The president of PASOK – Movement for Change and re-candidate Nikos Androulakis described Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis as a “failure”. He expressed the assessment that the people will prematurely “retire” Mr. Mitsotakis from his political career, he stated that the Greek people are turning their expectations to PASOK, which, as he said, is now the main pillar of the opposition and will be the next progressive government, while presenting a “plan for Greece’s Now and Tomorrow”, with 8 national goals, based on the triptych: “Sustainable development-Quality Jobs-Reduction of inequalities”.

“Mr. Mitsotakis, you failed miserably. What if, as you implied with your well-known arrogance “if we lose you, we’re lost” don’t worry. More and more people are turning their backs on the decline you have caused, because they hope for a fairer society and a more resilient economy, with opportunities for all. And today this is the great debt of PASOK: To exploit and release the great potential of the country. To give perspective and dignity to every Greek woman and every Greek man”, Mr. Androulakis emphasized during his speech at the conference center “I. Vellidis”, in the context of the 88th TIF.

“And since, Mr. Mitsotakis, you mentioned here from Thessaloniki that you do not intend to retire, I have news for you: At the first opportunity you give, the Greek people will send you permanently into retirement, said the president of PASOK – KINAL and continued: “In the sixth year of New Democracy at the helm of the country, the citizens now have nothing else to expect from the government and the prime minister, except to wait … until 2027 to see better days. He tried to stop the retreat of his government and to cover up its management failure, with an eye on the next polls and not with an eye on the big problems of our economy and society.

The situation in Greece in 2024 continues to hurt us every day.

Today, with the first school bell, there are 1,000 classes less in the country’s primary, middle and high schools.

Teachers on islands even sleep in the car because they can’t pay the exorbitant rents.

Thousands of patients are waiting on embarrassing lists for surgery, while medical and nursing staff are working to the brink of exhaustion to keep the NHS afloat.

More than half of the workers are paid less than 1,000 euros, with the purchasing power of the citizens competing with that of Bulgaria, at the bottom, that is, of the European Union.

Young women’s unemployment hits yet another sad European first.

Powerful oligopolies have been formed in critical market sectors, from health, food to banks, as the Bank of Greece points out, profiting off the backs of the Greek people.

Do you know what the real “development miracle” the government is touting is? The real GDP of the country increased in the period 2019-2023 by only a cumulative 5.8%, with an average real growth rate of only 1.4%, despite the huge amount of resources that flowed and continue to flow into the country from the Recovery and Resilience Fund”.

“In this environment, Greek society is turning its attention to PASOK, demanding to hear from us substantial solutions for wages, rents, punctuality, productive restructuring, health, education”, pointed out Mr. Androulakis and added : “I am fully aware of the responsibility as we are now the main pillar of opposition in the country.”

He then presented 8 national goals which are as follows:

1. For a strong Greek Region:

-Bold reduction of ENFIA in mountainous, disadvantaged and border areas.

-Increase (50%) of the allowance for beneficiaries permanent residents of mountainous and disadvantaged areas, together with the

– Increase of the tax deduction for the second child and above, as the tax burdens for families with children in Greece are far above the average of OECD countries.

– Reinforcement of public infrastructure throughout the country.

2. For access to cheap and quality housing for the new generation:

– Proportional reduction of taxes in relation to the disposal time of closed properties in the public housing stock. And the rent is always capped.

– Implementation of a coherent housing program to create thousands of new social housing from the resources of the Recovery Fund, a measure that will essentially de-escalate rent prices.

– Immediate abolition of the Golden Visa, as is already happening in almost all European countries.

– Municipalities should assume the responsibility of determining the carrying capacity for issuing new short-term rental permits.

– Restoration of the mortgage interest tax deduction for households wishing to acquire their first home, with specific criteria and ceilings regarding the square footage of the property, household income and the amount of the loan.

3. For a modern Social State on the side of the citizen

– Inclusion of all health in the heavy-unhealthy.

– A strong and unified Primary health care system under public supervision, with well-staffed Health Centers in each Municipality and family medicine services for all, arriving at home when needed.

-New health map, with an adequately staffed Hospital on each large island. Fully staffed Primary Care Unit for the smaller islands and connected to the nearest hospital.

– Reconstitution of the National Education Council.

-Increase in public spending on Education, so that it gradually reaches the average of the countries of the European Union.

-Establishment of the National Baccalaureate according to European standards.

– Foreign language and computer certification up to the 3rd year of high school.

-Support of full-day kindergarten and elementary school

-Priority in Vocational Education and Lifelong Learning with connection to the modern needs of the economy.

– Support of the Public University and real non-profit Universities that will be done with respect to the Constitution.

