The most important government priority amid the current climate of international uncertainty is addressing the cost of living, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed in his weekly review.

“The most important immediate government priority in a period of major international uncertainty and upheaval, however, is addressing the cost of living, primarily by reducing energy costs, with an emphasis on heating oil, but also in the medium term by increasing disposable income, through further tax relief and higher average nominal wages,” Mr Mitsotakis stressed. The Prime Minister’s weekly review in full:

Good morning. This week I was in New York and San Francisco, in two very different parts of America, but with the same feeling: that we are living in a world more uncertain and more demanding than ever. With wars continuing, geopolitical balances changing, new pressures on energy and migration, as well as technological developments, such as artificial intelligence, advancing at great speed. All these things may seem distant. They are not. They affect the country’s security, the economy, the cost of energy, jobs and opportunities for young people. That is why Greece must be present where these discussions are taking place. With clear positions, alliances and a plan.

This was also the main message of our presence at the UN. At a time when rules and international agreements are being tested, Greece remains committed to International Law, multilateralism and dialogue. As a member of the Security Council, whose Presidency we are assuming in October, but also as a country located at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, we want to be a bridge and not part of the problem. This means dialogue with everyone, without compromising our positions, which remain firm. With Turkey, it is necessary to keep channels of communication open and engage in dialogue on the basis of International Law and good-neighbourly relations. After all, geography condemns us to live next to one another. I reiterated during my address to the UN General Assembly that the only institutional framework for resolving our dispute is International Law. Meaningful dialogue, however, cannot coexist with unilateral actions that violate international law.

In New York, I met with more than 30 institutional investors with exposure to Greece and the largest Greek companies, whose total assets under management exceed $4.5 trillion. I reiterated that prudent fiscal policy, which forms the basis for achieving primary surpluses and allows debt to be rapidly reduced, is our priority. The most important immediate government priority in a period of major international uncertainty and upheaval, however, is addressing the cost of living, primarily by reducing energy costs, with an emphasis on heating oil, but also in the medium term by increasing disposable income, through further tax relief and higher average nominal wages.

There is, however, another issue which, in my view, will determine our future to a far greater extent than we have yet realised: artificial intelligence. In San Francisco, we met people who are at the forefront of this technological revolution. And here there is a very important lesson from history. When nuclear energy emerged, humanity realised that it was not enough to know how a new technology worked. Rules, institutions, oversight and international cooperation are needed to manage both its enormous potential and its risks. The same question is now being raised about artificial intelligence, perhaps with even greater urgency. When even the creators themselves of the most advanced models acknowledge that we do not fully understand how they operate and improve themselves, the idea that self-regulation is sufficient is not convincing.

We therefore need regulation. Not to stop innovation, but to make it safe and useful for people. And we need a state that understands technology well enough neither to fear change nor to become hostage to those developing it. This is also the major challenge for Greece: to harness AI in the economy, public administration, healthcare and productivity, without allowing technology to evolve without limits and without accountability. From New York to San Francisco, the conclusion was ultimately one: a country’s power today is not measured solely by its size. It is measured by its ability to build alliances, defend its positions through rules and arguments, and participate early in the major changes of the era. This is exactly what we want Greece to be: a country that builds bridges rather than stirs up trouble. A country that is present, reliable and useful in managing the major challenges of tomorrow.

The fact that I was in America does not mean, however, that things did not happen here. So, opening the topics of the review, I will start with the payment of the double rent refund to teachers and healthcare workers serving in the regions, which began the day before yesterday, Friday, retroactively from the 2024 tax year. It is the first of the new support measures I announced at the Thessaloniki International Fair to be implemented. A useful reminder for the other beneficiaries of the rent refund as well: until Wednesday, 30 September, you can correct any errors or omissions in your E1 tax return in order to receive the refund of one month’s rent.

In the same area, that of protecting housing, the important change to the out-of-court debt settlement mechanism that we had announced was activated last Monday, so that debtors can now request a separate arrangement for their primary residence, consenting to the liquidation of their other properties. Let me give an example: a debtor owes a total of €300,000 and has a primary residence worth €150,000. At the same time, they also have other properties with a total value of €50,000. With the new option, they can request that their primary residence be protected separately and agree to the liquidation of the rest of their property. In practice, therefore, the arrangement for their home will not be calculated on the basis of the total €300,000, but on the basis of the value of the primary residence, namely €150,000, and of course their income capacity. This can result in a lower monthly instalment, greater debt write-off and an arrangement lasting up to 35 years. I believe that in this way we are giving hundreds of thousands of borrowers a stable second chance to restructure their debts sustainably, without the fear of losing their homes. A solution that combines social sensitivity with the realistic settlement of debts.

