Greece's Cabinet met on Monday under Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, marking the end of the summer recess and the start of preparations for the coming pre-election months, with the government's centerpiece event being the prime minister's address at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) in September.
The meeting focused chiefly on closing out the Recovery Fund file. The government had originally planned to hold the Cabinet session on August 31, but decided to bring it forward by a week because the deadline for the Recovery Fund expires at the end of the month, and officials wanted a few days in hand to correct any errors and supply any extra information the European Union's relevant services might request.
The prime minister's team asked all ministries to submit their progress reports by Monday. Minister of State Akis Skertsos and Deputy Minister of National Economy and Finance Nikos Papathanasis were due to present the full completion report on the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, known as "Greece 2.0."
TIF Package of Measures
The package of measures Mitsotakis is expected to announce from Thessaloniki is set to be finalized this week. Its outline has been ready since late August, though some final details remain to be settled. The Maximos Mansion, the prime minister's office, has asked every ministry and lawmaker for proposals to be assessed for possible inclusion in the TIF package.
The proposals also feed into the ruling New Democracy party's broader political narrative as it seeks a third consecutive four-year term, under a program called "Agenda 2030" that a special team led by the deputy prime minister is preparing.
Some of the measures look ahead to early 2027, while others span the full four-year term. They are designed to win back social groups that backed New Democracy by wide margins in previous elections but now appear dissatisfied, including self-employed professionals, small and medium-sized business owners, pensioners, farmers and working-age voters. Mitsotakis' associates believe the government will have met its goal if it manages to persuade half of those who, since the 2023 European elections, describe themselves as undecided or say they will not vote for the party.
Tours in Northern Greece
Alongside the work on the measures, plans are in their final stages for a tour of Northern Greece by nearly the entire Cabinet, both before and after the prime minister's appearance at TIF. New Democracy is also finalizing its candidate lists, which Mitsotakis has asked to be completed, with few exceptions, by the end of September so that new candidates can begin campaigning.
Mitsotakis is due to travel to Thessaloniki twice. The first visit comes this Thursday, August 27, for the traditional round of meetings with representatives of Northern Greece, which will include an extensive presentation of projects completed or under way in the region. Several ministers, members of parliament and party officials are expected to join him and then tour electoral districts seen as difficult for New Democracy, aiming to rally traditional party voters who have been drifting toward parties to the right of the center-right, including some who view favorably the new party that former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is in the process of founding.
Cabinet Agenda
Skertsos and Papathanasis were set to present the completion report on the "Greece 2.0" National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
Education, Religious Affairs and Sports Minister Sofia Zacharaki was scheduled to brief the Cabinet on preparations for the start of the new school and academic year and on innovations to be introduced.
Development Minister Takis Theodorikakos was due to update ministers on the implementation of the National Social Agreement aimed at reducing prices.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State Kostis Hatzidakis, together with Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister Thanassis Kontogeorgis, planned to present the government's territorial cohesion priorities as well as initiatives tied to the Government Committee for Insularity and the Special Secretariat for Mountainous Areas.
Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou and Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni were set to introduce the new Special Spatial Framework for tourism.
Papastavrou, along with Deputy Environment and Energy Minister Nikos Tsafos and Deputy Minister Maria-Eleni Soukouli-Vilriali, was also due to present a new Special Spatial Framework for renewable energy sources.
Deputy Minister of National Economy and Finance Nikos Papathanasis was scheduled to present a bill on the management and strengthening of development programs.
