ATHENS – The announcements made during the 88th Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) have a particularly important social impact, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday in a meeting with President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

“I wanted to take this opportunity to brief you on the announcements I made at the recent TIF, which I consider to have a particularly important social impact. They are particularly important because they use resources from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) for a series of actions that are at the core of our social policy,” the prime minister said and added:

“Let me start with the ‘My Home 2’ programme where we managed to secure 1 billion euros in additional resources from the RRF, along with the 1 billion euros that will be provided by the banks. We are talking about a 2-billion-euro programme which will help 20,000 of our fellow citizens get their own home at a cost that is lower than what they would pay if they rented a similar home.”

The “My Home 1” programme was very successful and we aspire to be able to double the beneficiaries by significantly expanding the criteria, Mitsotakis underlined.

“The second action to which I attach great importance are the evening surgeries also financed by the RRF,” he added.

All these actions, he said, have a strong social footprint that demonstrate in the best possible way that the resources of the Recovery and Resilience Facility, so important for the country, are not only directed to important infrastructure projects but are also channelled to actions that help to reduce inequalities. And this obviously has a special significance as the new European cycle now begins.

He also referred to new role assigned to Greece’s European Commissioner, Apostolos Tzitzikostas. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Tuesday that he will be responsible for the “sustainable transport and tourism” portfolio.

“As you know, the portfolios of the new European Commission were announced yesterday. Greece got the portfolio dealing with sustainable transport, shipping and tourism for obvious reasons. A portfolio that is very important for our country, which aspires to play a role as a gateway to the entire Central and Eastern Mediterranean,” he noted.

On her part, Sakellaropoulou stated: “Public policies must be drawn up based on social justice and everything you mentioned is important. Housing, access to health, access to education, it is very important to support equal access to all these goods and thus whatever measures are taken are in the right direction.”