By enacting the necessary national provisions, our country is aligning itself with the new European Pact on Migration and Asylum, which provides for stricter protection of external borders, faster asylum procedures, and greater support for member states on the front lines of migration flows, such as Greece, the Prime Minister writes in his weekly message on Facebook.
In detail:
Good morning, everyone! I suppose most of you are already—just like me, as much as I can—getting into the rhythm of the World Cup. You know what I was thinking? How quickly we get used to big changes. Take VAR, for example. When it first came to soccer, it seemed strange to us; it sparked reactions and debates. Today, however, no one can imagine soccer without it, because it has brought about a real revolution in the integrity of the game.
In other words, it has become a given. This very thought brings me to a very important milestone of our own: these days, Gov.gr is celebrating six years of operation. Here, of course, there were no doubts or reactions. We all embraced Gov.gr from the very beginning, because the need to escape bureaucracy was immense.
But the outcome is the same: if you think about it, we got used to the good life so quickly that we almost forgot what our lives were like six years ago. Back then, for a simple authorization, a certificate, or an affidavit, you had to waste an entire morning in lines and hassle. Today, we have 2,257 digital services that can be accessed from our computer or mobile phone, without travel, hassle, or cost.
Over the past six years, Gov.gr has served more than 9 million citizens, issuing over 431 million documents and certificates covering all aspects of daily life. What matters most, however, is not the numbers. It is that we have proven that the government can change. It can become faster, simpler, more transparent, and more citizen-friendly. And at the same time, it can curb the pockets of bureaucracy, lack of transparency, and corruption that have plagued citizens and society for decades.
Do we stop here? Of course not. We have already launched the new Unified Digital CRM Infrastructure so that every request or case from a citizen or business is tracked in a unified manner, whether it is initiated through Gov.gr, through the KEPs, or through telephone service.
I have always believed that technology offers Greece a unique opportunity. Not merely to make up the ground that separates it from other European countries, but to take the lead in areas where, until a few years ago, we believed we were lagging behind. And I am certain that the best of this journey is still ahead of us.
This modernization, however, is not limited to the digital state alone. It is also being dynamically applied to our major undertaking, which is none other than the new National Health System (ESY). And when I say “new ESY,” I am not referring solely to the modernization of hospitals and health centers or to new equipment—which are also progressing at a rapid pace. I am also referring to a different way of delivering health services, where the quality of care will not depend on whether someone lives in Athens, on a small island, or in a mountain village.
The development of the National Telemedicine Network, with 335 stations across the country, is part of this approach. 329 stations have already been installed, and by the end of June, doctors and patients will be able to connect in real time, regardless of distance. Together with the 3,000 home monitoring systems for patients with chronic conditions and the telemedicine equipment that the Mobile Health Units will have, we are taking another step toward bringing healthcare services to the citizen, rather than forcing the citizen to travel to find them.
Another significant reform is the “wristband” system in Emergency Departments. Digital patient tracking is now in use at 73 hospitals—and is constantly expanding—with very encouraging results regarding wait times in emergency departments: in May alone, over 280,000 cases at the connected hospitals had an average wait time below the annual average. At KAT, which had the highest volume of visits nationwide (10,300 cases), the average wait time was 2 hours and 37 minutes.
Also, this week, two more renovated Emergency Departments were handed over—at the G.N.A. “Korgialeneio-Benakeio” and at the Kastoria Hospital, two Health Centers—in Argos Orestiko and Litochoro—and the new Cardiology Clinic at the General Oncology Hospital of Kifissia “Agioi Anargyroi.”
I conclude the health topics with an initiative I consider particularly important, because it concerns an aspect of care that we have discussed far less than we should have in our country. For the first time, Greece is adopting a National Strategy for Palliative Care, with the goal of establishing, by 2030, a comprehensive support system for people living with serious and life-threatening illnesses, as well as for their families.
Palliative care is about quality of life itself. It involves managing pain and symptoms, providing psychological support to the patient, preserving their dignity throughout the course of the illness, and supporting their loved ones. The first specialized beds will be established at the new Stavros Niarchos Children’s Hospital in Thessaloniki, while at the same time, facilities that already provide this valuable service are being recognized and integrated into the system.
Let’s now turn to bills that have been passed by Parliament. The first concerns television licenses for regional stations, a pending issue that had remained unresolved for nearly three decades and which was passed with broad consensus. Until now, regional channels operated under a provisional regime.
Now, however, we are establishing a stable operational framework, with clear rules, transparency, and objective licensing criteria, enabling these channels to broadcast in high definition (HD), invest more in their programming, and strengthen their workforce.
This is an institutional intervention that should have been implemented years ago and whose significance extends beyond the television landscape itself. Let me explain. For many local communities, regional media are the primary source of information and public discourse. Their ability to operate under stable rules, invest in their programming, utilize modern technologies, and preserve jobs benefits the media, the regions, and ultimately democracy itself. We are thus definitively leaving behind a regime of uncertainty that has lasted far too many years.
The same bill also includes a provision that resolves a long-standing and just demand by journalists at ERT, the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA), and the General Secretariat for Communication and Information regarding the recognition of their prior service, a demand that is also just.
The second important bill passed this week concerns an issue that concerns all of Europe, and that is none other than migration. By enacting the necessary national provisions, our country is aligning itself with the new European Pact on Migration and Asylum, which provides for stricter protection of external borders, faster asylum procedures, and greater support for Member States on the front lines of migration flows, such as Greece.
Our country played a leading role in shaping this new European policy, as for years it has argued that managing migration cannot be the sole responsibility of first-reception countries.
Furthermore, I would like to note that, together with four other countries, we are leading the initiative to create “return hubs” in third countries outside the EU for migrants whose asylum applications have been definitively rejected and whose countries of origin will not accept their repatriation.
