iefimerida
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has acknowledged that his government bears partial responsibility for the OPEKEPE agricultural subsidy scandal, calling it a collision between entrenched institutional dysfunction and his administration's own failures — and promised a full televised address Monday. "These are two elements that unfortunately came together in the OPEKEPE affair," Mr. Mitsotakis said in his weekly social media message, adding that the scandal would serve as a launching point for a more aggressive confrontation with what he called the "Deep State." The prime minister sought to reassure the public that structural reforms had already addressed the core vulnerabilities exposed by the case. He said the agency has since been absorbed by the national tax authority, with subsidy calculations now processed digitally and crop measurements conducted by satellite, eliminating the human intervention that made the system susceptible to pressure. Pivoting to cost-of-living concerns ahead of the Easter holiday, Mr. Mitsotakis announced that diesel subsidies of 20 cents per liter took effect Wednesday, with a fuel pass for gasoline opening the following day. Credits, he said, would be issued within 48 hours of application. A newly established independent authority is already auditing more than 100 large food companies for excess profit margins. On labor, the national minimum wage rose to 920 euros on April 1, a 4.55% increase benefiting 1.5 million workers. The government's digital work card — designed to curb undeclared labor — is being extended to eight additional sectors covering 200,000 employees, with full private and public sector rollout targeted by end of 2026. Parliament also voted to establish Greece's first public university for the performing arts, with the first students expected to enroll in the 2027-2028 academic year. Διαβάστε περισσότερα στο iefimerida.gr
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