SAMARAS: Just as the former prime minister was testifying as a witness in the trial over the death of Sefi Valirakis and making fresh remarks about the wiretaps (“even today I am trying to find out why I was being monitored”), following a related question from defense attorney Zoi Konstantopoulou, he faced fresh criticism from the New Democracy camp.
“This isn’t the first time for Mr. Samaras; he brought down a New Democracy government, went through a period in the wilderness, was taken back by New Democracy, honored, and made leader. Nevertheless, when we talk about percentages, no one can forget that the percentage Mr. Samaras received was 18%, the lowest percentage New Democracy has ever had,” Dora Bakoyannis pointed out.
In a more subdued tone, but with clear barbs of his own, Makis Voridis assessed that he does not see any social momentum capable of supporting a new political venture to the right of New Democracy.
“When I don’t see a genuine political demand, I then perceive personal issues. But personal issues cannot justify the founding of successful parties,” he emphasized.
Political tensions are running high…
MITSOTAKIS: Officially, however, the ruling party’s strategy toward the Messinian is one of “carrot and stick.”
On the one hand, they attack him with sharp barbs, even regarding his political past—as you read above—and on the other, they praise his tenure as prime minister and appeal to his… sense of honor.
“I cannot imagine that he would do anything to harm the party that gave him a second chance and made him Prime Minister. I don’t believe that will happen; I hope I am not proven wrong,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis emphasized on ANT1.
He assessed that “he was a good Prime Minister who led the country forward during a very difficult period” and recalled that he himself had served as his minister. He expressed the hope that “reason would prevail and that he would realize that attempting to harm the party is also detrimental to his own legacy.”
Essentially, Mr. Mitsotakis is throwing down the gauntlet to Mr. Samaras, holding him accountable and presenting him before New Democracy voters, while also referencing the distant year of 1993.
MITSOTAKIS II: When asked about Kostas Karamanlis, the prime minister was clearly more conciliatory, expressing his respect for him as well as for the party’s other former leaders:
“When I speak to the party’s Political Committee, as I did yesterday (ed. note: the day before yesterday), right across from the wall—the cameras don’t show it—are the photographs of all the leaders of New Democracy. I treat them all with respect and dignity, as I believe they deserve, because they have all served this great party, from Konstantinos Karamanlis and all those who were leaders up to me today, who have had this great honor for a decade.
And so I will continue to do so. This does not mean that we must agree on everything, and we do not agree on everything. As far as I am concerned, however, the relationship will always be a dignified and functional one,” he emphasized.
BENEFITS: On economic matters, and specifically the announcements at the Thessaloniki International Fair, Kyriakos Mitsotakis cut short the discussion on reinstating the 13th-month salary, as he clarified that this has already been provided through the raises that have been implemented, while he did not rule out favorable measures regarding corporate tax prepayments.
“During the first four-year term, businesses were supported; during the second, salaried employees and, to some extent, the self-employed. We are working on the framework for intervention at the Thessaloniki International Fair; we do not yet know how much leeway we will have. “That will be determined in about one to two months from now,” he stated.
Keeping the surprises in store—as a closely guarded secret—for the last, as we recall, exhibition before the elections.
KAMMENOS: Open to cooperating with New Democracy, says Panos Kammenos, who has recently stepped up his public appearances, seeking—according to some—a place on the country’s new political map.
However, the president of ANEL and former co-leader of Alexis Tsipras’s government clarifies that he could not work alongside specific figures in the ruling coalition:
“I could work with New Democracy, but not with Kairidis, who insults Trump, or Hatzidakis, who is pro-European. I believe that Dendias is the most likely successor to Mitsotakis in New Democracy.
As for Adonis, I think it’s a bit difficult because he comes from a different background. Pierrakakis comes from PASOK, succeeded at a young age in becoming president of the Eurogroup, and has an Atlanticist orientation,” he told ANT1.
