Marinakis gives first 'Citizens' Briefing' of 2026
Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis on Friday held an online 'Citizens' Briefing' on Instagram - the first of 2026 and the 11th since they began - replying to questions on a range of current issues, from farmers' protests and deregistering students to international affairs.
On the closure of roads due to protests by farmers, Marinakis agreed that those caught in the crossfire were right to complain but pointed out that physically towing away that many tractors was impossible, while urging those manning the roadblocks to realise that the patience of both the government and society was running low.
He also pointed out that farmers currently had the lowest electricity rate of any other country in Europe and listed other measures taken by the government that benefited farmers.
"...I wonder and ask the many farmers and livestock breeders who are watching us and have healthy demands....Which other government, with all its rights and wrongs, has satisfied so many of the farmers' demands? The government that truly respects every farmer and livestock breeder, as well as every worker, is the one that seeks, through a healthy dialogue on equal terms, to succeed in also solving the rest of the problems," he added.
On the decision to remove so-called 'eternal' students from university registers and impose a limit on the number of attempts to pass classes for a degree, Marinakis said the measure should have been imposed earlier.
Marinakis was also asked about a crackdown on drunk driving through more breathalyser tests, on the tax reforms benefiting freelance workers and small business owners, while confirming that a discussion and process for revising the constitution will begin in the second half of 2026.
He also replied to questions about the stance Greece adopted toward the war in Ukraine and its positions with respect to the violence in Gaza, pointing out that the government has at all times distinguished between "terrorist Hamas, which started everything, and the Palestinian people."
