The Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis speaking to the STAR on the issue of accuracy he said that it is the first problem that concerns the citizens and therefore it should be the first government priority to limit as far as possible the effects of inflation.

“We have done a lot on this front and indeed it is encouraging that we have a de-escalation of inflation, but we cannot ignore that prices today are much higher than where they were three years ago and we need to try harder,” he continued.

Mr. Mitsotakis referred in detail to the controls by DIMEA, to the interventions regarding the way of setting prices on the shelf, to the restrictions on profit margins, for example in baby milk, to the “minus 5%”, to “Household Basket”.

“I believe that we are now at a point where the worst is behind us, without denying, however, that especially in food there is a persistent pressure of inflation”, he added while noting that the phenomenon is not only Greek but also European.

“Its structural problem can only be solved through a stable and sustainable increase in wages and disposable income. And there I think we have made important steps: the minimum wage has increased by 20% since we came into action and I remind you of our commitment to reach 950 euros at the end of the four years”, he emphasized.

The prime minister estimated that the minimum wage will definitely be over 800 euroswhile he noted that many are in the zone of wage earners between 1,000 and 3,000 euros and fewer, proportionally, in the minimum wage.

“This is the result of an economy which is growing rapidly and which also leads to the de-escalation of unemployment. The lower the unemployment, the greater the employee’s bargaining power and finally the companies are forced to increase their wages to attract the workers they want”, he underlined.

Mr. Mitsotakis also stated that the fines are also quite significant for multinational companies and he also referred to the damage done to the reputation of a multinational company when it is found to be breaking the law.

“THE Europe it is a single market after all, something we are very proud of. There can be no significant differences. Small differences may be justified due to the special structure of the Greek market. Significant differences, however, in the selling prices of the products, that is, the same quantity for the same product must be sold at more or less the same price within the European Union. And we will be very persistent on this and the companies know very well that we will be relentless in imposing fines provided they are found to have broken the law.”

Kyriakos Mitsotakis in the interview he gave to STAR and referring to the issue of the farmers said that many of their requests are justified.

He said that the problem of illegal Greekizations is timeless and that the government has for the first time seriously dealt with mixed levels and has limited the extent of the problem, especially in dairy products.

“The best evidence is the fact that milk prices for farmers have risen significantly in all four years that we have been in government, and in doing so have to some extent ‘paid off’ the increases in production costs. There indeed, in the Greekizations, we are absolutely identified with the farmers. A product which is not Greek cannot be baptized as Greek and in this way the competition is distorted. And we have taken important steps in this direction”, he emphasized.

“From there, the problem, you know, from the field to the shelf I hear and discuss it with all my colleagues in the European Union, that is, what profit margins do the middlemen have in relation to the farmers. It’s not a simple problem, if it was simple I assure you someone would have already solved it.

What am I seeing, though, and do I think this is a pretty encouraging sign anymore? That by using both new technologies and new ways of communication, I see for the first time several producers who come into direct contact with their customers and send products directly to them. It also helps that courier services are also developing, not only in our country, but worldwide. And this, you know, is also a way of bypassing the middlemen and claiming better prices from the consumers as well”, continued the Prime Minister.

He added: “You know, I’m a big believer in the informed consumer. And I believe that the Greek is an aware consumer, looking for the best offer, looking for the best value for money. But the consumer himself, through the pressure he exerts in his own way and the choices he makes, can help us make competition work better and prices fall.”

In view of tomorrow’s mobilization of the farmers, he said that he understands why they want to make a symbolic performance in the center of Athens.

“After all, many social groups are demonstrating against the Constitution, why shouldn’t farmers have the right to do so as well?” I believe this will be done in coordination with the police and I ask the farmers who come down to be absolutely, I would say, in an open line of communication with the police, so that there is as little disturbance as possible. I believe that we will see a small number of tractors in the center of the city, as we saw in Brussels where I was at the last European Council”, he added and noted: “Always the condition is, first of all, not to disturb, as far as possible, the smooth traffic of city, that is, wherever it is possible, wherever this is possible, roads should not be closed completely and of course any violence, any extreme should be avoided.

I have to tell you that so far I have had a lot of contact with farmers and I would say that the mobilizations, so to speak, have been relatively quiet and I think the disruption to transport and economic life has been relatively limited. And I say this why? Because the government has responded to many of the farmers’ demands, recognizing that they are justified.”

Mr. Mitsotakis pointed out that the government has settled the issue of the return of the Special Consumption Tax on agricultural oil and his commitment is from 2025 to have a permanent solution in consultation with the farmers.

“It means a permanent refund of the Excise Tax, but in a way that will be fairer. For electricity, we made a very important move. For a farmer today to have electricity for under 10 cents a kilowatt hour is a huge, I would say, improvement over electricity prices where they are today. We add competitiveness in this way to production,” he added.

And he noted: “Because our issue is not only that the farmers go back. Our issue is how we can make the primary sector structurally more competitive. To help farmers to be able to have better incomes. To grow the primary sector as a whole, to modernize it. To invest more in the education of farmers, in new technologies, in the infrastructures which of course we must have, first of all the possibility of access to water.

These are structural problems. And in conjunction with these, the debate on the new Common Agricultural Policy. For me, I must tell you that to have some, to have rural demonstrations in our homeland…”.

The Prime Minister stated that when he goes to negotiate in Brussels he will say “you know, we also had demonstrations in our country and from these demonstrations especially in terms of bureaucracy and the speed of “greening” to put it simply, the transition in a more environmentally friendly agriculture, there must be adjustments to the Common Agricultural Policy”.

Regarding the possibility of the government giving something extra, he said: “We don’t have anything more to give. And I think that the farmers also recognize this and know very well that already the government probably exceeded the limits of their expectations, especially in the issue of electricity. Consequently, I think it will be a mobilization which will have a character, I would say, of escalation of mobilizations and I believe that after that things will return to their rhythm. Besides, the sowing season also begins. We want the farmers back in their fields, the ranchers to be with their animals. But, this discussion does not stop now. It doesn’t mean – and I’ll say it again – because the farmers will turn back that we’ve closed this chapter, ugh, we’ll breathe a sigh of relief and then move on. No, there are structural issues that will concern us for a long time to come.”