The past week has been particularly emotionally charged, as events that cost human lives have reminded us in the harshest way that politics is not practiced in conditions of normality cut off from society. Within this environment, the government has continued to work in critical areas concerning the security, cohesion and prospects of the country, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Sunday in his weekly post review.
As he emphasized, from the approval of the national defense plan within the framework of the European SAFE initiative and the strategic reconstruction of the domestic defense industry, to the promotion of emblematic infrastructure projects in Crete, the expansion of the democratic participation of Greeks abroad and interventions for housing, health and employment, the week has highlighted the scope of the challenges but also the responsibilities.
“The past week has been a very difficult week. When human lives are lost, the public debate changes as well as priorities. It is not easy to talk about political initiatives and government work when everyone’s thoughts are on grieving families and people who never returned home. It is inevitable that everything else passes through a different filter. Not because they cease to matter, but because the perspective with which we approach them changes. Politics evolve within real life, with what it brings,” the prime minister said.
After his introductory statement, he referred to the SAFE program. “I will start with the approval of Greece’s national defense plan, amounting to 788 million euros, within the framework of the European SAFE program. It is part of the joint European effort to strengthen the Union’s defense and preparedness, through the ambitious package of measures ‘Readiness 2030’. So far, 19 national plans have been approved, while their final ratification by the EU Council is expected, so that the relevant contracts can be signed and the first disbursements can be made next March. The Greek SAFE – I remind you – includes six strategically important programs, with an emphasis on new technologies, unmanned systems and secure communications, in cooperation with countries such as Cyprus, Norway, Poland and Bulgaria. It is a very important step for the strengthening of our country in all fields – in defense, in diplomacy, but also on the economic and social fronts.”
Special mention was also made on initiatives to address the crucial housing problem, the promotion of emblematic infrastructure projects in Crete, the expansion of the democratic participation of Greeks abroad as well as preventive health strategies and better economic figures such as the drop of unemployment.
