Mitsotakis says farmers’ problems need to be resolved
Protesting farmers are not a “front” the government has to face but their problems do need to be addressed, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said.
In his weekly review post on social media, the premier referred to several government initiatives, including measures to help the agricultural sector that he announced in parliament on Friday, developments in education and an increase in the minimum wage.
Referring to farmers in particular, Mitsotakis said he recognizes their concerns and said: “Since 2019, we have reduced taxation and insurance rates, provided incentives for further reduction of taxation in cooperatives, and activated the measure of reimbursing the special consumer fuel tax for 2022 and 2023.
“In addition, we reduced VAT in animal feed, fertilizers, and farming machinery, and absorbed the high increases in electricity prices, while the total compensation paid out by [farmers’ insurer] ELGA from 2019 to the present exceeds 1 billion euros.”
Referring to education, Mitsotakis said his priority is to support state universities. However, he said university professors are obliged and responsible to conduct examinations online in February if necessary, so that students do not miss a semester’s worth of examinations due to student occupations.
He said that by March 22 at the latest, the cabinet will present its proposal to raise monthly minimum wage to 950 euros before the end of his government’s four-year term.
