PHARMACEUTICALS: Politico.eu made an interesting revelation yesterday. U.S. embassies in Europe have mobilized to convey Washington’s message that American patients pay much more for new drugs than Europeans do, so it is time for the Old Continent to dig into its pockets.
Otherwise, it will lose investments as well as access to new treatments.
The first target after London, which has already signed an agreement offering protection from tariffs and a commitment to increase spending, was Berlin. According to the report, “strictly confidential” talks have been taking place for months between German and American ministries, following the same pattern.
Trump’s strategy is clear. He is exploiting the fragmentation of European healthcare systems to strike bilateral deals that serve his interests, in order to lower prices in the U.S., bypassing EU mechanisms.
However, this issue is expected to have serious repercussions for our country as well.
Drug pricing in Greece is based on the average of the lowest prices in the Eurozone, so Germany alone does not play a role. However, those who understand how the market works see three dangerous pitfalls.
MEDICINES II: If U.S. pressure gradually raises nominal prices even in the cheapest markets of the Eurozone, then the base against which new medicines are priced in Greece automatically rises as well.
Second, with tight government budgets and the infamous clawback, every more expensive new treatment entering the market translates into larger revenue returns from the companies—and thus an even stronger incentive to delay their “launch” in the Greek market.
This phenomenon is not new; it already exists in our country, but the Americans’ moves will reinforce it.
Already, of the 168 new drugs approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the four-year period 2021–2024, only 69 have reached Greece, and only 36 are fully accessible to patients, according to data provided by the Hellenic Association of Pharmaceutical Companies (SFEE).
Third, precisely because we already have a problem with new drugs, it is almost certain that pressure will mount to increase the budget in order to “pay for innovation.”
So, the issue will eventually reach the Prime Minister’s Office, which makes the most “controversial” decisions regarding the budget. When it comes to pharmaceuticals, however, it has proven to be very frugal so far…
NEW DEMOCRACY: Thessaloniki, Ioannina, and Larissa will be the first three stops of the Political Academy organized by New Democracy for its officials, against the backdrop of the upcoming national elections.
This is the implementation of a project planned to take place in all 13 regions of the country, aiming to create a common framework for political discourse, argumentation, and public presence, with the ultimate goal of effectively promoting the government’s work to the public.
Leading government and party officials will contribute to this effort, including the new secretary of the New Democracy party, Konstantinos Kyranakis, who was elected yesterday by the members of the Political Committee following a proposal by the prime minister and will be in the co-capital today for the first political training session for New Democracy officials.
P.S. In his first speech in his new capacity, the young lawyer, among other things, spoke about the party’s history and named each of its presidents, from 1974 to the present. Among them were Antonis Samaras and Kostas Karamanlis, in a unifying gesture with strong symbolic significance.
NEW DEMOCRACY II: However, regarding Messinios’s new party, there is no unified voice among the members of the New Democracy Parliamentary Group.
For example, Sofia Voultepsi, unlike some of her colleagues, expressed the belief yesterday that “New Democracy will fare better if Samaras forms a party.”
She even assessed that New Democracy voters are angry with the former prime minister and that “even those who were his staunch supporters will not follow him.”
At the same time, Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis “dismissed” Deputy Foreign Minister Haris Theocharis, who had described the Messinian as “far-right.” As he said, “I want to believe he said it by mistake regarding Samaras,” and he pointed out: “Above all, the party… Mr. Samaras is not far-right; he was president of New Democracy… If he forms a party, I consider it a big mistake for one key reason: the party comes before individuals. New Democracy is above individuals. New Democracy is the party of Konstantinos Karamanlis.”
KARISTIAOU: It is not only PASOK and Nikos Androulakis who question—or at least express their concerns—about the polls.
Maria Karistianou also sees a discrepancy between what the polling firms report and what she observes in her daily interactions.
“For me, the polls don’t reflect what I feel when I’m out among people, what I hear. I don’t know how the polls are conducted; they have nothing to do with reality. I don’t know how the sample is collected or if it includes all social groups. A large percentage is completely indifferent to the country’s social life; these people may not participate in a poll. Do they show us what citizens feel? “I don’t believe it,” noted the president of “Hope for Democracy,” speaking on Alpha 989 radio.
