THE government representative Pavlos Marinakis announced today that the Sunday, March 17 the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakiss will visit it Cairo together with the president of the Commission Ursula von der Leyen his Italian counterpart J. Melonand the Prime Minister of Belgium, Alexander Noah Grow, for a meeting with the President of Egypt, al Sisi.

As Mr. Marinakis said, the visit symbolizes Egypt’s important and critical role in the region amid multiple challenges, as well as Egypt’s strategic importance for the European Union.

“Greece maintains excellent relations with Cairo, with which he shares a common understanding of the wider Mediterranean region and finding solutions for stability and peace in the region. Kyriakos Mitsotakis has long highlighted the importance of a strategic partnership between the European Union and Egypt, while he was the first European leader to highlight the importance of Egypt for the European Union and for stability in the region, a few days after the terrorist attacks Hamas attacks against Israel.

The prime minister will also have a bilateral meeting with Mr. Sisi in Cairo” said the government spokesman.

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Mr. Marinakis also emphasized that an amendment was submitted by the responsible Minister of Energy Th. Skylakakis for agricultural tariffs and the long-term contracts that farmers will be able to sign for the supply of electricity, with a particularly favorable tariff. In particular, he said, among other things, that with this regulation it is foreseen that the electricity providers will offer the holders of rural electricity tariffs a particularly favorable electricity tariff, with “green” energy, which will come from the production of new photovoltaic plants that will be built.

The government spokesman also reported that the first aid to businesses, farms and livestock units under the second round of the first aid continues and said that it has so far reached a total of 57.3 million euros.

“On Tuesday, March 12 and Wednesday, March 13, approximately 4.7 million euros were paid, as an advance payment of 50% of the state aid grant, to 321 businesses, agricultural holdings and livestock units. At the same time, in 986 cases of businesses, agricultural holdings and livestock units, the first aid of a total amount of 2.7 million euros, which had been granted, was offset by the amount corresponding to the amount of the advance payment of 50% of the state aid grant” said Mr. Marinakis.

Mr. Marinakis referred to the program “Tourism 2024” for which the submission of applications by interested parties begins today, and which includes for the first time an increased voucher worth up to 400 euros. As he said, all potential beneficiaries who meet the criteria posted on the vouchers.gov.gr website and in the announcement of the Ministry of Tourism have the right to submit until midnight on Monday, April 1st.

Beneficiaries, Mr. Marinakis said, can issue an immaterial digital debit card, which they will use for their stay at any hotel or accommodation in the country they choose.

“The new Program of the Ministry of Tourism, aims at the immediate strengthening of the domestic tourism activity by covering a significant part of the accommodation costs of the beneficiaries and is a program with a strong social sign” said Mr. Marinakis.

The Program provides, among other things:

• Increased subsidy of 200 Euros per beneficiary (from 150 Euros foreseen in the previous Program),

• Amount of 300 Euro to natural persons:

– unmarried or widowed with dependent children,

– married or cohabiting parties with three or more protected children,

– Retirees of all Funds with a final decision to award a pension due to old age until 31.12.2022.

• Finally, there is a special provision for a higher subsidy of 400 Euros for people with a disability of 67% or more and beneficiaries with children with disabilities of 67% or more.

In detail, Mr. Marinakis, referring to the letter of the Ministry of Justice, said:

“It is being voted on today draft law of the Ministry of Justice which implements a series of amendments to the Civil Code and the Code of Civil Procedure, with the aim of speeding up Justice through the transfer of matter to Lawyers and Notaries, which until today has exclusively concerned Judges.

Based on the proposed provisions, it is envisaged that the following will be carried out by Lawyers of the Bar Association of the locally competent Court of First Instance:

the registration and amendment of the statutes of a large number of associations – professional associations, trade unions of association form, as well as sports associations.

the issuance of a deed of inheritance.

drawing up a deed of acceptance of inheritance.

Entries and cancellations of consensual mortgage pre-notes.

Furthermore, an attempt is made to further relieve the secretariats of the Courts, with the provision of receiving affidavits exclusively from Notaries and/or Lawyers.

The bill includes provisions for the organization of the Court Buildings Financing Fund, the TA.X.DI.K. and the process for paying legal aid solicitors’ fees, in order to speed up the process of clearing and paying legal aid fees.

