Mitsotakis: We will not let excessive energy increases go to the consumer

A message of unity and solidarity on the occasion of the 51st anniversary of the uprising was sent by the Prime Minister during his established Sunday review. At the same time, focus on the issues of the ESA and accuracy. As Kyriakos Mitsotakis says in his post, “the Polytechnic taught us: unity and solidarity towards the common enemy. Then was dictatorship, today the rapid changes on our planet, the great and parallel crises that shake the sense of security of societies.” The prime minister spoke extensively of government health initiatives, focusing on the functioning of free afternoon surgeries and the institutionalisation of physician staff, as well as on investments of 650m euros to upgrade the structures of the NRA. At the same time, it announced measures to strengthen the employment of disabled people, as well as new initiatives to combat violence with perpetrators and victims of minors, such as the operation of the Safe Youth App. In his post, Mr Mitsotakis also mentioned measures against accuracy, stressing that the goal is by the end of the month to have joined the list of reduced prices on the supermarket shelves at least 600 codes. He also sent the message that “there is no way to let excessive increases in energy pass to the consumer.” In closing, the Prime Minister paid tribute to the great poet Michael Ganas, who recently left life, highlighting the value of cultural heritage in collective memory and identity. More specifically, Mr Mitsotakis’ suspension is as follows: “ Good morning, everyone. Today’s review coincides with the honorary events for the 51st anniversary of the Polytechnic uprising, an important page of our modern history and a catalyst for its evolution. The November of ’73, through the constant renewal of the demand for ‘Fish-Children-Freedom’, continues to inspire us and urge us to fight for a Greece even more modern and powerful. A Greece that grows for the benefit of all its citizens. The Republic has taken root and progressed as ever over the last fifty years, overcoming harsh trials, with the more recent over-ten years of economic crisis. However, today it faces new challenges such as artificial intelligence and climate crisis. Challenges that widen old and create new inequalities around the world, making more imperative the reasonable demand of societies to protect their rights and faster satisfying their needs by their governments. But the more complex the problems are, the more understanding the political forces need for the necessary solutions. This is what the Polytechnic taught: unity and solidarity towards the common enemy. Then it was dictatorship, today the rapid changes on our planet, the major and parallel crises that shake the sense of security of societies. The minimum common denominator of our pursuits – despite our individual differences – is to implement policies that leave no one behind. That is why we are working, and that is something that comes from today’s review which I am immediately going through, starting with the public health sector. We said it and we do it. From November 28, free afternoon surgeries start, with resources from the Recovery Fund. These are a total of 37,000 interventions without any burden on our fellow citizens, with the priority given to those who waited longer to enter surgery. The aim, through parallel digitization and central monitoring of the list of surgeries, is until 2026 not to delay more than 4 months in any NSS surgery. Key to strengthening Primary Health Care and upgrading of the NSS is the bill to reform the institution of the Personal Doctor passed this week in the House. Our goal is for every citizen to have his own Personal Doctor, who will take care of his health as a whole, from prevention to referral to other doctors, to inform and monitor the patient’s digital file, which we will soon all have. We also establish the Personal Pediatrician, where 530,000 children will first have free access. For the first time, financial incentives (40,000 euros of one-off gross earnings) are also given to young doctors who will choose within 2025 to train in the specialties of General/Family Medicine or Internal Pathology, i.e. the specialties that “strain” the Personal Doctor. I would like to mention here that in the previous two years we have been able to register about 5 million citizens in this institution. But 44% of the insured didn’t join the system and that’s because we don’t have qualified doctors who can serve as Personal Doctors. That is exactly what we are going to overthrow with the financial incentives we give. Finally, it is also important to establish 8 University Health Centers, one in each Medical School or Department of the country, where they will serve IEP members. Telemedicine Stations will operate in these centres, while 3,500 points will be created at home throughout the country. So, regardless of where one lives, one will have access to health services. Upgrading health structures with 650m euros from the Recovery Fund, increasing staff (in the last 5 years 30,000 doctors, nurses and administrators have been hired) and a steady improvement in wages (last year increased by 10%) complement our plan to build the new NSI. It is a work in progress, the results of which will become visible day by day. We do not celebrate or ignore the problems that still exist, but the reality is that yes, we try. And we will continue