The Prime Minister gives the usual review of the work of the government over the past week. Kyriakos Mitsotakis by posting it on a page in a social network.

“Good morning. Palm Sunday today, one of the most important Sundays in Orthodoxy, the beginning of Holy Week and Divine Drama. But before Holy Week begins, let me tell you about what I have chosen from the big and small events that happened last week .

Starting with our schools. On Thursday, I visited the 7th Primary School of Agia Anargyro, where one of the 36,000 interactive whiteboards has already been installed, which will be installed in all departments of the 5th and 6th Elementary, Middle and High Schools across the country. This is another project of the Greece 2.0 National Plan funded by the Recovery Fund with a total budget of 150 million euros. With interactive whiteboards, the lesson becomes more attractive, lively, and the interaction of students with the educational material is enhanced. Of course, a special training program is planned for our teachers so that they can make the most of the opportunities that this new tool gives them.

I will stay in education. Last December, I personally commissioned the students of Tripoli Standard High School to open a Standard High School in my city. We doing this. At the same time, we are creating 17 new Standard and Experimental Schools, and all but one – in Agia Varvara – will be outside of Attica (Chios, Amaliada, Ierapetra, Chania, Evosmos, Kastoria and Larissa). They will be in effect in 2024, and with their help we will reach 138 out of 60 received,” the Prime Minister said.

He then refers to the increase in OPECA disability benefits, speaking of “the last symbolic but also important act of our parliamentary term.”

As he explains, the move is corrective, “because although disability pensions have increased, these benefits have not yet increased. Thus, they will increase by 8%, which will increase the income of 200,000 of our fellow citizens.”

The program “Housing and Work for the Homeless”, which aims to reintegrate the homeless into work and community life and has been nominated for a pan-European award for policy innovation, is another issue addressed by the Prime Minister in his review.

As he emphasizes, “It is very touching to see the recognition of action towards social cohesion and our commitment to leaving no one behind.”

He also adds: “Perhaps you have not heard that a procedure was introduced this week to reward the performance of civil servants. We must not forget that there are many capable and deserving public servants providing quality services, and we must recognize them. We also need to highlight them so that they become the norm. After all, social valuation is not a punitive process, as some fear, but a new culture that “links” goals with rewarding those who achieve them and further education for those who don’t. At the first stage, the incentive and remuneration system will concern civil servants who have worked on the implementation of the goals of the Annual Action Plans of the ministries, as well as those who have worked on the implementation of the projects of the National Plan “Greece 2.0”. This action will be evaluated in such a way that it can be gradually extended to other sectors of the public sector.”

Inductively, Kyriakos Mitsotakis adds at this point: “Of course, I know that when we talk about the state, many people think of bureaucracy. And it’s not unfair. But I hope that in these four years you have had at least one experience that has become much easier and easier with digitization. We have worked hard these four years to fight the bureaucracy, and we have won several battles in this war. The next thing to be implemented concerns the simplification of the transfer of real estate by limiting the procedures and transactions in the DOW. The transfer of ownership is no longer an odyssey, which means saving time and money for the parties involved.”

His next report will be about the new stadium of Panathinaikos. As he says: “If anything can be described as an odyssey, it is the story of the new Panathinaikos stadium. After 20 years of incredible setbacks, the dream of hundreds of thousands of Green friends is finally coming true. On Thursday, preliminary work began on the construction of a site in Botanikos, on which a new modern stadium of PJSC PJSC of international standard for 40,000 seats will be built.

And at the same time, the whole territory, which has been bleeding so far, will develop, acquire infrastructure, engineering networks, and common green spaces. This is a major urban intervention, doubly important because it also includes the redevelopment of Alexandra Avenue. All projects with a total budget of 123 million euros will be financed by the Recovery and Resilience Fund and the public investment program. I’ve made no secret of my footballing preferences, but that doesn’t diminish my joy that a historic, award-winning Greek team is finally getting the home it deserves.”

And he adds: “Speaking of Athens, I want to focus on the work of historical cinemas in the center, a topic that worries all of us in recent days and concerns the physiognomy and identity of the capital.

I have applied to the competent Ministry of Environment and Energy to formally recognize the Central Board of Architecture as a historically protected and mandatory cinema along with other cultural, recreational and tourism uses in the two buildings that house Ideal and Astor so that the investment highlights the uniqueness of the attractions and their role in the life of the city, as well as in our personal memories. We can have a harmonious coexistence of the private investments needed for a vibrant urban center, while preserving the historical, architectural and cultural memory, respecting the daily habits of residents and harmonizing with modern trends. Culture is the driving force behind development and social cohesion in our cities. And that’s what we serve as a government.”

The prime minister then refers to the “impressive transformation” that he says he had the opportunity to see up close during his recent visit to Ioannina to launch the Epirus 2030 development agenda with more than 380 projects totaling 2.7 billion euros.

“I’m talking about Dodoni’s once-bankrupt state-owned industry, which has blossomed and grown over the past 10 years. It has doubled its annual turnover to 150 million euros, with 50% of its turnover coming from exports, which now deliver their high quality products to more countries. It offers jobs to 500 people – it is the largest employer in Epirus – and supports, among other things, more than 1,500 small producers, helping to stimulate the local economy and development.

Dodoni is a model of healthy and innovative entrepreneurship that we want to have and will support as a state, removing bureaucratic obstacles and creating a stable pro-investment environment.

Being able to say that sheep and goat breeding is the most important livestock sector in Greece, and in the last 4 years it has seen a significant increase in milk and feta production by 11%, producer prices by 33%. up to 56%, but also in exports. PDO Greek feta is one of our country’s main agri-food export products and a key symbolic product of our Motherland, which is adored by our visitors. Feta exports amounted to 605 million euros in 2022 compared to 388 million euros in 2019!

In closing, Mr Mitsotakis also refers to the start of the tourist season this year, which he says “if the data we have so far is confirmed, it will be even better than last year’s excellent year.” We had record revenues in 2022, but also a 10 percent increase in per capita spending from €564 in 2019 to €619 in 2022. This means that we are now attracting higher quality tourism, which is spending more money in our country.

We have managed to extend the tourist season and now our priority is to protect the environment by protecting our destinations, especially some of the iconic destinations that are currently under a lot of pressure. We will soon announce our measures, as well as measures to address the shortage of labor, which of course is associated with a fair demand for higher wages and better working conditions. Because I will not tire of repeating: everyone should have success dividends from the development of our tourism product.”

The Prime Minister concludes his account with a reminder that “the two new Baskets we have created, Easter and Godmother, which offer lower prices so that all our fellow citizens have the opportunity to celebrate these days, are valid until Holy Saturday.

Hope you found something interesting in this post. Election debates may have been publicized and partisan squabbles may have been in the spotlight, but we must continue to work for the good of the citizens until the last day. So thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to read this report,” he concludes.