The president of the New Left, Alexis Haritsis, criticizes the prime minister for his stance on agriculture in an interview on TRT arguing that the answers he gave to Bui “they were unconvincing and general” and added that “it is not possible to deal with such a serious issue with communication tricks».

Continuing his criticism, he argued: “There are no clear timetables, neither for the citizens who have not yet received the aid, nor for the restoration of the infrastructure of the region in order to avoid such a disaster again, nor a plan for the productive reconstruction of Thessaly. The prime minister tried to present an image, that the government has done its best for Thessaly. But the reality is that the staff state sank into the mud of the disaster. Mr. Mitsotakis ordered obvious things, compensations that should have been paid anyway, as there are still outstandings from Janos and community subsidies, which the Greek state must pay the farmers anyway».

He then referred to the measures proposed by the New Left:

– Complete revision of the National Plan for the Implementation of the new CAP. Timely and prompt payment of all outstanding claims. Changes to the current framework. The new CAP is slow, bureaucratic and unfair to farmers.

– To connect the green transition with social justice. Farmers cannot pay it, we see what is happening in Europe.

– Complete revision of the ELGA regulation. At the moment, there are no compensations for damages such as loss of fruit. It does not take into account the conditions created by the climate crisis.

– The problem with illegal Hellenizations and imports is enormous, and has become excessively acute in recent years. Especially in animal husbandry the situation is dramatic. The 2018 law, which remains inactive, should be implemented. At the moment there is unfair competition against Greek products.

Furthermore, commenting on the statements of hierarchs in relation to the marriage of same-sex couples, he said:Caesar’s to Caesar’s, God’s to God’s. For issues of rights and legislation, the State has the say. It is the responsibility of the state to provide and ensure equal rights to all citizens without exception. With this principle we will move. Not on the basis of petty calculation. As New Left, we have a clear position from the beginning: All Greek citizens must have the same rights, both in marriage and in childbearing. In principle we will support the bill».