Ms. Karistianou begins her tour and outreach to citizens tomorrow. In the morning, she will visit Attiko Hospital, where she will meet with management and staff, and in the afternoon she will address her party’s conference on the rule of law.
ENERGY: The government’s handling of support for a range of sectors—such as plastics, textiles, timber, and fertilizers, which were expected to be included for the first time in the 2025 compensation scheme for indirect CO2 emission costs, that is, to also receive a share of the approved budget for last year’s compensation, amounting to 227.65 million euros.
The issue arose when these industries, including well-known names in Greek business, despite having been informed a month and a half ago that they were eligible, following a letter from DAPEEP —the supervisory body under the Ministry of Environment and Energy handling the case—were ultimately left out in the cold.
It was only on Monday that they learned that, unfortunately, they would not be included in this year’s compensation process...
The Ministry of Environment and Energy is “passing the buck” to DAPEP, claiming that it acted on its own initiative, without consulting the ministry—something this column finds hard to believe for an organization 100% supervised by the state—with government sources citing a misunderstanding on its part and blaming it for the blunder.
“We had informed him that there is no extra budget for 2025 and that the expansion into new sectors would take place for the 2026–2030 period, as we did,” a high-ranking source at the Ministry of Environment and Energy insists to this column.
Euro2day.gr attempted to obtain a statement from the Renewable Energy and Guarantees of Origin Administrator—as it is officially known—but was unsuccessful.
There is no clear picture of exactly what happened, whether it was indeed a blunder by the agency or not, who gave the initial order, and what intervened along the way to cause the decision to change.
ACTION II: The only certainty is that the case reflects a sense of confusion within the state apparatus overseen by the ministry and that a number of energy-intensive businesses will not be compensated, as evidenced by the exchanged emails.
The first is dated April 30, 2026, and in it, DAPEEP informs the verification bodies —accredited organizations that verify and certify the accuracy of data and reports (primarily environmental, such as carbon emissions) - that the allocation of the annual compensation for indirect CO2 costs for 2025 will be based on the Commission’s new guidelines, which include companies from new sectors in the aid scheme.
In this context, in fact, several companies proceeded to sign contracts with accredited verifiers in order to complete the necessary audits and submit the relevant files, believing that they too would be included in the mechanism.
On June 8, 2026, DAPEP sent a new email stating that the settlement of indirect emission cost compensation for the year 2025 would be carried out under the previous regime, without providing any explanation.
“Therefore, although the companies in Table 2 (note: of the Commission’s decision) have now been recognized as eligible under the amended EU framework, they are not expected to be included in the current settlement process for the 2025 reporting year,” a representative of a certified verification company typically states to its clients.
“We are setting aside the question of whether or not expectations were created in these sectors that they would participate in the 2025 settlement, likely due to a miscommunication by the competent authorities.
That is not the problem. However, we are unable to understand why these industries are being excluded, even though the Commission’s decision provides for this possibility and despite the fact that we are referring to large energy-intensive industries,” said Antonis Kontoleon, head of EBIKEN, who raised the issue.
MARINAKIS: Vangelis Marinakis’ Capital Maritime & Trading is moving forward with a new order for dry bulk carriers, according to information from TradeWinds. The company is reported to have agreed with China’s Hengli Heavy Industry to build four Kamsarmax bulk carriers with a capacity of 82,000 dwt, with an option for two additional vessels.
The value of the agreement is estimated at $222 million, with deliveries expected to take place in 2028. Market sources report that the contract was signed during the Posidonia shipping exhibition in Athens.
The move signals a further strengthening of the group’s presence in the dry bulk sector. Capital Maritime already operates a fleet of five Kamsarmaxes, two Newcastlemaxes, and four Capesizes, and last year placed its first order for bulk carriers in 15 years, also with Hengli.
Market sources link the new investment to the creation of Capital Axis Maritime, the joint venture established this year by Vangelis Marinakis and the Madias family to manage a fleet of bulk carriers.
