Pavlos Marinakis: No from ND to preliminary investigation for Livanos and Arampatzi – No evidence

The effort of the opposition to “build an agenda” and “turn the political life of the country into an endless, endless court of law” without evidence, Pavlos Marinakis criticized.

Asked about the request of PASOK and the corresponding joint SYRIZA and New Left for the establishment of a preliminary investigation committee against the former Minister of Rural Development and Food, Spilios Livanos and the former Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Food, Fotini Arabatzi, for the OPEKEPE, Pavlos Marinakis stressed that there is no evidence that can lead to this. The response of the government majority to the proposal to set up a preliminary investigation committee will be negative, he made clear. “No evidence has emerged that could lead us to accept either of the requests. There is no evidence leading to a preliminary inquiry, so the answer will be negative. These requests will not be granted. They are not based on evidence, not even on evidence. If you read the parties’ submissions it clearly shows another attempt to use a case to build an agenda on a preliminary examination without evidence. What they are interested in is to turn the country into an endless, endless court, without real evidence, without data, with heavy expressions, exaggerations,”

Marinakis said, adding that “we should not confuse Article 86 with the procedures for lifting the immunity of MPs” and that these are two people who were part of the effort to solve the problem. “They will show why this attempt to involve them is not related to the real facts,” he added.

On the possibility that the opposition might file a request for a committee of inquiry to follow up on the cases, he said “first we will read it and then we will respond.”

We will not take part in the institutional downhill slide

Asked about statements made by the Aristos Pagos prosecutor Mr Tzavela and a related announcement by the APA, Marinakis said he would not comment on what has been said in a secret procedure in the institutions and transparency committee. “Mr. Tzavelas is the prosecutor of the Supreme Court, it is a suggestion of the judiciary to the government for this position, he issued a decision that we are forbidden to comment, we will not take part in this institutional accuser of attacks on the judiciary, there is a provision, a decision, the law was applied. We are not here to judge any judicial officer. Period. No further comment. The government does not comment on judicial decisions,” he added.

“The government fully supports the judiciary and its independent role. It supports it at every level. And as a matter of course you let these people issue the orders, judgments and rulings that they judge without allowing – we cannot prohibit – anybody unconnected with the judiciary to pretend to be a judge or a prosecutor either from a keyboard or from a station. Some who identify with the populists will find this behaviour in front of them,” he added.

Has Androulakis’ proposal for 4-day work been deconstructed

On Nikos Androulakis’ proposal for four-day work and whether it could be piloted in companies with excess profits such as banks, Pavlos Marinakis replied that PASOK itself understood that this proposal would lead to more problems than it would solve. “This proposal has been completely deconstructed. In their public discourse they are updating it, they are taking it to the can. It is also hypocritical because PASOK had voted against the government’s bill that allowed a company in agreement with an employee to work 4 days. The basic thing that emerges is that the opposition has not understood what country they live in,” he noted. Asked about businesses that do not pay on time, Marinakis replied thatthe relevant legislation has been tightened as much as possible and this is proven by the official statistics. “If you look at the official figures, even in absolute numbers, unemployment is down. Look at the number of overtime hours declared, look at the explosion of inspections,” he said.

Tsipras will drink the whole bitter glass of truth

As for the confrontation between Alexis Tsipras and journalists Varvitsiotis and Dendrinos, he replied the following: “If you are a progressive, then you can attack journalists just fine and it is Sunday. Your colleagues replied. They were accused of something that is supposedly written in the book and they don’t write it, there is no such reference. Either Mr. Tsipras didn’t read the book or he is lying. Let the world see this journalism and every other journalism and judge. I understand that Mr Tsipras is embarrassed when reality contradicts him, but Mr Tsipras will drink the whole bitter cup of truth. Let them sit down and see their new potential partner in PASOK, to remember his works and his days.”

Universities have become less rampant

Referring to incidents of violence at universities, Mr. Marinakis said that the sick minds and criminals have not changed. He added that the law and its implementation has changed and where criminal responsibilities of active students are found, academics will be subjected to the prescribed disciplinary consequences, respectively. “There is an end to promiscuity in the universities. Criminality cannot be made to disappear but it can be dealt with differently. The party is over,” he stressed.

About the opposition’s criticism of the government that the initiative for the regulation of the panotokia comes from the EU and is not its own, Pavlos Marinakis said that it is an important move for consumers because it puts an end to the fine print, to abusive behavior against consumers. “There are two European directives. They have to be put in place by November 2026. The exact content of the legislation is the responsibility of each country,” he clarified and referred to specific details of this regulation. “It is better for the opposition to talk about the substance of what we are doing and leave controversies that do not touch society”, he noted. Asked why this regulation should not be extended to unsecured mortgages, he said the government has taken too many measures to protect borrowers and that they add obligations to banks.

