“The goal is PASOK’s victory — political change will not come without us,” said Nikos Androulakis in an interview on ANT1’s late-night programme Enopios Enopio (02.07.2026). The PASOK leader launched a sharp critique of the government’s handling of national issues, inflation, and the economy, reaffirming his party’s commitment to reinstating the 13th public-sector salary.
Foreign Policy and Strategic Infrastructure
Speaking amid renewed controversy over the Prime Minister’s recent remark about who would answer the phone at Maximos at 3 a.m., Androulakis stressed that what truly matters is “who effectively manages foreign policy.” He accused the government of backtracking on the Greece–Cyprus electricity interconnector — a sovereign priority long championed by Greece but abandoned, he claimed, by New Democracy.
“If the Prime Minister were sincere in pledging to move the project forward, he would also provide a precise timeline for its completion,” Androulakis said. He added that, as Prime Minister, he would have insisted on activating European solidarity for such a project of clear European interest.
Consensus Across Party Lines?
When asked whether he felt aligned with former ND Prime Ministers Antonis Samaras and Evangelos Averof-Karakasis (referred to in Greek media as Karanamanlis) in their criticism of Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ handling of national affairs, Androulakis responded: “If two former ND Prime Ministers agree with PASOK’s credible, structured critique, that shouldn’t concern me — it should concern ND voters.”
Defence and Domestic Industry
He reminded viewers that PASOK was the only party to support major defence procurement programmes: “We’re not populists — we want a strong, deterrent Greece. Others voted against them; we voted in favour. But does Greece actually produce? I acknowledge some recent steps, yet where was the domestic defence industry during the past seven years of ND rule — and before? The data show €14 billion in arms imports, with just 3.4% local content.”
A New Helsinki Agenda for Turkey
Androulakis outlined what he calls a “New Helsinki” approach toward Turkey — one that foregoes offering EU membership prospects but proposes upgrading the customs union under a framework of automated sanctions, triggered whenever Turkey threatens Greece’s sovereign rights.
Inflation and Supply Chain Oversight
On the cost-of-living crisis, he challenged the notion that price controls alone are enough: “If you only inspect prices on the shelf, will you get results? This winter, I submitted two invoices in Parliament — for lentils and beans — showing markups of eight- and fifteen-fold respectively from farm to shelf. So oversight must happen across the entire supply chain, not just at the final retail stage.”
He urged the government to disclose how much revenue it has collected from fines imposed on price gouging — while noting ironically that “prices keep rising, but fall like feathers.”