During a conversation with Pavlos Tsimas on SKAI Radio, Nikos Androulakis, President of PASOK-Movement for Change, responded to the Prime Minister and his snide remarks about “Mr. Tsamba” regarding the fully costed and fair proposal for free public transportation access for young people.
“So here we have the Prime Minister calling the 35 million ‘cheap.’ Did 30–35 million euros seem like too much to him? Mr. Mitsotakis is “cheap” when it comes to his political friends; he’s “cheap” when it comes to financial interests; but he’s very expensive for the citizens.
And I’ll explain why he’s a “freeloader” for all of them. He’s a “freeloader” because 35 million is nothing compared to the 1 billion fine imposed by OPEKEPE. The 35 million is nothing compared to the “golden” recycling facilities, for which we paid five to six times more—300,000 euros—when we could have paid 50,000 to 60,000 euros.
It’s “a steal” for the big construction companies when, for just a small section of the VOAK highway—from Hersonissos to Agios Nikolaos—it paid 145 million euros in compensation for delays in land expropriations. It’s “cheap” when it hands out hundreds of millions through the Recovery Fund to various cronies via sham competitive bidding processes.
An example? They’ve even rigged the mail-in voting system. Do you remember what I’ve denounced? Is it possible that they’re rigging a 7.5 million euro tender for mail-in voting?”, he emphasized.
Commenting on PASOK’s proposal for free public transportation for young people up to age 24 in Athens and Thessaloniki, he noted:
“The point is for the younger generation to develop a culture of using public transportation, and for us to provide an incentive. It’s not a free pass, nor is it a handout or a form of patronage. It’s an entire concept for the younger generation—their access to public transit, environmental awareness, and sustainability. So I see that some people are underestimating this measure.
They’re framing it as nothing more than patronage or a freebie. So I’ll ask a simple question: the 30–35 million euros allocated for this program—so that young people, most of whom have no income at this age and who need to learn—just as they do in Europe—to use public transportation and, as future workers, does this amount of 30–35 million euros for this provision reflect a clientelist mindset? Or does it reflect a different vision for the country’s future?” he asked.
Mr. Androulakis, outlining the social housing agenda, emphasized the ineffectiveness of government measures.
“They have dismissed us on the issue of social housing as well, arguing: ‘What are you talking about? It costs billions.’ A few days ago, I proposed: The European Commission has included in the NextGenerationEU roadmap for 2026 a provision allowing unallocated funds from the Recovery Fund to be used by the development banks of all European countries to carry out projects, such as social housing.
Do you know how this was met? Officials from New Democracy—I heard Ms. Voultepsi and others—came out fuming, saying, “Well, she was a Member of the European Parliament and doesn’t know the rules?” So let them take a look at the roadmap, specifically page 11, so the public can see who’s making fools of them. They can find the money to implement policies for young people. Europe is giving them the opportunity, and you know what they’re doing? They’re making fools of us all, because obviously they want that money to go to other economic actors in the country,” he noted.
“The rebranding went down the drain,” he commented when asked about Tsipras’s bid to provide universal free access to public transportation for the entire population.
He added: “Because we’ve gone through a difficult period of division, populism, and empty promises—with Mr. Tsipras at the center of it all—I’m presenting a different political model. We’re moving in a different direction.
The country can change through rationality, seriousness, and a progressive outlook. If we’re going to go back to 2012 and 2015 with promises that ‘no home will fall into the hands of bankers’ but then have the funds take over the non-performing loans and extort borrowers; to promise to “tear up” the memoranda only to end up with more memoranda; to promise to abolish the ENFIA—that leads nowhere. They’ve been judged.
And Mr. Mitsotakis’s case has been judged as well; over the past seven years, the Greek people have been through a lot. The previous situation has also been judged. So, by choosing PASOK and me, the country will move forward and become a normal European country, free from the bad experiences of the past.”
He reiterated PASOK’s political goal, emphasizing that “We have set a goal. We will fight for it, and I hope the citizens will honor our credibility, our seriousness, our political integrity, and our independence from vested interests. We are independent. Our words and our actions are independent, without restrictions. Because when you’re taken under the wing of powerful people, you obviously don’t have the same degree of freedom,” because, as he explained:
“PASOK’s political goal is to change the culture of governance. To have a Prime Minister who feels like—and is—a tenant at the Maximos Mansion, not its owner. And above all, we will achieve a victory for the state of institutions. Let us move away from a state run by cronies and toward a state governed by institutions. And let us move away from the state of plunder we have today and toward a true state governed by the rule of law.”
“Mitsotakis’s narrative that we’re all the same has taken hold. It’s a public relations victory for New Democracy, with the help of many journalists and powerful media outlets. We’re not all the same—I repeat that. My path is different, the Prime Minister’s is different, and Mr. Tsipras’s is different,” he added.