Tight, targeted spending, with a 2027 horizon

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had a message for the crowd of eager listeners to his speech at the Thessaloniki International Fair: He did not come with a bag containing gifts.

Mitsotakis emphasized he did not want to compromise the country's recovery from its long, painful financial crisis by straying from the European Union's post-pandemic fiscal rules, which seek to keep spending growth under control.

But he did announce a number of programs, from subsidies to tax cuts, designed to help private and public sector employees, seeking to retain young farmers and tackling housing shortages and the country's low birthrate.

In 2025, with limited opportunities for extra spending due to EU rules and defense spending commitments, pensions will rise 2-2.5% and the minimum wage, too, to €830 per month. The goal is to have the latter rise to €950 by April 2027, he...