The Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis gave a comprehensive interview to the prime-time news program of Star Channel and journalist Mara Zacharea.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis addressed all current issues and the farmers’ demonstrations culminating on Tuesday with their large gathering Syntagma Square.

The Prime Minister was initially asked about the high market prices and noted that “the measures taken have brought us to a point where the worst is behind us. The structural approach to inflation involves increasing wages and available income. I don’t want to anticipate the preoccupy the Cabinet, nor the process of determining the minimum wage, but I will reiterate what the Finance Minister said, the minimum will be above 800 euros”.

Regarding the fines on companies he stated that “fines are significant, but the damage is to the reputation of companies that violate the law. There cannot be significant differences in the selling prices of products of the same quantity. Within the EU they must be sold at roughly the same prices. We will be relentless in imposing fines”.

Regarding the farmers’ protest at Syntagma Square, the Greek PM stated, “if we were to strictly adhere to the law, agricultural tractors should not be allowed on highways. However, I understand why our farmers want to conduct a coordinated demonstration. If so many others are demonstrating in the center of Athens, why shouldn’t our farmers have the same right? This will happen in coordination with the Police, and I ask the farmers to maintain an open channel of communication with them. The prerequisite is always not to significantly disrupt city traffic and to avoid any form of violence and extremism. The mobilizations so far have been reasonable and I believe that the disruption of transportation and economic life was limited. The government has responded to many requests from farmers, recognizing that they are justified. There is a commitment to provide a permanent solution to the issue of the Special Consumption Tax on heating oil by 2025, in consultation with the farmers. This means a fair permanent return of the tax”.

Regarding non-state universities, he said that “Five-sixths of the articles of the draft law concern the public university and its reinforcement. We will not have universities that simply grant a degree. A degree that anyone can obtain from abroad and have professional rights in Greece. It is my firm belief that competition can only benefit the public university, provided that it is not just an opportunistic venture but rather serious investments in tertiary education that can transform the country into a regional education hub capable of attracting students from abroad, and this applies to public universities as well”.