In the context of the announcements that Kyriakos Mitsotakis will make from “Prime Minister’s Hour” today Friday in the Parliament, Minister of State Akis Skertsos said in an interview with ertnews.

Initially, as he acknowledged, “the problem is European, there is a pervasive, reasonable insecurity on the part of the farming world across Europe, about the challenges facing the primary sector. The climate crisis creates very large pressures on agricultural income, disasters, many unforeseen situations, which our farmers are called upon to manage.”

Given these, he continued, “it is normal, expected that they react and ask for support. We, during the four years that have passed, have shown this support in practice and it has brought results. ELGA gave more than 1 billion in compensations”, reminded the Minister of State, while reminding that “during the pandemic we gave an additional 600 million”. At the same time, “we significantly reduced tax and insurance burdens, VAT was given flexibility”. In two words, “we support the primary sector, it is a key sector of the economy”.

At another point in the interview, ‘A. Schertsos proceeded to take stock, pointing out that “agricultural production did better in previous years, it increased, our primary sector became more extroverted. We went from a trade deficit to a trade surplus.” And, he emphasized that “farmers have seen in practice that this government stands by them and we will continue to stand by them. With open ears, without prejudices, without pointing a finger or considering the mobilizations to be absurd.”

He also referred to the recent government announcements, such as “we are bringing forward the partial advance payment of the full compensation for natural disasters, from 5,000 to 10,000 euros, in Thessaly”. And he invited the farmers to submit the applications. The second measure has to do with energy costs: “We reassured the concern that existed in a small portion of farmers, in relation to debts they had on energy bills.” For this matter, the government created a seven-year regulation.

Asked if the excise tax could be included in the Prime Minister’s upcoming announcements on Friday morning in Parliament, the Minister of State initially recalled that it was given in the previous two years, it cost 160 million euros and about 230,000 farmers benefited from it. “At this stage, we cannot proceed with an announcement on this,” he clarified, because “in the two previous years, this measure was announced in the fall, also seeing the course of the budget. The prime minister has given the message that as long as the budget is going well – as it has been in previous years and better than our estimates – we are here to support agricultural income.”

Coming, however, to what the farmers are expecting, namely the announcements on Friday, he noted: “In the intervention that the Prime Minister will make in Parliament, additional aid will be given, especially in relation to energy costs.” In particular, “some measures will be announced that will concern short-term and medium-long-term support for rural energy tariffs, so that they can keep up with the energy transition that the Greek economy is making as a whole. In other words, our farmers should also benefit from cheaper energy prices by utilizing renewable energy sources.

Finally, for the farmers of the Lake Karla region, he assured that “there will be support until there is drainage”.

On the subject of same-sex marriage, you were asked to comment on what the president of PASOK – Movement for Change, Nikos Androulakis, had said on the same show a week ago, that it is wrong that the bill is coming now and the result will be an increase in Far right, ‘A. Skertsos responded as follows: “I am impressed by this statement by the leader of PASOK, which is characterized by tactics but not by a principled policy. It was in our program, it was a pre-election announcement, it arises as an obligation from a strategy drawn up by the New Democracy government in the previous term for equality in the LGBTI+ community,” he pointed out.

The issue in question “should not and will not divide us in the way we handle it […] we are not going to get into a confrontation with anyone on this issue. Greece is a state of law, a liberal democracy,” he added.

Finally, for non-state, non-profit universities, he spoke of “a great reform, of a historic nature. And this reform brings us closer to Europe, because it corrects a historical misspelling.” Thanks to the bill, it is possible for scientists who had left with the brain-drain to return, but also to stop further “bleeding”. In any case, “the examination is not going to be lost, it is a commitment of the government and the prime minister”, he emphasized in closing.