Μake us preferred on Google Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Monday that consumers will see further price reductions starting Sept. 1, as he highlighted efforts to tackle inflation and lower the cost of essential goods.
Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, Mitsotakis described inflation as the biggest issue affecting Greek households. He said prices for basic foods, including cooking oil, fruit and vegetables, are already lower this month than in July.
He also pointed to the National Price Reduction Agreement, which will take effect Sept. 1, along with initiatives by businesses targeting school supplies.
Recovery Fund enters final phase
The prime minister also discussed the completion of Greece’s Recovery and Resilience Facility program on Aug. 31.
He recalled that in July 2020, Greece secured the European Union’s largest Recovery Fund package as a share of GDP, totaling €36 billion in loans and grants.
According to Mitsotakis, the use of the funds helped increase Greece’s GDP relative to the European average, significantly boosted investment at a time when investment was declining in many other countries, and accelerated major reforms.
Projects and reforms supported by the Recovery Fund include the digitization of the public sector, completion of the national cadaster, renewable energy interventions in the energy market, electric buses, preventive medical examinations and the Thessaloniki Metro.
The prime minister also noted that the extension of the Thessaloniki Metro to Kalamaria is scheduled to be inaugurated Thursday.
Of the program’s 136 reform milestones, only two remain to be completed, Mitsotakis said. He also said Greece will receive its first new Canadair firefighting aircraft in 2028.
Economic roadmap to 2030
Mitsotakis said the government will present its economic policy priorities for 2027 at the Thessaloniki International Fair, along with the country’s economic roadmap through 2030.
He described 2030 as a milestone year, marking 200 years since the establishment of the modern Greek state, and said the goal is for Greece to become stronger, more productive and better prepared to confront the challenges of an increasingly turbulent era.
Government points to falling public debt
Mitsotakis also highlighted the reduction of Greece’s public debt, describing it as an important legacy for younger generations and referring to the sharp increase in debt that began in the early 1980s.
He said the government is reducing the debt steadily and at such a pace that Greece will soon no longer be Europe’s most indebted country.
The prime minister also criticized opposition parties for turning what he described as a major national achievement into an issue of political competition.
He pointed to Greece’s borrowing costs, saying the country is now borrowing more cheaply than France and Italy.
Mitsotakis sends message to Turkey
Mitsotakis also addressed Greece’s relations with Turkey, saying Athens wants good relations with its neighbor while reiterating its position on maritime boundaries and sovereignty.
He said Turkish reactions would not affect the government’s planning for special spatial plans covering renewable energy and tourism, stressing that areas under Greek sovereignty are determined by international law.
“We want good relations with our neighbors,” Mitsotakis said. “We do not discuss anything beyond the delimitation of the continental shelf and EEZ in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean.”
He added that Greece is ready to defend its sovereign rights whenever necessary.
