Watch live the press conference that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is giving at this time at the Vellideo Conference Center, in the context of the 88th TIF.

Yesterday, during his speech at the opening of the exhibition, the prime minister announced a series of measures, such as increases for pensioners and employees, emergency support for the vulnerable and a reduction in insurance contributions.

However, he did not mention the reduction of the pensioners’ solidarity levy and measures against food inflation.

The goal for the country’s position in the internal and external environment

“In my speech I described and set the clear goals of how I envision Greece in 3 years. The government will be judged on the country’s overall progress three years from now. The Greece of 2010 is a bankrupt Greece, we were living beyond our means. The Greece that I envision is a Greece that will step on solid foundations, with unemployment that has fallen below 8%, with an average salary of 1500 euros and the minimum wage at 950 euros, with a much more meritorious public, with a better quality of life for Greek women and the Greeks. The Greece of 2027 cannot and should not have anything to do with the Greece of 2010. The faster our economy grows compared to the European average, the easier this goal will be to achieve.”

Euro election result – There is no reform fatigue

Referring to the result of the European elections, the prime minister noted that it was not bad, but it was below expectations. “The ND remains the dominant force in the country, with a difference of 14 points from the second party” he emphasized and commenting on whether there is reform fatigue, he noted that he does not agree that there is. As he said, some reforms had a political cost. And some were reflected in the ballot box. In a high inflation environment all governments are tested. That is why I insist on presenting what we did in the first year. But also to prove the consistency due to projects.

In some reforms we are laying the foundations and the results will be seen along the way, in others, however, citizens saw an immediate result, actions against domestic violence, mycoast, salary and pension increases, while other issues need some time to be implemented.

For scenarios that want him to replace Antonio Costa: “I am the elected prime minister of the country for a full term. I intend to complete this term by the spring of 2027.”

“You want to retire me? It’s been 15 months since the 2023 elections. I can tell you that I have no plans to jump to some European seat. I am the elected prime minister of the country for a full term. I intend to complete this term until the spring of 2027. Those who predicted early elections have always been disproved, so they will be disproved now. The ND is a party of power and comes to every election to win”

Accuracy

The issue of accuracy is the first issue that concerns citizens, as in the whole world, K. Mitsotakis said when asked about it. And he went on to emphasize that: in the last three years we had a sharp increase in prices, in Greece it was a little lower than the European average. But there is no precision. Accuracy is the result of various price trends.

Referring to the measures against punctuality, the Prime Minister emphasized: We did not hesitate to tax the electricity producers on sky-high profits, which we returned to the citizens. In the supermarket issue, we see not just a stabilization of prices but also a de-escalation. All the measures we took are a defense against accuracy.

He predicted that inflation will continue to decline, while stressing that “we have managed to maintain healthy growth rates.”

The two goals until the end of the four years

“The first goal is to increase wages, the average wage must be 1,500 euros and the minimum wage at 950 euros. This is the best answer against accuracy. I would like to be judged at the end of the four years to the extent that we have achieved the salary increase. It is the first objective and concerns the core of our economic policy”

“The second goal is the National Health System. I know that there is a concern of the citizens, that the weaknesses of the NHS are highlighted. It is certain that drastic interventions are needed, which are being implemented to some extent. In 2027 we must have many health centers, many renovated hospitals, many more doctors, better paid doctors, new emergency departments in hospitals, which will not resemble anything that citizens see today. We should have significantly reduced the lists of surgeries and this will be helped by the 30,000 afternoon surgeries which will be performed free of charge in the coming months with resources from the Recovery Fund.
I would like to be judged in 2027 on whether the country has a NHS worthy of the citizens’ expectations”

Wages – Cost of living

In 2019, the first issue raised by citizens was unemployment, the Prime Minister emphasized. And he went on to say: “Since then we have created 500,000 jobs. And today we have employers struggling to find workers so they are offering higher wages. So we have a higher proportion of workers getting more than €1,000. Not that this is satisfactory.

There are other interventions that have been made for workers. Like the digital job card. With which we have seen a significant increase in overtime reported. There were also interventions for retirees, who returned to the labor market.

The next goal, however, is better and better paying jobs.”