From Rhodes’ central farmers’ market in the Agios Dimitrios area, Nikos Androulakis delivered sharp criticism of the government’s economic policies. Speaking today (27 June 2026) during his island tour, he argued that New Democracy’s policies consistently strengthen oligopolies and intermediaries — while pensioners, wage earners, middle-class families, and the most vulnerable Greeks remain the losers.
Androulakis met with local producers and farmers at the market, listening firsthand to their concerns about rising production costs, soaring prices, and mounting financial pressure on households.
‘Surplus’ Built on Hardship
“Under New Democracy’s policies, oligopolies and middlemen are always reinforced,” Androulakis stated. “The losers remain pensioners, salaried workers, the middle class, and Greece’s most vulnerable citizens. New Democracy has created what it calls a ‘budget surplus’ — and both Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Alexis Tsipras agree on this label.”
He continued: “But where does this so-called surplus actually come from? From a healthy productive base? From competitiveness? From resilient growth? No — it comes from high living costs and steep indirect taxation. In other words, everyday hardships — the soaring cost of living — are being converted into state revenue. And they call that a ‘surplus.’”
A Call for Policy Change
Androulakis concluded with a call for political change: “These daily struggles are not inevitable — they are the direct result of policy choices. We commit to introducing a single consumer authority to monitor pricing across every link of the supply chain; a strengthened Competition Commission to impose rules on an unregulated market; a reduction in the special consumption tax on fuels and energy; and targeted VAT cuts on essential goods.”
He announced he would immediately submit an urgent parliamentary question to the Prime Minister, demanding answers before Parliament — “so he can explain himself to the Greek people. For seven years now, he has acted as traffic warden for powerful economic interests — allowing dominant market players to reach deep into the pockets of ordinary Greeks, day after day.”