In other words, instead of remaining in closed facilities, as is currently the case in Greece, they will be transferred to “return hubs” operating outside the EU. This is provided for in the new European Pact, and our goal is to conclude the first agreements for the creation of these facilities in 2026, so that they are operational by 2027.
Staying on the topic of Parliament, the Constitutional Review Committee has been formed and has a two-month deadline to submit its report on the provisions to be revised. New Democracy came to the debate with specific and comprehensive proposals for upgrading our Constitution—I will not repeat them here—but I want to highlight the hypocritical stance of the opposition parties, and especially PASOK.
The official opposition stated that even if New Democracy were to propose for revision an article that PASOK has proposed, PASOK MPs would not vote for their own proposal! I confess that I find it difficult to understand this logic, which, moreover, betrays a sense of insecurity—despite claims to the contrary—regarding the position PASOK will occupy in the upcoming elections.
When we discuss the Constitution, the goal should be to seek the broadest possible consensus, not to reject a proposal simply because it is submitted by a political opponent. I hope that, as the process moves forward, the logic of consensus will ultimately prevail, rather than the logic of petty partisan confrontation.
Let me now turn to news regarding the labor market and the fight against unemployment. This week we announced 1,000 new jobs for people with disabilities in the Regions, which will be added to the 3,000 positions already available in the Municipalities.
I know that for many of our fellow citizens with disabilities, finding a job remains more difficult—and it shouldn’t be. That is why we are committed to policies that create more employment opportunities and greater chances to participate in the labor market.
A very important piece of news from the past week also concerns the railway. Signaling and remote control systems have become fully operational on the Thessaloniki-Eidomeni section, with 75 kilometers of new, modern traffic control systems added to the network.
This is yet another initiative that is part of the overall modernization of the network, which continues with the projects currently underway in Thessaly.
Another equally significant development is the dismantling by the Greek Police of the extortion and bribery ring operating within Athens’ urban planning departments. This is an event that confirms, in the most emphatic way, that the battle against corruption is not won with empty promises, but with planning, perseverance, and political will.
Nine months ago, from the podium of the Thessaloniki International Fair, I announced a landmark reform: the transfer of the critical task of issuing and verifying building permits from the scattered municipal structures to the new, unified, and digital Land Registry. Because we know that pockets of opacity and clientelistic dependencies are addressed most effectively when the state acquires modern tools for oversight, transparency, and accountability.
The message is clear: there are no sacred cows, no one is “untouchable.” Just as we have clashed—through the now-independent Independent Authority for Public Revenue—with all manner of corrupt networks in local tax offices, so too are we confronting every network of illegality in local urban planning departments. We will continue to strike at every pocket of corruption, no matter how powerful it may think it is.
This case was investigated and brought to justice following an anonymous tip to the Greek Police. This means that every complaint is investigated, and if substantiated, it is pursued to its conclusion. That is why I urge citizens to trust the authorities and not hesitate to report such cases when they encounter them.
This determination of ours is accompanied by work with a measurable impact. Just last month, we completed 99% of the country’s land survey, resolving a nearly two-hundred-year-old issue for the Greek state. We have set 2030 as our target, so that Greece will have fully organized spatial planning and clear land-use designations in every corner of our homeland.
This is a “quiet” yet profound reform that safeguards the rule of law, boosts development, and restores citizens’ trust in the state. Because, ultimately, when there is the will, the state can take on anyone and win.
I began this review with the digital revolution of Gov.gr, and now I will discuss another digital tool, this time aimed at accelerating the administration of justice. I want you to consider that today there are cases of appeals against payment orders and enforcement proceedings that have been scheduled for trial as late as 2038!
In the Athens Court of First Instance alone, there are approximately 36,500 such cases pending. So, what are we doing? With the new Electronic Objection Platform, which will become fully operational on September 1 to ensure all parties are informed, we can drastically speed up the resolution of these cases—by as much as a decade. This is yet another initiative that leverages technology to address chronic inefficiencies in the justice system.
Let me now turn to Thessaloniki, where the Pavlos Melas Metropolitan Park has opened its gates—a space that western Thessaloniki has been waiting to acquire for many years. A former 340-acre military camp is gradually being transformed into a large green space for walking, recreation, and culture, open to everyone. The new “Metropolis of Thessaloniki” Museum is already open, housing significant finds from the Thessaloniki Metro excavations, while work continues on the renovation of more buildings and public spaces in the coming years.
And since I mentioned projects that are transforming the face of cities, yesterday in Rhodes I had the opportunity to walk through the archaeological site of Perivola, which has now been transformed into an open-air museum. The ancient Neoria, the Roman Tetrapylon, and the Gardens of the Palace of the Grand Master make up a unique journey through the island’s history. It is, indeed, an impressive restoration, which I highly recommend you visit, especially since it’s summer!
I’ll wrap up… with a bit of movie news that made me particularly happy. Greece will be the Guest of Honor at the Marché du Film at the Cannes Film Festival in 2027. Especially when we consider that in September our country will also be the Guest of Honor at the Venice Film Festival, and that a few months later Athens will host the European Film Awards, it becomes clear that Greek cinema and audiovisual production are gaining an increasingly prominent international presence.
This development is a testament to the systematic work carried out in recent years by the Ministry of Culture and EKOMED to support Greek creators and make Greece an attractive destination for international productions. Well done to everyone!
Before I say goodbye, I’d like to mention today’s World Blood Donor Day. Voluntary blood donation is an act of generosity of inestimable value, reminding us that solidarity is not expressed through grand words but through simple acts that can save lives. A big thank you to all the volunteer blood donors in our country. And I hope this day serves as an opportunity for even more of our fellow citizens to become volunteer blood donors. Have a great Sunday!