MASOUTIS-THEODORIKAKOS:Tempers flared at the Supermarket Association, the ESE, over the… surprise meeting that took place the day before yesterday between the new president,Yannis Masoutis, and Development MinisterTakis Theodorikakos, as the column was informed by its sources.
Because, as it turns out, the association’s leadershipwas unawareof this meeting until the minister revealed it, in order to get under the skin of the former president and current vice president,Aristotelis Panteliadis.
The latter, we recall, had publicly complained a few days ago about Theodorikakos’s treatment of him, saying characteristically:“We have cut off contact with the minister; he doesn’t want us.”
So Theodorikakos—an old PASOK hand, after all—came out swinging to refute him, saying he has a meeting scheduled for the next day with Masoutis and that Panteliadis is“out of touch with reality.”
According to our reliable sources, Yannis Masoutis appearedapologetic, arguing before members of the administration that the meeting he had arranged with the minister was“private”(!) and simply… turned into an“institutional”and public one.
Blaming, for the most part, the minister for the sudden change in its nature.
MASOUTIS-THEODORIKAKOS II:Nevertheless, according to the same sources, these explanations have not dispelled theconcernsthat have recently arisen within the ESE regarding the new president’s behavior.
We have learned that there have been clear remarks that other members of the administrationmustalso attend such high-level meetings. However, the concern appears to be broader. And it was likely not resolved by the explanations.
The infamous… meeting seems to be the sour cherry on top that has heightened skepticism among ESE members regardingthe closeness ofYannis Masoutis’s relationship with the government—and regarding certain aspects that create the impression that this “sympathy” is mutual, to the point of…misunderstanding.
Partly due to the repeated references bythe prime ministerand other government members, especially to Masoutis, and partly due to his direct involvement in the sudden and dramatic replacement of the then-president of the Central Union of Chambers, Yannis Hatzitheodosiou—an episode that has not been forgotten despite the passing years—have put… a spanner in the works for the rest.
This has now created a climate of simmering tension,which could very well escalate intoa crisis.
The new president should probablypay attentionto this…
KARISTIAOU: A change of course for the party, which, contrary to its previous positions, now declares itself open to post-election collaborations.
A close associate of Maria of Tempi and a member of “Hope for Democracy, ” journalist Thanasis Avgerinos, in a radio interview (Parapolitika FM), when asked if the party could form a post-election coalition and co-govern with another party, replied:
“The national interest comes before our own lives; it is a principle I also share. This means that everything will depend on how this movement positions itself and what strength the Greek people give it, so that it can defend national interests.
That is the crux of the matter. It is obvious that nothing is ruled out; the Greek people are sovereign; they decide; they will show all of us—new and old parties alike—the path we must follow,” she noted.
It should be recalled that Ms. Karistianou, immediately following the event in Thessaloniki last week to present her party, stated in a statement that “we cannot cooperate with other parties because they have all essentially contributed to the country’s decline.”
If nothing else, an interesting shift in position.
MITSOTAKIS: Kyriakos Mitsotakis will be in Chania starting today and through the Holy Spirit holiday.
The prime minister will attend a memorial service on Sunday in memory of his father, Konstantinos Mitsotakis, who passed away nine years ago, while today he will participate in a discussion as part of the conference “Investing in Change: How Crete Is Transforming,” organized by The Economist in collaboration with powergame.gr.
Yesterday, the mood at the Maximos Mansion was upbeat, thanks to the positive developments in Giorgos Mylonakis’s health. The Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister returned to Greece from a rehabilitation center in Germany, where he had been receiving treatment recently, following the cerebral aneurysm he suffered in mid-April.
His condition has improved significantly, and the Prime Minister’s office is hopeful that he will be back with them soon.
GEORGIAIDIS: Does the Health Minister know something, or is he simply trying to stir up debate by expressing his doubts about the legality of the name used by Alexis Tsipras’s party?
“I am not at all certain that the name ‘ELAS’ will pass muster with the Supreme Court. There are specific provisions and presidential decrees that prohibit the establishment of a party whose name refers to national symbols and is identified with the homeland, the flag, etc.," he stated in an interview (on SKAI).
Regardless, he described the name as “horrific” and argued that “for one segment of society, it evokes the civil war, while for younger people it is more reminiscent of the Greek Police.”
Whether one agrees or disagrees, however, the mere buzz surrounding the new party’s name shows that, in terms of communication, the former prime minister’s goal has been achieved.
