Referring to the arson attacks against members of New Democracy yesterday in Thessaloniki, the government spokesperson, Pavlos Marinakis, opened his remarks at today’s briefing of political correspondents.

Mr. Marinakis described it as “a cowardly act by extreme expressions of violence that operate under the guise of a supposed ideology.”

He continued in the same tone: “Let some reflect on how much harm they have caused over the years by choosing to label as so-called ‘interventions’ the attacks on people’s homes, offices, and property, in whatever form these attacks may take each time.”

Full introductory statement of the government spokesperson:

“Yesterday we witnessed an extreme coordinated murderous attack against three members of New Democracy in Thessaloniki, which resulted in the death of Vagia Nestora, the mother of Afroditi Nestora, who was one of the targets of this attack, along with the president of the New Democracy Executive Committee in Thessaloniki, Zisis Ioakimidis, and former MP for Thessaloniki B, Savvas Anastasiadis.

Once again, we express sincere condolences to the family of Vagia Nestora.

This terrorist act was a cowardly action by extreme exponents of violence who operate under the guise of a supposed ideology against three people simply because they do not agree with their ideology.

We have full confidence in the authorities. We believe that the investigations will soon bear fruit and that both the physical and moral perpetrators will be identified and brought before justice to be judged in the strictest and fairest manner. The message we send is clear: Terrorism will not win! No one will be intimidated!

However, I feel the need to say something else.

As important as it is for the masks to come off, it is just as important for the masks to fall away.

Let some reflect on how much harm they have caused by choosing, over the years, to label as supposed ‘interventions’ the attacks on homes, offices, and property of people, in whatever form these attacks may take each time.

Those who label occupations of spaces inside and outside universities as ‘activism’, often rushing to provide a political umbrella of protection to all kinds of criminals.

Those who, when occupations were turned into libraries, were on the side of crowbars.

Let them reflect on the consequences of their initiatives, those who reduced penalties for Molotov cocktails, on the grounds that, as has been chillingly said, their danger depends on which side someone is on, and who oppose any tightening of the Criminal Code.

Those who attack, in every way, men and women of the Hellenic Police when they are doing their job, protecting every citizen with self-sacrifice, and who seek to find fault in a police operation aimed at protecting us from all kinds of rioters.

The state, regardless of parties, for many years tolerated such behaviours, especially from one extreme. It allowed universities to remain under occupation for decades, turning them into hubs for criminals. It tolerated large cities being burned so as not to disturb those extremists with batons. Society demands the enforcement of the law in the strictest and fairest manner. We must bow our heads with respect to the many victims of murderous attacks and continue to enforce the law everywhere: in public buildings, streets, neighbourhoods, universities. Without exceptions and without fear.

From the floor of Parliament earlier, the Minister of Labour, Niki Kerameus Niki Kerameus, announced that in the immediate coming period a legislative initiative will be introduced whereby:

• The reduction of widows’ pensions after three years, provided for in the Katrougalos Law, will be permanently abolished for all pensioners who received widow’s pensions after that law.
• All widows’ pensioners after the Katrougalos Law will be exempt from repaying retroactive amounts where this reduction has not yet been applied.
• It is provided that two national pensions will continue to be paid in cases such as widow’s pensions, where the accumulation of two national pensions arises from different entitlements.

Agricultural subsidies reached €1.126 billion, exceeding the target of €1.060 billion.

At the same time, cases of irregularities in the collection of agricultural subsidies are being investigated by the Financial Crime Unit of the Hellenic Police and the Greek judiciary:

• 2,900 cases are under investigation.
• 70 prosecutorial orders for preliminary examinations have been issued.
• Estimated damage amounts to €69 million.
• Five criminal organisations have been dismantled and 1,151 prosecutions have been brought.

The guiding principles of the agricultural subsidy system are now legality, fairness, and protection of genuine beneficiaries.

The first and largest payment of a one-off financial allowance to families with children has been completed, amounting to €150 per child.

The benefit is received by 948,000 beneficiaries for more than 1.5 million children, with the total amount approaching €220 million.

It is noted that for children born between 1 January 2025 and 31 July 2026, the payment will be made by 31 August 2026.

Eligible recipients are parents of dependent children who are tax residents of Greece and have a total family income of up to €40,000 for married couples or civil partners, increased by €5,000 for each additional dependent child beyond the first, and up to €39,000 for single-parent families, also increased by €5,000 for each additional dependent child beyond the first.

IRIS is a true success story of the Greek digital economy.

• Today, more than 4.6 million citizens use it for instant money transfers between individuals, an increase of 760,000 compared to one year ago.
• In addition, 600,000 freelancers and sole proprietorships can now receive instant payments via mobile phone and tax ID.
• In 2025, the value of transactions through IRIS reached €10.9 billion, an increase of 70% compared to 2024.

“The public and businesses recognize in practice the advantages of instant payments: transactions with no fees for the citizen, very low cost for professionals, and speed and simplicity that meet the needs of the modern economy,” said the Minister of National Economy and Finance and Eurogroup president Kyriakos Pierrakakis Kyriakos Pierrakakis.

The submission of online applications for student housing allowance for the academic year 2025–2026 has begun and applications can be submitted until Friday 31 July.

In recent years, funding for the programme has increased significantly and the allowance itself has been strengthened. Initiatives such as this, the development of new student residences, and the renovation of existing ones demonstrate that the State is systematically investing in public higher education.

The Unified Surgical Waiting List, now implemented in all NHS hospitals, ensures transparent and fair scheduling of operations based on medical, social, and time criteria. At the same time, Afternoon Surgeries have significantly increased the surgical capacity of the system.

In particular, in 2025 more than 522,000 surgical operations were performed, the highest number in recent years, with the average waiting time reduced to five weeks.

Through the free afternoon surgery programme, 26,845 operations were carried out, of which 10,790 concerned cases waiting more than four months and 16,055 cases waiting more than eight months.

It is worth noting that the number of patients waiting for elective surgery of more than four months, which previously exceeded 90,000, has now been reduced to around 7,000. All waiting lists for 2025 have been cleared, and surgeries scheduled for 2026 are already being carried out.

The National Health System is changing and becoming faster and more reliable for citizens.