“There are moments when the force of nature and the intensity of weather conditions exceed all human planning and every operational capability,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis notes in his customary Sunday post reviewing the week, referring to the destructive wildfires, while stressing that support for those affected will be immediate.

The Prime Minister makes special mention of the three firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty, stating: “Three firefighters lost their lives in the line of duty. They gave the most precious thing they had to save their fellow citizens, property and forests. In their memory, we owe it to them to keep constantly strengthening the country’s capabilities against increasingly extreme natural phenomena.” He adds that “in wildfires, prevention saves lives. Our absolute priority remains, first, human life, then citizens’ property and our forest ecosystems.”

At the same time, Mr Mitsotakis also addresses migration, and specifically the situation that has developed in Ceuta, noting that illegal immigration remains one of the greatest challenges facing Europe.

Read the Prime Ministers’ full Sunday address here

Good morning to you all. I want to start with the first major wildfires of this summer. These have been extremely difficult days for our country, with extreme weather conditions and winds that reached as high as 10 on the Beaufort scale in many areas. These conditions have tested, and continue to test, the endurance of the Fire Service, Civil Protection, local government, and citizens themselves. And we must be honest with one another. In recent years we have invested more than ever before in strengthening Civil Protection, acquiring more aerial and ground assets, making use of new technologies, hiring staff and better organising the state mechanism. But there are moments when the force of nature and the intensity of weather conditions exceed all human planning and every operational capability. When winds blow with such intensity, even the dozens of aerial firefighting assets at our disposal cannot operate safely. On several occasions in recent days, neither water collection nor water drops were possible, as extreme turbulence made flights too dangerous, meaning the burden of the fight fell almost entirely on those on the front line.

I therefore want to express my boundless gratitude to the women and men of the Fire Service, to the volunteers, to Civil Protection personnel, to the Security Forces, to the Armed Forces, to municipal and regional employees, and to everyone who is once again fighting a battle that often goes beyond the limits of human endurance. Sadly, this battle also came at a heavy cost. Three firefighters lost their lives in the line of duty. They gave the most precious thing they had to save their fellow citizens, property and forests. We owe these people our deepest solidarity. And in their memory, we owe it to them to keep constantly strengthening the country’s capabilities against increasingly extreme natural phenomena.

Fire service and state relief teams will be by the side of our fellow citizens who suffered damage to their property, so that registration and identification can proceed swiftly and state support can be provided. And let us remember that, when it comes to wildfires, prevention saves lives. This remains our absolute priority: to protect human life first, then citizens’ property, then our valuable forest ecosystems. We will continue to serve this goal with all our strength.

At the same time, the images we have seen these past few days in Ceuta, Spain, remind us that migration remains one of the greatest challenges facing Europe. Greece knows very well what it means to be on the front line. That is why, since 2019, we have consistently applied a strict but fair migration policy, which today largely reflects the shared European direction: effective guarding of land and sea borders, faster returns for those not entitled to international protection, and decisive action against any attempt to weaponise migration flows. We proved this in Evros in 2020, when we repelled an organised hybrid attack on our borders, and again in the summer of 2025, when we took difficult but necessary decisions to protect the country. The results of this policy are now measurable.

The European Commission is positively assessing Greece’s readiness to implement the Migration and Asylum Pact; sea arrivals in the first seven months of 2026 are down by more than 35% compared with last year, while forced returns have risen by 40%. Perhaps the most telling figure of all: from around 51,000 people staying on the islands in 2019, today just 3,197 are being hosted, with organised facilities operating at only 22% of capacity. The contrast with 2015, when more than 900,000 irregular migrants passed through our country, is even more striking. We are neither complacent nor celebrating. We continue with the same seriousness, because protecting our borders is at the same time protecting Europe’s borders, and is a precondition for a migration policy that combines security with respect for international law.

Turning to this week’s developments, I’ll start with two measures that provide practical support for workers and adapt the employment framework to the real conditions of the labour market. The first concerns thousands of workers in catering, tourism and other sectors where tipping is customary. As a reminder, our government was the first to introduce tax-free status for tips paid via POS terminals, up to €300 a month. We are now taking this a step further: raising the threshold to €6,000 a year and calculating it on an annual, rather than monthly, basis. This change is fairer from a tax standpoint, since tax is calculated on annual income, in the same way as the income tax scale itself. It also reflects the reality faced by many workers, particularly young people, who may work seasonally or hold more than one job within the same year.

In the same spirit of adapting to the real needs of everyday life, we are also supporting working mothers, correcting cases where some of them had until now been left outside special maternity leave and benefits. Under the new arrangement, mothers with parallel or seasonal employment, adoptive mothers, and women who worked as freelancers before becoming salaried employees will now be covered. In addition, for those working part-time, any additional hours worked will also be taken into account.

Changing topic, I turn to Health, where this week we had an important initiative supporting doctors and nurses serving on our islands. We have reached an agreement with the non-profit organisation Airbnb.org, which will provide free accommodation for the next two months to National Healthcare System professionals on five Greek islands: Santorini, Paros, Ios, Rhodes and Tinos. This provides an immediate solution to the acute housing problem facing our staff at the peak of the tourist season, easing pressure on healthcare facilities in areas where visitor numbers multiply demand.

Alongside these emergency measures, however, we continue to invest in our permanent infrastructure. During my visit to Leros, I had the opportunity to see first-hand the substantial upgrade of the island’s hospital unit. Thanks to Recovery Fund resources, the Emergency Department, four inpatient units, the operating theatres, the Radiology Laboratory and the 10-bed Artificial Kidney Unit have all been fully renovated.

