Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis opened his long-awaited meeting with representatives of the country’s farmers by framing the talks as a chance to move past weeks of friction and begin rebuilding trust.
“I don’t expect us to agree on everything,” Mitsotakis said earlier today, “but I do believe we can have an honest, constructive discussion that helps put an end to a period of intense tension.” He added that the government itself felt the meeting should have taken place earlier and said he hoped it would prove “truly productive.”
The talks, held at the Maximos Mansion brought together farmers, fishers, livestock breeders and beekeepers with senior government officials at a sensitive moment for Greece’s primary sector.
A Cautious Offer of Compromise
Striking a cautious but conciliatory tone, Mitsotakis acknowledged that many of the farmers’ demands are legitimate, while making clear that not all of them can be met.
“People want to move forward,” he said. “That means addressing reasonable requests, but it also means being honest about what is possible and what isn’t.”
He pointed to measures the government says it has already put in motion, including steps to reduce agricultural electricity costs and the return of excise duty refunds on fuels, which has been a long-standing demand from farmers that the government now says it is ready to implement. He also referred to targeted support for crop prices facing serious difficulties, funded through a reallocation of resources saved after transferring OPEKEPE -Greece’s beleaguered agricultural payments authority- to the tax agency AADE.
Details of how these measures will work in practice remain part of the discussion.
No Comments as Farmers Arrive for Talks
The farmers’ delegation, which is comprised by 31 representatives from 62 protest “blocks” arrived at the Maximos Mansion about an hour before the scheduled 1 p.m. start.
Some delegates were not expected to participate in the formal talks. None of the representatives spoke to reporters before entering the meeting.
Government: Substance Over Optics
Government officials stressed that the meeting is not a public-relations exercise but an attempt to address deeper, long-standing problems beyond immediate budgetary concerns. According to the government, the agenda includes structural issues that shape everyday life in rural Greece.
Officials said there is room for proposals on how to handle the issue of ATAK — a property identification code linked to agricultural land — as well as ideas for distributing savings generated by the new subsidy system.
Three Issues Dominating the Agenda
Just before entering the Maximos Mansion, farmers from the Malgara area in northern Greece outlined three core issues shaping the talks.
- Pending court cases
Farmers are demanding a resolution to outstanding legal cases stemming from both past protests and the most recent road blockades. They argue that ongoing prosecutions discourage further mobilization and add strain to an already pressured sector. - The EU–Mercosur trade deal
Strong opposition centers on the European Union’s trade agreement with the Mercosur bloc of South American countries. Farmers fear increased competition from imported products, which they say could undercut Greek production and threaten the viability of key parts of the agricultural economy. - Animal disease outbreaks
Livestock breeders are placing particular emphasis on outbreaks of animal pox, which have caused serious losses. They are calling for immediate and concrete decisions on vaccination, stressing that controlling the disease is critical both for their income and for the health and safety of production.
Together, these three issues form the backbone of the talks, with farmers seeking clear answers and tangible commitments from the government.