We have spoken before about the expansion of the Digital Work Card. This week, however, the next practical step was taken: the explanatory circular for its implementation in the new sectors I told you about in June was issued, following a pilot period and dialogue with representatives of employees and employers. Full implementation will take place in two phases: from 12 October for private healthcare, telecommunications, hair salons, beauty centres, dry cleaners and cleaning services, and from 16 November for consultancy services, advertising, repairs, logistics, water and sewage and gambling. Overall, around 500,000 additional workers will be covered, bringing the total number to approximately 2.5 million.

I now come to three of our initiatives that form part of our broader effort to strengthen decentralisation by offering incentives for relocation to the regions. The first initiative concerns employment. We are preparing a new subsidised employment programme for businesses that will hire workers living in mountainous and remote areas. The programme provides for remote work, with a subsidy covering 90% of wages and social security contributions for 12 months. In simple terms, a person will be able to work for a business located elsewhere without having to leave their home area. And the business will have a strong incentive to retain them after the subsidy ends. The second initiative concerns vocational education. A new DYPA “Hotel Enterprises” specialisation is being created in Karpenisi, with 25 places for 2026–2027 and an apprenticeship allowance of up to €588 per month. This is an option that links training to a real need in the area: mountain tourism. Young people can learn a profession that can keep them in their local area and support local businesses. And the third concerns areas with a severe demographic problem, where the Relocation Programme, which began as a pilot in Evros and which we have spoken about before, is now being extended to seven municipalities in the Regional Unit of Ioannina and to the municipalities of Souli and Filiates in Thesprotia. It provides, let me remind you, financial support of up to €10,000 for people and families who choose to settle there permanently. At the same time, in October, the application platform is expected to open for the eight Regional Units already included in the planning: Kastoria, Kilkis, Serres, Florina, Pella, Drama, Kozani and Grevena.

Autumn may have arrived, but tourism activity continues and everything indicates that the year will end on a very positive note. Already in the first seven months, from January to July, tourism revenue increased by 12% compared with last year, reaching €13.5 billion, while the number of foreign visitors also increased by 8.6%, despite the uncertainty caused by the situation in the Middle East. The objective, however, is not only for tourism as a whole to perform well, but for the benefits to reach more areas, particularly those affected by major natural disasters. So, in this spirit, on Thursday we opened the platform for the Thessaly-Evros Pass 2026. A total of 7,500 digital cards worth €200 are provided for selected destinations in Thessaly, and 1,400 cards worth €250 for selected destinations in Evros.

A more everyday, but by no means insignificant, change also concerns the Land Registry. Through metavoles.ktimatologio.gr, applications for the correction of boundaries, area and other geometric details can now be submitted electronically for cases covered by the platform. It was the last procedure of the Hellenic Land Registry that required physical presence. It may sound like a technical matter, but on the contrary, it is a very significant convenience for citizens. It means that a property owner no longer needs to take time off work, travel and go to a Land Registry Office to correct a boundary or the area of their property on the cadastral map. They can connect electronically, assign the required technical procedure to their engineer, submit the supporting documents, monitor the progress of their case and, where provided for, lodge an objection or appeal. The citizen does not go to the state; rather, the public administration becomes more accessible to the citizen regardless of where they live. After all, we have achieved this with so many other services.

On migration, the accommodation facility for asylum seekers in Thermopylae is now ceasing operations, as no one remains at the facilities and very soon the site will be handed back to the local community. I should also point out that this year migrant and refugee flows are significantly lower – by around 34% – compared with 2025. At the same time, in the first half of 2026, forced returns and deportations of irregular migrants to their countries of origin increased by up to 40% compared with last year, while the asylum recognition rate in the first eight months of 2026 stood at 37%, compared with 72% in 2024 and 58% in 2025. Our government’s “motto” on migration is “a strict but fair policy”. That is why we are an example in Europe in managing the issue.

I will close with a piece of news that takes us out of the timeframe of the week’s current affairs for a moment and takes us back to the deeper time of our history. Fifteen antiquities that were illegally removed from Greece are returning from the United States of America. Some will once again be reunited with finds from the same excavation at the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. With this return, the number of antiquities repatriated since 2022 through decisions by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has reached 179. Behind every such return lies persistent effort and, I will never tire of saying, congratulations are due to the people at the Ministry of Culture and to everyone who contributed. Every antiquity that is repatriated is an important victory, and the greatest one yet. In any case, since we are talking about our culture, today, as part of the European Heritage Days, admission to the public archaeological sites, museums and monuments managed by the Ministry of Culture is free. So, if there is a museum or site you keep saying you will visit, perhaps today, Sunday, is the right time.

Have a good Sunday, everyone!