel’s right to legitimate self-defense, always in accordance with International and Humanitarian Law, but also the fact that Hamas is a terrorist organization that does not represent the Palestinian people, which is expressed institutionally through the Palestinian Authority.

He called it “absolutely imperative to open humanitarian corridors and, if necessary, to have a ‘humanitarian pause’ so that civilians can be protected” and to protect as many lives as possible.

He also referred to the need to ensure the non-expansion of conflicts but also to Greece’s firm position for the two-state solution to deal with the Palestinian issue.

With regard to the review of the European Union’s budget, that is, the Multiannual Financial Framework, the Prime Minister made the Greek position absolutely clear that a solution cannot only include Ukraine and nothing else.

He stressed that we need more money for refugees and for managing the problem as a country – Europe’s external border, additional resources for the Solidarity Fund, which has already been announced, to be able to support countries affected by natural disasters, additional resources for the new development tool, which has already been announced by the European Commission, as well as to cover the increase in the borrowing costs of the Recovery Fund loans.

At the same time, the Prime Minister expressed his satisfaction to the European Commission for the redistribution of funds that was made from the Recovery Fund to enable us to quickly launch the reconstruction projects of Thessaly, but pointed out that it is not possible at this time to say that the Solidarity Fund has essentially been exhausted and countries affected by natural disasters cannot claim new resources because, quite simply, such European resources do not exist and that by the end of the year a solution to these issues must be found.

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The Government continues its interventions aimed at dealing with the consequences of the global inflationary crisis in three axes: first, interventions to increase the disposable income of all citizens, such as the increases in Public Sector salaries by 10.5% and the increase in tax-free for families with children,

Second, targeted measures such as “Permanent price reduction” and the obligation to announce retail prices and mark-ups. It should be noted that over 233 product codes have already been included in the permanent price reduction program with discounts starting from 5% and reaching up to 23% and thirdly with intensive controls and the imposition of corresponding fines in cases of violations. Controls continue at an even more intensive pace throughout Greece. We will not allow anyone to break the law, especially in the midst of this unprecedented, imported precision.

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82 million euros have been allocated to more than 20,000 flood victims, as stated in the announcement of the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection.

Of the total amount, 62.3 million euros concern first aid for household goods, first needs and housing assistance. The 19.8 million euros concern first aid to businesses, agricultural holdings and livestock units, while approximately 14 million euros were credited to more than 6,500 farmers and breeders.

In addition, with an amendment filed by the Ministers of Rural Development and Food, Lefteris Avgenakis, and National Economy and Finance, Kostis Hatzidakis, the procedure for the immediate payment of advances to the affected farmers of Thessaly is launched. A total of 30,088 declarations were submitted for damage related to plant production and 2,366 declarations related to loss of livestock.

The amendment ensures the financing of the livestock and crop production compensations to the affected producers of Thessaly, as well as the non-disposal of the amounts that the beneficiaries will receive.

The amendment concerns livestock breeders, beekeepers and farmers of Thessaly and the other regions affected by the unprecedented flooding phenomena from the Daniel and Elias storms, and the cost of compensation falls on the state budget. It is also provided that “for the implementation of the action by decision of the Minister of National Economy and Finance, appropriations are transferred from the State Budget to the ELGA Budget”. It is our duty to continue to support the citizens affected by the unprecedented flooding phenomena and in this direction we continue to provide compensation at speed.

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Today, at 20:00 the Prime Minister in the context of the 27th annual Economist Government Roundtable conference will discuss with Francis Fukuyama.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, October 31, at 11:00, the Council of Ministers will meet under the Prime Minister.

On Wednesday November 1, at 10:00 the Prime Minister will meet in his office in the Parliament with the president of SYRIZA-PS Stefanos Kasselakis, while at 11:00 he will address the Plenary of the Parliament in the debate on the bill of the Ministry of the Interior “New system selection of public sector administrations, strengthening their effectiveness and other provisions”.

The provisions of the bill ensure the modernization of the selection process of the administrations of the Public Sector bodies by creating a framework that provides for their continuous evaluation, the upgrading of the requirements for each position and the strengthening of meritocracy and transparency.

The Prime Minister will travel on Thursday November 2nd to China where on Friday November 3rd he will hold meetings with the President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping, Premier Li Chiang and Chairman of the National People’s Congress Zhao Leji.