People and infrastructure are the two key pillars of the effort to build a better NHS. But there is a third: listening to patients themselves. That is why, a year ago, we launched the Digital Patient Experience Assessment Tool in 114 hospitals and 706 clinics across the country, which has now collected more than 75,000 completed questionnaires. The results show an average satisfaction score of 4.09 out of 5, with trust in staff exceeding 85%. These figures do not mean there are no problems, or that the effort stops here. On the contrary, they help us identify where improvements are needed. The assessment is now being extended to paediatric and oncology patients. The first messages have already begun going out since Thursday, while for children under 16, the questionnaire is completed by a parent or guardian.

Moving on to news from northern Greece, starting with Thessaloniki and the tendering of the regeneration project for the site hosting the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF-HELEXPO). As I mentioned in last year’s review almost exactly a year ago, we are proceeding with a revised regeneration plan for the TIF site that respects public opinion. The new plan provides for more green space and open areas, a large 120-acre metropolitan park, as well as a modern exhibition and conference centre. Works will proceed in stages so that the TIF can continue operating as normal, and are expected to be completed within 2030.

A little further east, in Alexandroupoli, two very important projects for the port have been completed: its deepening and its road connection to the new Ring Road. To explain: the deepening means the port can now accommodate larger ships and greater cargo volumes, while the new road connection links directly to the Egnatia Odos motorway, without adding to traffic through the city itself. In simple terms: better access, faster transport, and a port that is becoming even more significant for trade and energy across South-Eastern Europe and the Balkans.

Equally important, however, is how these projects were delivered. Our decision in 2021 to set up, literally from scratch, the PPF mechanism — which matures and tenders complex, time-demanding projects of strategic importance — proved decisive. The contribution of this unit of the National Development Fund has been, and remains, crucial to the success of all the major initiatives that strengthen public safety and upgrade services for citizens. From the “AEGIS” programme, to the upgrading of Health Centres and Hospitals, to the 1566 helpline, the “Antinero” flood-prevention programme, port upgrades, and the “Changing Appliance” scheme, this mechanism has proven its worth in practice. That is why it now stands as a permanent legacy for accelerating public works and services.

Since today is the 2nd of August and summer travel is reaching its peak, it’s worth pausing briefly on road safety. Although fatal road accidents fell by 31% in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period in 2019, and by almost 12% compared with last year, this is no cause for complacency. In the coming days, the 388 cameras across the Attica Region will become fully operational, while over the next six months 1,000 artificial intelligence cameras will be installed, along with a further 250 on buses. But no matter how many cameras are installed, road safety ultimately depends mainly on each of our own behaviour. This is also the message behind the new campaign by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, “I Will Live!”, as well as the initiative by ODYSSEAS, in collaboration with the Association of Greek Tourist Car Rental Companies and the Panhellenic Federation of Car and Motorbike Rental Offices. Let’s drive without excessive speed, without mobile phones or alcohol, and always with seatbelts and helmets.

There was also plenty of cultural news this week. I’ll start with the Ancient Agora, where upgrade works worth around €3 million have been completed. Wear-and-tear issues were addressed, new visitor routes were created, and ramps and a special lift were installed to make the site accessible to people with disabilities. In addition, the entrance from Adrianou Street was upgraded, and a modern ticket office, weather-protection shelters, seating areas and new LED lighting were installed.

Interventions like these show, in practice, what it truly means to protect and showcase our cultural heritage. And on that note, I want to clarify something regarding the Ministry of Culture’s new legislative initiative to establish a public limited company, exclusively of public character and public interest, named Hellenic Heritage. Our ancient treasures are not being “sold off”!!!! Nor is our cultural heritage being privatised. The mission of this new organisation, a subsidiary of ODAP, is to protect and showcase Greek monuments even more effectively, with specific responsibilities such as improving accessibility for people with disabilities, upgrading each monument’s essential infrastructure (refreshment areas, gift shops, toilets, security, etc.), promotional activities, and the collection and transfer to the State of ticket revenues. To be absolutely clear: all ticket revenue will be handed over to the State and returned to culture. I encourage you to visit https://www.hh.gr/en/ to see the genuinely well-organised work being done.

Of course, cultural heritage is not just about our monuments. It is also our language. The new Board of Directors of the Centre for the Greek Language will coordinate the new national strategy for teaching and promoting Greek abroad, drawing on Greek community schools, the diaspora and university departments of Greek studies. Interest is already strong and growing steadily. The number of candidates for the Certificate of Attainment in Greek reached 13,184 this year, up from just 3,692 in 2020, and just 2,504 even in the year following the Athens Olympic Games. I also read that, thanks to Christopher Nolan’s epic film “The Odyssey”, there has been a notable surge in interest in learning Greek and in ancient Greek literature. This long, unbroken continuity of the Greek language is captured in Elytis’s line, “My only concern, my language, on Homer’s shores.” A few days ago, I had the opportunity to congratulate the award-winning British director of “The Odyssey” for the tremendous international exposure his film has brought our country. There is no doubt the film has once again placed Greece and “The Odyssey” at the centre of global attention.

Another significant honour for our country came from UNESCO (shortly after last Sunday’s review), which unanimously decided to add Mount Olympus to the World Heritage List. Following Zagori and the Minoan Palatial Centres of Crete, this unique piece of our natural and cultural heritage becomes the 21st Greek site to join the World Heritage List, gaining the international recognition and protection it deserves. Greece now ranks among the top five European Union countries in terms of the number of UNESCO sites it holds.

Today’s is our last review before the summer break. For a few Sundays we won’t have our usual appointment, but work will continue as normal throughout August. Until we speak again, I wish you all some time to rest and be with your loved ones. To those of you travelling, safe journeys. And one last request: please take great care with fires. Conditions remain difficult, and one careless moment is enough to cause enormous damage. Have a wonderful time, and let’s all enjoy a calm rest of the summer.