FRAGOU: Navios Maritime Partners, owned by Angeliki Fragou, has secured revenue from two newly built MR tankers, capitalizing on the significant rise in freight rates in the product tanker market.
According to shipping brokerage sources, Navios Maritime Partners has signed five-year charter agreements with the American company Chevron for two newly built 51,000 dwt MR tankers currently under construction at the Japanese shipyard Minami Nippon.
Although the terms have not been disclosed, the market estimates that charter rates are around $24,000 per day for ships equipped with scrubbers.
Navios also has four MR tankers under construction in Japan, with deliveries scheduled through 2027, and recently secured long-term charters for two of its nine LR2 tankers on order with Cosco Shipping Energy Transportation.
PANAGIOTIDI: Ismini Panagiotidi’s Icon Energy is seeking to expand its operations beyond dry bulk shipping. The Nasdaq-listed company acquired a minority stake in a containership by participating in an investment scheme with experienced market players.
Specifically, Icon Energy announced the acquisition of a 5% stake in a 2,000-TEU feeder container ship, which was built in 2008 and has an increased capacity for transporting reefer containers.
The vessel is being acquired by a consortium of investors and will be chartered on a long-term basis to an investment-grade liner shipping company. The agreed daily charter rate amounts to $26,500 for a period of up to 26 months, securing contracted revenue of at least $19 million.
The company described the transaction as part of a broader opportunistic investment strategy, aimed at diversifying revenue sources, expanding its network of partnerships, and acquiring expertise in “related” shipping sectors.
PDMA: As you read yesterday, demand for the reissue of the Greek 10-year bond broke records. Bids totaling €36 billion were received, leading to a reduction in the interest rate compared to the initial guidance.
This column has learned that demand was so strong that major players in the bond market—who under normal circumstances would have received 80% of the amount for which they had subscribed in the order book—were forced to limit themselves to 60%.
With the PDMA having essentially covered its annual needs, there is complete flexibility in determining the government’s next moves in the market.
CERTIFICATIONS: Can you take the ASEP exams to be appointed to the public sector in 2026 with a digital skills certification from 2005?
The answer is “yes,” since certifications do not have an expiration date. In the age of Artificial Intelligence, certifications issued back when we considered the “Office” suite to be… advanced may still be valid.
Major certification companies have begun raising the issue with the government, asking that a limit be set on the validity of certificates and that they be required to be renewed after expiration.
The request may be considered “reasonable,” but “reasonable” does not mean it is always politically feasible. In a prolonged pre-election period, the government does not want to raise an issue that would impose additional burdens on thousands of workers and the unemployed. Nor does it want to be accused, most likely, of acting in the interests of private interests, by increasing the “pie” for certification companies.
For now, then, the companies are “knocking on doors.” After the elections… we’ll see.
HOTELS: THE ROE Islands Paros I Single-Member S.A. was established with an initial capital of 800,000 euros, with the aim of developing real estate in Paros and headquartered in the Municipality of Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni.
The sole shareholder is Roland Gebara, who holds 100% of the shares. Achilleas Miltsanidis serves as Chairman and CEO of the Board of Directors, while Roland Gebara and Habib Chidiac are also members.
PRODEA: Not much time has passed since the spin-off of the listed company’s logistics portfolio was announced, and, as it appears, developments are moving quickly.
Reports indicate that three institutional investors are close to acquiring a stake in the subsidiary, seeking a combined 49% of the company. These are “players” who view the Greek “logistics story” favorably and make no secret of their appetite for exposure to the sector.
With the current portfolio valued at around €125 million, the cash benefit for AEEAP from such a deal could approach €60–65 million. And most importantly? The move does not appear to be aimed at “locking in” capital gains, but rather at financing future growth.
The goal, according to those familiar with the plans, is for the logistics portfolio to more than double and reach €265 million in the coming years. After all, as market insiders say, the more passengers there are on the investment vehicle, the greater the potential for new moves.
In fact, they are leaving open the possibility of attracting additional investors, as financial strength is considered the “ticket” to even greater penetration in the logistics market.