Asked about the operation of the Israeli army in international waters, he said the Greek authorities acted in an exemplary manner, which was recognized by neighboring states.

About the increase in fines for violating the traffic code while at the same time unsecured scooters are circulating, Marinakis said there is no more tragic strategy than the loss of human lives and “the fact that we have recorded the best possible statistics compared to the rest of Europe shows that the policy is working.” “It is not true that there are no provisions in the new CCC for scooters. At the moment I have no information that any legislation is imminent. Certainly the recent incident shocked us all. A balance is needed here. I think and this is my personal opinion that when we weigh safety against any other, safety should win,”

he added.

On the price of petrol and whether the NPC will be reduced, Marinakis said that in principle he is listening very carefully to the discussion on tax cuts and that the government has reduced 83 direct and indirect taxes. “The bill should come out and this should be passed on to the consumer. In principle, we are positive about reducing every tax rate. The government prioritises policies based on need,” he said. He added that the reduction of the NIC would have a high fiscal cost. “If we had chosen this in the TIF, we would not have zeroed the tax on young people, on three-parent families. We preferred that cost to be given, in the reduction of the income tax, which concerns all individuals, “he added.

On the meeting of the Southwestern party’s CO next Thursday and whether there is a red line in the criticism as reported by publications, he replied that “I do not know how many times a difficult CO has been discounted and how many times all this has fallen on deaf ears, once again this will happen.”

“Today we have a resounding resignation in PASOK, a party in formation and a SYRIZA that works until another party is formed. We are dealing with our own affairs. The New Democracy after every CO and every congress comes out stronger because it seeks criticism and this is transformed into policies and decisions,” he added.

For the resignation of Mr. Castanidis and what he said in his statement, Mr. Marinakis replied that “it is certainly a resignation with a loud resignation” and added that “there are more profound knowledgeable people in this area to comment on this resignation.” “I will certainly be caught by the phrase ‘the PASOK of Mr Androulakis’. He joins those who either from above or below the square accused his own executives of being traitors, Germanosoliks and some of them were sent to justice in rigged proceedings. The party that was the victim of the mud has gone so far as to consider the perpetrators as its interlocutors. At the congress, all they cared about was to make a decision that they will not co-govern with ND,” he said.

The introductory statement

The government spokesman’s introductory statement is as follows:

Since Sunday morning, the first four thermal satellites are in orbit, giving our country new possibilities in detecting and monitoring fires in almost real time.

This is a project that substantially enhances the Public Protection, prevention and operational readiness of the state. At the same time, the satellites will provide critical information on water, coastal areas, land use and climate change adaptation.

The project is being implemented by the Ministry of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence under the National Microsatellite Programme, with the cooperation of the European Space Agency and resources from the Recovery Fund.

It is another step that shows that Greece is investing in modern technologies with direct benefits for the citizen, the security and resilience of the country.

Conference on the fire season

The Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Evangelos Tournas, convened a wide-ranging meeting on the occasion of the start of the 2026 fire season, which will last until October 31.

The purpose of the meeting was the coordination and operational readiness of all the forces involved in view of the new fire season,with emphasis on prevention, preparation, immediate intervention and effective management of multiple incidents, under the special conditions shaped by the climate crisis.

Last year, despite the difficulties, our country recorded a better performance compared to the last 20 years, while at the European level more than 10 million hectares were burnt. acres, with countries such as Spain and Portugal facing widespread disasters.

This year 51 hired aerial vehicles will operate (up from 49 last year), the Fire Brigade has already been strengthened with 1,600 personnel, while another 600 are being recruited, new vehicles and equipment have been made available, and we will have 100 drones available to monitor the situation on a 24-hour basis.

The minister stressed the importance of early intervention and faithful implementation of the operational doctrine: “We remain faithful to the doctrine: surveillance and early warning, mobilisation of forces, immediate intervention, suppression” and expressed confidence in the Fire Service and its commands, stressing that, “it is a difficult year, we are preparing for the difficult”.

Applications for the “Chios Pass 2026” and “Kythira Pass 2026”

From 14 May 2026 to 18 May 2026, applications for the “Chios Pass 2026” and “Kythira Pass 2026” can be submitted, through a special online application.

The initiative foresees the issuance of intangible digital debit cards to the beneficiaries. They can be used exclusively for transactions with businesses that cumulatively meet the following conditions: they have a POS, are active in the eligible tourism and transport sectors and are located in areas of the Municipalities of Chios and Kythera with the prescribed postal codes.

The total number of beneficiaries is 3,000 for the “Chios Pass 2026” and 3,600 for the “Kythira Pass 2026”.

The implementation of the action will take place in two distinct phases, the first during the period May – June 2026 and the second during the period September – October 2026, while any unused funds from the first phase will be transferred to the second.