The Greek Letter - ekathimerini - Looking ahead to 2026 -

 

Looking ahead to 2026[InTime News] Constantine CapsaskisNewsletter Editor Happy New Year and welcome to the weekly round-up of news by Kathimerini English Edition. The New Year offered Greece’s political parties an opportunity to both reflect on the past year and look to the future. “2025 hands over a world marked by instability and a search for new balances, with unprecedented geopolitical shifts and major economic uncertainties, while 2026 also dawns amid multiple challenges”, said Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who in his address defended the track record of his government. He noted that it had achieved several key milestones including tax reforms, the renovation of hospitals and health centers, the country’s development as an energy hub, and the strengthening of Greece’s defense capabilities. “The Greek people are in need of a radically different type of government. A type that is centred on morality, meritocracy, and tangible respect for citizens”, said Nikos Androulakis, leader of main opposition party PASOK, in his message, adding that “may 2026 be a starting point for a more progressive Greece, worth of the expectations of the Greek people”. He emphasized the importance of the upcoming year, particularly with the end of the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility, and how the country must find a new path to growth. Defense Minister Nikos Dendias, who is overseeing a radical (and sometimes controversial) overhaul of the Hellenic Armed Forces, said that the upcoming year is a “time of reflection, but also a time of planning” in his message to those serving. One of the key areas on which the Defense Ministry is focusing its efforts is the establishment of the proposed multi-layered air defense program, known as the “Achilles Shield.” Several important steps are expected to take place within the year, including decisions on the selection of systems that will form the core of the shield. Likely, these will be the Israeli-made Spyder, Barak MX, and David’s Sling systems, providing short, medium, and long-range coverage respectively. The total cost of these is expected to exceed 3 billion euros. Spotlight The standoff between the government and the striking farmers continues into 2026, with the latter threatening to escalate the situation and mulling a tractor march to Athens. The farmers convened on Sunday for a third nationwide meeting and decided for a fresh wave of road blocks, following the national holiday of the Theophany on Tuesday. For its part, the government has threatened that, if the farmers continue to refuse to open negotiations, its stance will harden. It is worth noting that the farmers did open a window for dialogue with their spokesperson announcing that “we will drop anchor to open a channel of communication with the government”. The issue is particularly thorny for the ruling party, which enjoyed significant electoral support by the agricultural sector. Voter losses in the countryside can hurt the government, with several local MPs becoming increasingly worried, particularly as public support for the striking farmers continues to hold firm.   Comments by Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament and New Democracy MP Nikitas Kaklamanis have led to a new political confrontation between the government and the opposition, as he proposed that changes should be introduced in the way that the heads of the country’s independent authorities are appointed. The suggestion, that came after three of the five such bodies have remained without a head for a while, is that a new chair should be elected by a simple majority if the constitutionally required consensus of 180 votes fails to materialise after two ballots. Main opposition party PASOK rejected the idea, noting that it would lead to the “the degradation of procedures and institutional functions”, while SYRIZA accused the Speaker of “undermining the rule of law”. Kaklamanis also found himself under fire for recommending that live coverage of the Parliamentary Investigative Committees, specifically the one into agricultural payments agency OPEKEPE, be stopped.

MUST READS Beyond the barricades, great strugglesGo to article > For a more livable AthensGo to article > When the kafeneio closes, the village diesGo to article >

OPINION Tom EllisEditor-in-Chief, Kathimerini English Edition Greece focuses on the “day after” in Venezuela[Reuters] Walking a fine line between on the one hand respect for international law and national sovereignty, and on the other realpolitik, the Greek government has opted to welcome the end of Maduro’s repressive regime, and turn its attention to the future. In a statement that echoed the approach of other European leaders, the Greek Prime Minister noted that “Nicholas Maduro presided over a brutal and repressive dictatorship that brought about unimaginable suffering on the Venezuelan people. The end of his regime offers new hope for the country.” Obviously, a lot will be said about the legality of the undertaking by the US, not only from friends and foes on the international scene, but also from leading figures of the Democratic Party inside America who have challenged the constitutionality of such a major military operation in a foreign country. For its part, Athens shied away from that debate, with the PM stating that “this is not the time to comment on the legality of the recent actions”, declaring its intention to coordinate with its European Union and UN Security Council partners on how to best deal with the issue. With Greece being on the receiving end of its neighbour’s revisionist policies, including a casus belli, opposition parties criticised the government for “not commenting on the legality” of what happened, thus, in essence, seen as minimising the importance of international law. In this context, it is worth noting that as the Speaker of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, reminded all, the EU has consistently affirmed it did not consider Nicolás Maduro to be the legitimate, elected leader of Venezuela. Like most US allies and partners, Greece turned its focus to the “day after” and the effort to ensure a peaceful and speedy transition to a new inclusive government that enjoys full democratic legitimacy. For Athens the priority should now be given on how to avoid violent clashes and bloodshed, and to assist Venezuela in moving forward on the path of democracy. As a country with a large diaspora, Greece has naturally also turned its attention to the safety of the members of the Greek community who reside in Venezuela.

ESCAPADE Winter stays: Six of the best guesthouses in central Greece Mountain hotels near Greece’s leading ski resorts, designed for winter days and longer stays. Go to article >

ECONOMY IN A NUTSHELL

“The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 2,158.04 points on Friday, the first session of the year. Its close, up 1.42% from last week, also marked a new 16-year-high for the benchmark.”

“Greece fully implemented its Public Investment Development Program for 2025, with a total outlay of 14.6 billion euros. The sum, slightly above the program’s approved budget (at 100.8% of its allocation), included 6.86 billion euros from co-financed programs and 4.9 billion euros from the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility.”

“There was a 5% increase in the average private sector salary in Greece, with wages moving closer to the target of 1,500 euros per month. The government has stated that the strengthening of collective bargaining, following an agreement in 2025, will push private sector salaries even higher even though they still only represent less than 30% of the labour market.”

WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA

06/01/2026Ukraine: Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will attend the summit of European leaders convened by French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine. 06/01/2026Epiphany: The Greek Orthodox Church will celebrate the Feast of Theophany, a national holiday, with the Blessing of the Waters ceremony. 07/01/2026Farmers’ Markets strike: The organizations representing farmers’ markets across Greece have announced an indefinite strike, starting on January 7, complaining of high production costs, and indiscriminate tax measures.

Editor's PickThe problem for a country like ours is that other certainties are collapsing along with the rest.Alexis PapachelasRead the article

PODCAST

08/12/2025 • 11:17The mother of all wake-up calls from Washington to Europe?Ian Lesser, the vice president and Brussels chief of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, joins Thanos Davelis as we take a closer look at President Donald Trump’s new National Security Strategy and its scathing critique of Europe, which some are already calling the “mother of all wake-up calls” from Washington toward Europe.

We’d like to hear from youShare your feedback at newsletters@ekathimerini.com

Did you receive this email from a friend?Subscribe to our newsletters here