Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is presiding over a full day of political developments on Monday, June 30, beginning with the swearing-in of newly appointed government members at 10am at the Presidential Mansion, before President of the Republic Constantine Tassoulas.

At 12pm, the Prime Minister is chairing a cabinet meeting at the Maximos Mansion, with a wide-ranging agenda covering environmental policy, artificial intelligence, labour reform, aviation restructuring, and public broadcasting.

Key presentations during the cabinet meeting include:

  • New European Programmes on environment, growth, daily life, and social cohesion by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State Kostis Hatzidakis and Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou.
  • National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence by Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou.
  • “Fair Work for All” Labour Bill by Labour Minister Niki Kerameus and Deputy Labour Minister Kostas Karagounis.
  • Civil Aviation Authority Reorganisation Bill by Infrastructure and Transport Minister Christos Dimas.
  • Public Radio Enhancement Bill by Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister and government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis.

The cabinet meeting follows Prime Minister Mitsotakis’ strongly worded weekly address on Sunday, in which he tackled the escalating controversy surrounding OPEKEPE, the Greek authority for the disbursement of EU agricultural subsidies under the Common Agricultural Policy.

Mitsotakis acknowledged systemic failures, stating: “The chronic weaknesses of OPEKEPE enabled clientelist behaviour expressed as favours. Unfortunately, including by our own party. Significant efforts for a clean-up were made but, let us be honest: we failed.”

He condemned past practices, asserting that political behaviours reminiscent of vote trading have no place in a modern European democracy. “We cannot tolerate practices that are reminiscent, or appear to be reminiscent, of transactions for a few votes,” he said.

The government plans to abolish OPEKEPE and transfer its responsibilities to the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE). The prime minister stressed that anyone who received EU funds improperly will be required to return them.

Mitsotakis also addressed international developments, noting Greece’s role in NATO’s decision to increase defence spending over the next decade. Greece remains one of the few countries consistently spending above the 2 per cent GDP defence target, even during the economic crisis.

On the European front, he highlighted Greece’s diplomatic achievements at the recent EU Council, including the reiteration that the Turkish-Libyan memorandum is “illegal and null and void”, and the need for increased cooperation with Libya to manage migration flows and counter trafficking networks.

*With AMNA