Demands from the fishing sector

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met representatives of the fishing sector in Arnaia, Chalkidiki, on Thursday 8 October 2026. According to NewsIT, the fishermen are mainly protesting the cost of marine diesel and the import of Turkish fish into the Greek market. Mitsotakis did not announce specific amounts or measures during the meeting. He said the government would exhaust its options to help the sector substantively and financially. He acknowledged that all sectors face heavy economic pressure, and said that fishing deserves more support from the state. He also noted that some announcements had already been made.

“We will exhaust the possibilities to help you substantively and financially, so that you can continue doing what you do with competitiveness.”

A personal commitment

Mitsotakis said he would take up the issue himself and expressed hope that the government could become more specific in the coming days. He also told the fishermen that the government would do its best and that he meant it, adding that he does not give words lightly.

“I will deal with the matter personally. I want to believe that very soon, within the coming days, we will be able to be more specific.”

Schinas, the Skouries mine and heating oil

Agricultural Development and Food minister Margaritis Schinas attended the visit. According to iefimerida, he met the fishermen after the prime minister and recorded their demands. Schinas comes from Chalkidiki and spent the first six years of his life in Arnaia, where his parents worked as teachers. SKAI reports that he is an honorary citizen of the Aristotelis municipality, and Mitsotakis referred to this in his speech to residents.

“The Minister of Agricultural Development spent his first six years in Arnaia. Therefore he is also an honorary citizen, and he has one more reason to deal with you and with Chalkidiki.”

Earlier the same day Mitsotakis attended the opening of the new copper and gold mine run by Ελληνικός Χρυσός at Skouries. Iefimerida counted this as the fifth time in two months that he has been in Northern Greece. He said support for heating oil would work on two levels, through the pump price and through a higher heating allowance.

“There will be support for heating oil on two levels. An intervention on the pump price, but also an increase in the heating allowance, so that those who need it most benefit.”

A call for a majority government

Speaking to residents in the square of Arnaia, where Aristotelis mayor Stelios Valianos welcomed him, Mitsotakis asked citizens to renew the truth agreement (συμφωνία αλήθειας) signed in 2019 and updated in 2023 as a long pre-election period begins. He asked for a single-party government so that decisions can be made quickly, with absolute accountability.

“Stability does not mean stagnation. It means we can build reforms.”

He expressed confidence that New Democracy would again win the trust of voters in the 2027 elections. He ruled out handing out money before the vote, saying that would be like shooting ourselves in the feet. He also called on young people to vote in large numbers.

“We have earned credibility with great effort, and we will not sacrifice it.”

Rubio visit

Mitsotakis said the visit to Athens by US Foreign Minister Marco Rubio confirmed the depth of the strategic relationship between Greece and the United States. He described Greece as a force of stability and progress in the region in the same remarks.