As for the elections, he estimated that they will take place in 2027 and that after the first round of voting, a balance of power will emerge that will lead to the formation of a government of national unity.
Great turmoil, a wonderful situation!
GOVERNMENT: New swearing-in ceremonies will take place today at the Presidential Palace, as the four new members of the government resulting from the recent reshuffle will officially take office.
They are Giorgos Kotsiras (Deputy Minister of Transport), Dimitris Markopoulos (Deputy Minister of Finance), Marilena Soukouli (Deputy Minister of the Environment), and Tasos Hatzivassiliou (Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs), who will be sworn in before the President of the Republic, Konstantinos Tasoulas, and in the presence of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
This may be the last reshuffle before the elections, or it may not. Opinions, even among the Prime Minister’s advisors, are divided.
COSMOS GROUP: The Cosmos Group has been excluded from the Ministry of Development’s investment programs, as claimed by the group’s chairman and CEO, Dimitris Dafnis, during his meeting with journalists.
“We had the misfortune of being the contractor for the project known as the Integrated State Aid Information System (OPSKE), and then the ministry remembered that we have a conflict of interest issue, which has not been substantiated, and we are in court,” he explained, while making no secret of his dissatisfaction with the treatment that, as he claims, the company has received in recent years.
“So think about the situation we’re in as a company and exactly what kind of attack it has faced all these years,” he remarked pointedly.
RECOVERY FUND: At the same time, Mr. Dafnis also addressed the major question hanging over IT projects in general regarding what the future holds after the Recovery Fund expires. It is noted that an estimated 3.5 billion euros has been channeled into the IT market.
He clarified that these projects have created significant digital infrastructure and capabilities that can be leveraged in the future. However, he emphasized that they require continuous maintenance, updates, improvements, and the development of new applications and services.
Thus, one question that arises, as he said, is what the country has to offer in terms of the maintenance and day-to-day operation of these projects. In fact, he did not hesitate to express the fear that, if not handled properly, we may end up in a situation similar to that of the “Olympic Properties.”
ENERGY: This column has informed you about the chaos in the industry and that a number of new sectors (plastics, chemicals, fertilizers, etc.) will ultimately not receive subsidies for 2025.
The Association of Industrial Energy Consumers (EBIKEN) revisited the issue yesterday in a letter to the Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy, Nikos Tsafos, noting that compensation for indirect CO2 costs is the only support these sectors are legally entitled to receive, recalling his own statement that the measure takes precedence over the application of the new European framework for state aid (CISAF).
“However, we are unable to understand why these industries are excluded, even though the Commission’s decision allows for it and despite the fact that we are referring to large energy-intensive industries,” states Antonis Kontoleon, President of the organization, in his letter, calling on the Deputy Minister to reconsider the matter.
PROFILE: The financial software company was just a hair’s breadth away from its quarterly high and about 6% from its 12-month high (at €8.15) yesterday. Not bad, one might say.
Its results, however, seem to be outpacing the stock.
According to what was said at the recent general meeting, revenue for the first half of the year is expected to grow at a rate of 60%, while for the full year, profit growth could exceed 40% compared to 2025.
This implies 2026 EBITDA in the range of 17–18 million euros, while the valuation stands at 190 million euros, roughly equal to its massive backlog of projects (€140 million) combined with the company’s cash reserves (approximately €35 million)!
PROFILE II: “It’s very rare these days to find a fintech company with a presence in 50 countries, strong earnings growth, and a €100 million investment program, trading at the same valuation it had a year ago,” an analyst and friend of this column noted yesterday.
He also noted that back then (late July of last year), the General Index was more than 15% lower, just under 2,000 points!
The company appears to share this view, as it announced a few days ago that it is launching a share buyback program, which will amount to up to 4% of the company (up to 1 million shares).
In any other market, the mere fact that it has been incorporating artificial intelligence into its products for the past two years, with ever-deeper integration, would be enough to send it soaring.