Govt signals fiscal constraints ahead of meeting with farmers, mobilizations continue

Farmers continue their mobilizations ahead of Tuesday’s meeting with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, as state-run broadcaster ERT reported on Sunday. The government reiterated its support measures for farmers and expressed openness to productive dialogue without tensions, despite indicating that fiscal margins for benefits are running out.

In his weekly social media update on Sunday, the prime minister stated, “We are open to dialogue, with open roads,” while government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis, in an interview on SKAI TV on Saturday morning, left open the possibility of an earlier reinstatement of the special consumption tax on agricultural diesel, amounting to 82 million euros.

Despite signaling fiscal constraints on benefits, the government is reviewing the farmers’ letter outlining their demands. Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister, Thanasis Kontogeorgis, stated in an interview published on ethnos.gr on Sunday, “The country’s economy is improving, which is why we can provide this package of measures to support farmers. However, resources are not limitless, and the government’s goal is the fair distribution of resources to ensure social cohesion. Nevertheless, we are open to productive dialogue without tensions, and this will be reflected in the prime minister’s meeting with representatives of the agricultural sector in Athens on Tuesday.”

Meanwhile, the opposition fiercely criticizes the government’s agricultural policy, describing the support offered to farmers as meager.

Main opposition party SYRIZA President Stefanos Kassalakis continues his tour in Thessaly, and on Sunday will be in Volos, where he is expected to visit agricultural blockades.