Speaking at a citizen gathering in Megara the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakishe stressed that he chose to visit the area to honor the commitment he had made in 2022 when he had gone to the Health Center finding that he was in a problematic situation.

“President, thank you very much. Have a good day, girlfriends and friends, colleagues in government, in parliament, New Democracy friends and friends,

I am with you today, because I felt the need to come to Megara to honor a commitment I had given you in 2022, the last time I visited you, when I had gone to see the Health Center, which, as you have known, has long been in a problem.

Today I visited it again and I’m glad I can tell you that we said it and we did it. We told you that we will deliver you a modern health center, which I visited today, a project funded with resources of the recovery fund.

Only one of the 160 health centers that are rebuilt throughout the country, proof that for us the support of the National Health System in Primary Care, Secondary Care, but also in preventive examinations, is a top priority.

And I would say that this work, so important to Megara, is the best proof of the way I understand the relationships of trust we need to build with citizens.

I also wanted to be in Megara to tell you once again a very big thank you. The president said, we exceeded 50% in the 2023 elections, here in the Municipality of Megara.

And why did that happen? It was because on the one hand, our citizens rewarded the results of the first four years, for all that we did. But it was already because the citizens trusted that what we told you in 2023 will do so and that’s why we are fighting every day, “the prime minister said.

She then emphasized that as the government approaches half of its term “it is worth taking a brief overview to what we said in 2023 that we would do and what we have done less than two years since you trusted us.

Remember that when I was talking in 2023, I had proposed – and I fully justified – the issues of the economy, the first priority of our programming. And I had told you then that our concern for the second four years would be first and foremost to continue the policy of increasing wages and supporting citizens’ disposable income.

And indeed, I had told you then that the minimum wage would reach 950 euros. And we are already pleased with the 650 euros that the minimum wage has gone to 880 euros.

And the average salary in the country for our full -time fellow citizens has exceeded 1,400 euros.

But you will tell me, “good, but we also have precision problem.” Of course, but the only way to deal with accuracy, which in recent months, at least in food, seems a bit stabilized, is to have a steady policy of wage increasing, reducing pensions, supporting income and new jobs.

The best social policy, girlfriends and friends is to deal with unemployment. In 2019 unemployment was at 17.5%, now falling below 9%.

Yesterday I found myself in Peristeri, in a very beautiful action by the Public Employment Service. Over 200 companies were there, offering 6,000 jobs to young people who went there, interviewed on the spot and some left this action with a job. These are the policies that have a substantial response to the citizens.

And before I went to Peristeri, I stopped in a coffee. A new girl who was two years ago unemployed was funded by an EPA program of 15,000 euros, opened a very nice little coffee and today she has hired three people, and from where she was unemployed today she became an employer.

This is the best proof of the success of our policy. We know very well that we still have a lot of work in front of us. We know very well that in order to cover the lost ground with Europe, to correct the bad texts of a deep crisis that has injured us, we must work hard.

And I say this because we are in May 2025, and we must not forget that at such a time, remember, ten years ago, it is not so far away, ten years ago the tragic negotiation that the government had made, with our closed banks, with the referendum, was so far ago.

I say this, why? Because we must not forget that the voices of populism are always cracked. It is very easy you know in politics to promise that you will solve everything. In a magical way you will increase wages, pensions, correct all bad texts.

In practice, however, politics proves to be a very difficult exercise. And if we have shown something, it is that we emphasize the result and that we are interested in being consistent with what we have told you.

That we know how to manage crises, that we can deservedly represent the country abroad, that we can strengthen the armed forces of our country in a meaningful and effective way, not in words. Not in words, with works.

You may have seen – I found it very moving – that the first state -of -the -art frigate Belharra, “Kimonas”, started and is doing the first offshore tests. I was watching the photos as I was coming and it was indeed a time of excitement for me, because I remember, in 2021-2022, when we made bold decisions then to reinforce the armed forces, we made these decisions, watch out, long before Europe decides to deal with it.