to try, even if this work is underestimated or even zeroed by the opposition and even by the party claiming the paternity of the NRA. The NRA doesn’t change with words, it changes with actions. As I mentioned in a previous review, the Personal Doctor’s bill had been incorporated and the Ministry of Labour’s regulation for insured persons entitled to a basic pension due to a disability from a common disease and who will now receive it without having to discontinue their employment, as needed until now. The regulation will have retroactive effect, from 1/1/2024, which means that those who have applied for retirement from the beginning of the year and have been rejected because they had not ceased their employment, will be able, by re-applying within six months of the publication of the law, to be re-examined with the new scheme. Our aim is to give incentives for employment to disabled people and to remove any obstacle that keeps them away from the labour market. I will continue with another policy that has a social character – neither right, left, nor centre – and concerns our children and measures against violence with perpetrators and victims of minors. The Safe Youth app was put on Monday, a digital app that teenagers can download to their mobile phone to call police faster when they are in danger outside the school unit. How does it work? With the Emergency button, which is constantly on the screen of the registered minor. Press the button once and turn it on and with the second click you choose from a list of 4 incidents the type of risk. You don’t have to call or talk. There is a system of geolocation and priority by the police to intervene quickly. But safety begins with prevention. So together with the Safe Youth app, we developed the platform www.safeyuth.gov.gr, where children and parents can learn what is abusive behavior and what is not, when you become a victim and when a perpetrator, but also what a culture of security and responsibility in teenage and adult life means. The new prevention tool was implemented with the assistance of the Vodafone Foundation, which we thank, in collaboration with the Ministry of Citizen Protection and the Greek Police. It is an initiative added to the other actions we have developed in recent years, such as the panic button for domestic abuse, stop-bullying.gov.gr for reporting incidents bullying within schools and safehouses to protect vulnerable citizens from the threat of violence. I’m not saying they’re gonna make the problem go away. But I believe that they are important steps that give substantial solutions and answers to the crucial issue of the increasing violence that concerns us all. Only this year EL.A. has made 19,000 arrests of abusers (from 60 to 80 arrests every day) for cases of domestic violence that are treated as priority. Last year, in the corresponding period, it was about 8,000. Thousands of Panic Button have been given to women, with the application being used several times and the Police intervening directly. Within a week, police officers across the country responded to 666 calls to the Direct Action Call Center and was granted 113 women the Panic Button app. 4 victims were transferred to structures with vehicles of the Greek Police and 14 victims to a coroner or hospital. Is that enough? Nope. The new womanicide in Agrinio has saddened us all and has shown us in the harshest way that, despite measures, evil can happen. Any such loss is a tragedy that cannot be accepted. We’re not complacent. Any possibility of improving the protection network will be exploited. And a life to be saved is very important. I change the subject and go to the matter of accuracy that continues to strain the family budgets of many households. Although in the last six months food inflation has been below 1% – below the EU average – and, in particular, in supermarkets we have negative inflation between 1 and 2%, we do not stop intervention for even lower prices. The supermarkets – responding to the Ministry of Development’s suggestion – announced a new list of 523 other products with reduced prices from 5% to 24%. Objective, by the end of the month, to include at least 600 codes on the list. At the same time, the fines for unfair profitability have doubled, and we will extend the arrangements to deal with misleading discounts, which the Ministry is discussing with market people. Last Thursday the Ministry of Development presented another reform combining the simplification of administrative procedures for the establishment of businesses by digitising all necessary steps. The Open Business digital platform is an idea that started 10 years ago and went through many waves and intermediate systems until it was completed. Open Business brings all the processes into a central information system, releasing valuable time for entrepreneurs to reduce the bureaucracy that troubles them and focus on what really matters: Production, extroversion and innovation. In fact, innovation is what characterizes the new platform, as the new system, among other things, supports interoperability with many other digital systems of public bodies, such as Taxisnet, e-paravolo, GEMI etc. In addition to supporting notifications and approvals, it will also be possible to download the documents needed to authorise an activity. This is a great facility for every businessman, but also a key element that makes it easy for the administration to carry out checks. In addition, it