Announcements by the Prime Minister at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) this coming Saturday will include measures along three main axes and will concern society as a whole, Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis said.

Specifically, in an interview with ERTnews, he said that initiatives would be announced to address the effects of the cost-of-living crisis, as well as measures for small and medium-sized businesses and self-employed professionals, pensioners, and families with children.

“This,” Kostis Hatzidakis stressed, “is a growth dividend aimed at everyone. It is a dividend resulting from the government’s policies, which place emphasis on growth and curbing tax evasion. This generates a surplus that will be distributed in accordance with European fiscal rules, as has also happened in previous years.”

The Deputy Prime Minister explained that some of the initiatives to be announced on Saturday will be implemented within the year, while others will take effect from January 1 or during 2027.

For example, the reduction in tax rates for self-employed professionals that was announced last year applies to 2026 income and will be reflected in taxpayers’ finances in spring 2027, when their tax returns are processed.

“There are also other measures that are not as predictable and will form the core of the Prime Minister’s announcements. Most of them will be implemented during the year or from January 1,” Kostis Hatzidakis added.

At the same time, the Deputy Prime Minister said that, given that this year’s TIF is the last one before the elections, the Prime Minister would also speak with a four-year horizon about the economy, social policy, foreign policy and defense, as well as institutional initiatives concerning constitutional reform.

“This is the difference between us and the other parties: we say less, but what we commit to will constitute a new Truth Agreement,” he stressed.

Referring to criticism from some quarters regarding the government’s foreign and defense policy, Kostis Hatzidakis said:

“This government is not distinguished by the shouting and turmoil it creates in the domestic political arena. It conducts foreign policy responsibly and seriously, but with tangible results.

“And those results can be seen in many different initiatives, such as: the delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) after decades of negotiations with Italy and Egypt, which also establishes a precedent for the wider region; the military cooperation agreement, twice over, with France; the upgrading of our relations with the United States, which are at their highest level ever; the agreements with major American companies for hydrocarbon exploration south of Crete and west of the Ionian Sea; the fact that Alexandroupoli is becoming an entry point for American liquefied natural gas; maritime spatial planning; ecological parks in the Aegean; the agreement between ADMIE and a major French company to proceed with the cable connecting Greece with Cyprus; and, of course, the strengthening of our Armed Forces with Rafale fighter jets, Belharra frigates, and American F-35s, which will begin arriving from 2028.

“Such developments over a seven-year period are rarely seen in Greece. And it is truly unfair for the government’s record to be questioned — not, of course, its patriotism, because we are all equally patriotic — but the record of its foreign and defense policy.”

Kostis Hatzidakis concluded:

“New Democracy was and remains a broad political party, as its founder, Konstantinos Karamanlis, envisioned it. And just as it did with Evangelos Averoff, who came from the Liberal Party, Konstantinos Tsatsos, and later Konstantinos Mitsotakis and Thanasis Kanellopoulos, this is how we have always moved forward, and this is also how Kyriakos Mitsotakis has proceeded.

“As we approach the elections, the government’s policies are being laid out. After TIF, there will be further initiatives, reform measures, and the completion of additional projects.

“We will present our program, and the citizens will compare. They will look not only at the work carried out by New Democracy, but also at the leader of each party — how capable they are of standing up for Greece both domestically and abroad — as well as the teams and proposals each party has.

“And they will decide.

“Our ambition is to seek a vote based on realistic hope and prospects. We want to be a party of continuous national renewal.

“Yes, we are the party that can guarantee stability and security. But we are also interested in making a continuous effort so that Greece keeps moving higher and higher,” he stressed in closing.