TSIPRAS: In response to the above concerns, however, it is telling that the former prime minister was accompanied to the Supreme Court by a former member of the court, Maria Lepenioti.
This is because it is believed that a former vice president of the Supreme Court could not have failed to identify the aforementioned “incompatibility”.
In fact, she was among the first to sign the founding declaration.
Ms. Lepenioti (ed. note: she has since retired) became known throughout Greece as the presiding judge in the Golden Dawn trial, which resulted in the conviction of the group as a criminal organization.
Why did she accompany Mr. Tsipras at the founding ceremony of the new party? Because “it underscores what I have said, that democracy without justice degenerates, and we must fight with democracy and justice as our banner, ” said the former prime minister.
JUSTICE: Six senior judges from China visited the Athens Court of Appeals and were briefed on the Greek judicial system and international crime. The Chinese delegation then observed a criminal trial for homicide from the public gallery at the Mixed Jury Court of Appeals, expressing keen interest in the proceedings.
This visit concluded a series of meetings, as in the preceding days the judges had visited the School of Judges in Thessaloniki and the Piraeus Court of Appeals.
Their program concluded with a guided tour of the Acropolis Museum.
NATIONAL INSURANCE: On May 14, the company’s Board of Directors approved the execution of a notarial deed transferring three properties to the “affiliated” Trastor, for a total consideration of €38.64 million, formally confirming what had been reported in connection with Trastor’s IPO prospectus.
This concerns the historic headquarters of Ethniki Insurance, on Karagiorgi Servias Street, offices that the government has leased for many years to house the Ministry of Finance, an office building on Athinas Street, and another near Omonia Square, which is leased on a long-term basis by the Tositsa Foundation.
Together with renovation investments, the amount that AEEAP will allocate for the three properties mentioned above will reach €55.5 million.
Ethniki Insurance will record a capital gain of €25.75 million, which will boost its profitability for the current fiscal year.
ECB: Following the collapses of companies active in private credit (First Bank, Tricolor in the U.S., and Market Financial Solutions in the U.K.), the central bank conducted a simulation exercise, using internally available data, to assess the impact of a severe global shock on the private credit market.
The stress test revealed that there is limited risk for European banks and greater risk for insurance companies and pension funds, due to indirect exposure to leveraged loans, high-yield bonds, and equities.
The potential loss in the adverse scenario for pension funds reaches up to 5%-6% of their assets, and for insurance companies, approximately 4%.
BALLY’S INTRALOT: Optimism appears to prevail among the listed company’s ranks regarding the proposed acquisition of Evoke.
According to some sources, in fact, there is a possibility that announcements will be made before June 8, when the deadline for submitting a binding offer expires.
As for the possibility of other mergers and acquisitions (M&As), Bally’s Intralot CEO Robeson Reeves, stated during yesterday’s general meeting that the company always evaluates every opportunity that arises, but at this stage its priority is the Evoke deal.
RESULTS: Investor reactions to positive news regarding corporate earnings have been immediate lately.
Kri Kri rose 5.82% yesterday—on a down day—reaching €26.35. On Wednesday afternoon, it announced “explosive results” for the first quarter of 2026, with revenue rising 35.4% year-over-year to €89.9 million, and EBIT nearly doubling to €17.9 million (+98.2% year-over-year). The results were approximately 24% higher than Eurobank Equities’ estimate.
The market reaction came despite management’s warning not to draw broad conclusions from first-quarter profitability, as cost pressures related to the Middle East have not yet been fully incorporated into the cost base and margins are expected to normalize over the course of the year.
Another notable example was Motor Oil. The stock rose 0.82%, reaching €37.02 and erasing all losses since the start of the war (€36.68).
The Vardinoyannis Group company also announced particularly strong results for the first quarter of 2026, with adjusted EBITDA coming in at €381 million (+76% year-over-year). The realized adjusted refining margin reached $138/MT, compared to $61/MT in the first quarter of 2025, driving the refining segment’s adjusted EBITDA to €315 million (+113% year-over-year).
Finally, Cenergy rose to €25.7 (+2.8%), with investors also reacting positively to the group’s Viohalco company following the release of its financial results.
The listed company announced that adjusted EBITDA reached €100.4 million (+33% year-over-year), on revenue of €510.7 million (+5% year-over-year), resulting in a record-high adjusted EBITDA margin of 19.7% (+4.2 percentage points year-over-year).
Viohalco also benefited from the trend, closing at €20.7, up 2.48%.