incorporates an expanded reporting system, to which management bodies will have access, collecting statistics and information on policy exercise and entrepreneurship support. The new platform will be operational within December and concerns 57 economic activities, and is also extended to new ones, corresponding to around 2,390 CARs. For the administration’s part, 850 bodies (Municipalities, Regional Units, Public bodies, etc.) have already joined the system and others are expected, and 2,500 individual users of the Administration have already been trained to use the system. Since I referred to platforms that are in operation, let me say that the AADE platform for heating allowance 2024-2025 has been opened. The first tranche of EUR 150 million, equivalent to 55% of the allowance, will be paid on 23 December. At the end of May, the remaining 45% amounting to 120m euros will be given after the weather data from the 12,000 points in which the country has been separated. This year, the heating allowance is increased by 20% for those using electricity for heating. In addition, we increased the maximum amount of aid from EUR 1,000 to EUR 1,200 for low-temperature residents, with emphasis on the most mountainous regions. The allowance ranges from EUR 100 as a minimum amount, with a maximum of EUR 800 per household. At this point, I would like to assure you that there is no way to let the excessive increases in wholesale electricity prices which have been observed again in south-east Europe because of the failures of the Single Energy Market go to the consumer. I would remind you that at the initiative of Greece, which was supported by Romania and Bulgaria, the problem of these unacceptable malfunctions, which are essentially due to the lack of links between Central Europe and Southeast Europe, was formally raised to the President of the European Commission. I know that it is not easy to make the necessary institutional interventions quickly, but a permanent mechanism is needed that will not allow excess revenue to be paid to consumers and businesses. Next Friday a delegation from the European Commission will come to Athens to discuss the matter with the urgency of the matter, which I also highlighted at the Baku Climate Conference. With this United Nations Climate Change Conference I will continue. It was an opportunity to take stock of what we have achieved and to think again how to move forward. I had the opportunity to present to the Conference first of all our country’s progress and commitment to energy transition, a sector that we are pioneers as Greece notes the greatest carbon dioxide reduction in all of Europe. To move on, we need to put this transition on more solid ground. The challenge is how we can achieve ‘greening’ while reducing the cost of transition and improving the competitiveness of our economy, so that citizens and businesses can withstand it. The dilemma concerns all of Europe. Will we follow a course that is taking very fast and leads to a reduction in our competitiveness or a course that is developing somewhat slower, but does it allow industry to adapt and prosper? I believe that Europe must re-focus on the internal energy market and invest in networks which, as the Draghi report stresses, are a European public good. There is no internal market without a massive expansion of the capacity to transport electricity to Europe. And a Greek “time” in Baku. In a special debate 112 was presented as a good international practice that proved in many cases natural disasters to save lives. I explained, however, that in order for it to function effectively, it is necessary to build trust relations with local bodies and civil protection services. I live in international matters a little. On the occasion of the outcome of the American elections and the commercial policy that President Trump intends to implement, the debate on the “opposition” Europe has to unfold in the fields of defence, energy and digital innovation, if it wants to remain a calculated economic force internationally and a major geopolitical player, was revived. The AI Factory initiative is moving in the right direction and I am pleased that Greece is one of the first countries to formally run for participation in this major project to make our continent a global leader in the supercomputer sector. The benefits of this initiative are multiple and concern many areas: from medicine, meteorology, cybersecurity to the protection of critical infrastructure and industry. All this is also translated into many, well-paid jobs in cutting-edge fields. Artificial intelligence is already the key to the global economic competition. We must as a country not just adapt, but see how we can make a productivity leap by integrating artificial intelligence more quickly and more effectively into many policy areas. Soon we will present the conclusion from the special committee we set up for artificial intelligence with proposals for the digital future of Greece. In closing, I want to mention Michael Ganas who left a few days ago from life, having conquered a prominent place in the pantheon of our great modern poets. I say good-bye to him with some of his own lyrics from the great trust he left us: “This light does not diminish from Homer’s weather and as an archangel dances on the wave the curly.” It was indeed a great review and I hope I didn’t tire you too much. Thank you very much for your time, I wish you good Sunday and good week!”.