At the same time, the issuance of a provision for registrations and amendments to the articles of association will be assisted by a lawyer in order to speed up the process.

In addition, the scope of the law 4990/2022 for whistleblowers is also extended to bribery offences, thus incorporating the OECD establishment into national law and expanding their transparency and protection through EU law.

Finally, the competence to carry out criminal prosecution rests exclusively with the financial prosecutor, who gives a direct order to carry out a main investigation, to the competent investigator”.

Referring to Mr. Skylakakis’ amendment, he said:

“With an amendment signed by the Minister of Environment and Energy, Mr. Thodoros Skylakakis, the possibility is provided to holders of rural tariffs to enter into long-term electricity supply contracts with low electricity prices.

With this regulation, it is foreseen that the electricity providers will offer the holders of rural electricity tariffs a particularly favorable electricity tariff, with “green” energy, which will come from the production of new photovoltaic plants that will be built.

Depending on the amount of rural electricity consumption that each provider will represent, it will be possible to enter into a bilateral contract for the sale of electricity with photovoltaic stations, which will receive – on absolute priority – connection conditions from the ADMIE and will be implemented in a short time space.

This arrangement is a mutually beneficial arrangement, as it will enable Renewable Energy projects that were awaiting the issuance of a Final Connection Offer by ADMIE to immediately proceed with their implementation and at the same time it will offer cheap energy to the holders of rural tariffs through the electricity providers.

At the same time, the government’s commitment to favorable regulation of agricultural debts to electricity providers with a ten-year repayment period and zero interest is implemented.

The issue of farmers’ energy consumption and facilitating them to respond to the increased, due to exogenous inflation, electricity prices is a commitment of the Prime Minister which is implemented immediately with the aim of strengthening the agricultural world.

At the same time, the Government, as it has committed, is considering the return of the Excise Tax on fuels with permanent characteristics from 2025, while with specific proposals it is proceeding with the negotiation for the new CAP”.

For the “Tourism 2024” program:

“The submission of applications for the “Tourism for All 2024” program begins today, which for the first time includes an increased voucher worth up to 400 euros. All potential beneficiaries who meet the criteria have the right to submit until midnight on Monday, April 1 they are posted on the vouchers.gov.gr website and in the announcement of the Ministry of Tourism.

Beneficiaries can issue an immaterial digital debit card, which they will use for their stay at any hotel or accommodation in the country they choose.

The new Program of the Ministry of Tourism, aims at the immediate strengthening of the domestic tourism activity by covering a significant part of the accommodation costs of the beneficiaries. It is a program with a strong social character, as emphasized by the Minister Olga Kefalogianni and the Deputy Minister Elena Rapti, which has now increased the income criteria, has included new categories of special social groups and aims to directly strengthen the domestic tourism activity in many different destinations and for a longer period since the voucher can be used in full or in installments until December 2024.

The Program provides, among other things:

• Increased subsidy of 200 Euros per beneficiary (from 150 Euros foreseen in the previous Program),

• Amount of 300 Euro to natural persons:

– unmarried or widowed with dependent children,

– married or cohabiting parties with three or more protected children,

– Retirees of all Funds with a final decision to award a pension due to old age until 31.12.2022.

• There is a special provision for a higher subsidy of 400 Euros for people with a disability of 67% or more and beneficiaries with children with disabilities of 67% or more”.

To help businesses:

“The first aid to businesses, agricultural holdings and livestock units under the second cycle of the first aid continues and has so far reached a total of 57.3 million euros.

On Tuesday, March 12 and Wednesday, March 13, approximately €4.7 million was paid, as an advance of 50% of the state aid grant, to 321 businesses, agricultural holdings and livestock units. At the same time, in 986 cases of businesses, agricultural holdings and livestock units, the first aid of a total amount of 2.7 million euros, which had been granted, was offset against the amount corresponding to the amount of the advance payment of 50% of the state aid grant.

Therefore, the phase of granting the advance payment of 50% of the state aid to businesses, agricultural holdings and livestock units has been completed for 3,403 beneficiaries with the total amount of the subsidy exceeding 33 million euros.