Today everyone is talking about the need for a common European defense. We, however, having our own particular sensitivities, have dealt with and invested in our defense long before many Europeans, so that those who are now ordering others, we already receive, because we were ahead of our time in this issue, and because we were able to persuade Europe.

The same is true in the health sector, which I talked to you before. Because for me health is a very big personal bet. I had proposed it, remember, ’23 as the first government priority. The upgrading of 160 Health Centers, more than 80 sections of emergency in our hospitals.

I found myself a few days ago – I am talking to you with specific examples, because I think you understand them better – a few days ago in “Evangelism”, where we are testing an innovative patient monitoring system once it enters a emergency department. We call it a “bracelet” – the term is not good, the “wristband” refers to others – but it is a sticker essentially, which they put you in your hand and through your cellphone at any time you can know how much time you will need to go to the next exam. The whole process is monitored. In this way, doctors know and monitor the patient’s process in the course of the emergencies.

There are major changes that are made in our health and are made throughout the country, along with the recruitment of medical staff. Your Health Center had 35 workers, today it has 48 and two more general doctors are announced. These are the changes that make the big difference in your life.

And since we are talking about health, I would like to remind you that the Ministry of Health is called the Ministry of Health and not a “illness ministry”. Ministry of Health. What does health mean? It means that we have to prevent and remain healthy before we get sick.

Of course we have to take care of the sick, but what can we do to prevent the disease? I’ll tell you what we can do. The “Prevent” program, all of you, I imagine, have somehow received some SMS for some kind of preventive examination. Well, 2.5 million of our fellow citizens have done preventive exams. More than 40,000 breast cancers have only been identified by the “Fofi Gennimata” program.

Cardiovascular disease. I was talking the other day with a fellow citizen, who tells me: “I got a colon cancer test, I did it, there was a diagnosis, I did the additional exam, I operated and now I found something and I will live, from where this might be one.”

This means making a precautionary health policy, not waiting for the patient to get to the hospital to treat him. What can we do today to be healthy tomorrow, in a year, in five years. That is why a encouragement: When you receive such messages, because you will get enough, do not ignore them. A preventive examination is, but it can save you life.

These, then, are just a few examples of all that we do on a daily basis to honor the trust of the citizens. This 50% you gave us here in Megara, 40% and something that citizens have given us all over the country is very important to me.

Every morning I wake up, every night I sleep, with only one concern: How to honor this confidence, along with all colleagues. You are lucky enough to have three excellent MPs, who are fighting for the issues of West Attica. And they are permanently coming with requests, with justified expectations, which must be met. From the Health Center to the new indoor gym, 10 million we have come out to build a new indoor gym in a city identified with sports.

And, you know, because we have a lot of issues now with youth, I see the young kids constantly “stuck” on a phone, problems that have to do with mental health, the best investment, the first investment we need to do if we want to keep our children and our adolescents healthy, is in sports. Be on the stadiums and not “stuck” on the mobile screen.

And other important projects: the suburban railway, which will come to Megara, a very important interconnection project, funded by the recovery fund.

So, I close, again saying that what distinguishes the real progressive, effective politicians from those who want to speak in great words and simply present a picture of Greece that does not exist. You see it, too, the country is progressing, it has its difficulties, we never hid them, but it goes in the right direction.

So our difference is who speaks with projects and who is limited to easy words. We are satisfied because every day we can deliver a new project, a new initiative.

And be confident and confident, because time goes by quickly, the elections will take place in 2027. You know, many times they tell me, “Well you’ve got to the street, you talk to the world, you tours.” I say: But I have always done this, since 2019, whoever knows me, I didn’t expect the elections to get close to the citizens.

Because time passes quickly and these two years will pass, and you quickly know that in 2027 Greek citizens will again trust one force that can guarantee stability and progress in the country. And this is none other than the New Democracy. Thank you very much, be well and welcome to the new health center. Thank you very much, “the prime minister said in closing.