4. Measure-shield against accuracy

– Establishment of a Single Consumer Authority. A proposal that PASOK has already submitted, but the government has rejected in Parliament without any serious justification.

– Substantial control of high profit rates by the Competition Commission.

– Extraordinary reduction of VAT on basic food items

-Extraordinary taxation of the super profits of large companies, which take advantage of the lack of rules in the market, such as in the energy and banking sectors.

5. Effective protection of the income of the most vulnerable and middle classes

-Inflation of the tax scale to effectively protect any increases in income from inflation.

– Restoration of the National General Collective Labor Agreement and the determination of the minimum wage by the higher level organizations of workers and employers.

-Extension and universal validity of sectoral collective agreements.

– New EKAS for 350,000 low pensioners, abolition of the personal difference and reform of the solidarity contribution with its gradual reduction, so that the already anemic increases given every year are not lost for 600,000 pensioners.

6. New production model with a strong Primary Sector

– From the beginning, PASOK raised the crucial issue for the energy communities of Municipalities, farmers, breeders, processors and cooperatives, in order to drastically reduce energy costs.

We left lignite to go to renewable energy sources, not to be taken over by five big oligarchs, but to go to a sustainable, circular economy, where producers and local government will have priority connection conditions to produce and to consume their own energy.

– We need a National Plan for water resources management to deal with the ever-escalating water scarcity. With small dams and irrigation networks

– It is necessary to renegotiate the Strategic Plan of the Common Agricultural Policy and zero tolerance for illegal Greekization practices.

7. Practical support for Small and Medium Enterprises

-We have submitted and we insist on the proposed law, which we brought to the Parliament, on private debt and in particular on the regulation of the debts of businesses to the tax office and the EFKA in 120 installments, together with the establishment of incentives for those who are consistent.

-We support the creation of special financing channels from the Recovery Fund, exclusively for small and medium-sized enterprises, alongside the institutionalization of new financing tools, so that their informal exclusion from the domestic banking system will finally end.

8. Restoring trust in Institutions and Justice

The centralized model of power centered on the Megaron Maximus, dubbed the “staff state”, failed miserably.

Where there is centralization, it finds ground to develop opacity, the unconditional reign of power, a sense of omnipotence that does not count against institutional counterweights.

Indicative of the extent of the opacity is that 3 out of 4 State contracts are awarded directly.

The wiretapping scandal organized by the prime minister’s office is a gross violation of the rule of law.

For the Democratic Party, there can be no prosperity without a strong rule of law. PASOK will take the initiative in the upcoming constitutional review so that the selection of the leadership of the judiciary is not made by the government”.

For the issues of Thessaloniki

“Despite the opening of the Metro in the coming months, Thessaloniki continues to fall short in terms of infrastructure and transportation,” said Mr. Androulakis and continued:

“As PASOK, we consider it imperative for the city to acquire a public body based in Thessaloniki, far from the logic of the “small OASTH”, which will take over the city’s public transport as a whole and will design a new transport map that will include the Metro extensions in Western Thessaloniki and the Airport.

We promptly proposed the utilization of the coastal front from Kalochori to Angelochori, through a single body for planning, management and implementation, with the decisive participation of the local government.

The TIF is important to be utilized in order to create a metropolitan park with soft exhibition infrastructures.

While a coherent plan for the development of Western Thessaloniki cannot be absent from our planning, where population growth has been observed in recent years”.

Roadmap to turning the page

“What I have described to you constitutes a concrete road map for the much-desired page change, which the country needs. They are also the answer to those who are trying to keep Mr. Mitsotakis in power, shouting that there is no alternative policy in the country proposal and that Mr. Mitsotakis and the New Democracy is allegedly a one-way street”, said Mr. Androulakis at the end of his speech and noted: “It is the answer to those who have compromised that we cannot achieve more and that our country does not deserve that Greece will remain a country with low expectations for the few and the powerful .

The underprivileged, the struggling middle class, the young men and women of our country are thirsty for changes that will improve their lives.

After all, we come from them, for all of them we are ready to fight and clash.

Together with them we will change the page in the place.

Because, be sure that united and with struggle in every corner of the country, PASOK will be the next progressive government of the country. For a new creative course, for a fair society, for a strong Greece”.

Mr. Androulakis’ speech was also attended by the candidate presidents Pavlos Geroulanos, Anna Diamantopoulou and Nadia Giannakopoulou, with Nikos Androulakis stating that their presence sends a message of unity.

The president of TIF-Helexpo, Tasos Tzikas, addressed the event, who referred to this year’s event and the renovation project of the exhibition and conference space.

The event was opened by the secretary of the prefectural committee PASOK 1 of Thessaloniki, Evriviadis Eleftheriadis.