With a clear invitation to farmers at road blockades across Greece for a meeting at the Maximos Mansion at 5:00 p.m. on Monday afternoon, Kyriakos Mitsotakis attempted yesterday, from the podium of the New Democracy Parliamentary Group, a political countermove.

The issue of the farmers’ mobilizations is clearly putting pressure on the government, with Mr. Mitsotakis taking the step of inviting representatives of the blockades to the Maximos Mansion, following the model of a similar meeting that took place in 2024. At the same time, however, he places responsibility on the farmers themselves for prolonged social disruption, implying that if they do not attend the meeting, they will be held accountable. All this comes as farmers and livestock breeders in Crete are signaling a retreat from mobilizations, following the two meetings they held yesterday and the day before yesterday at the Vice Presidency of the Government.

Mr. Mitsotakis’ move, as well as the election of Kyriakos Pierrakakis to the leadership of the Eurogroup, had a calming effect on New Democracy MPs as well, resulting in a “bloodless” session of the ruling party’s Parliamentary Group, without the tensions and fluctuations recorded days earlier during the briefing of MPs by Kostas Tsiaras at New Democracy headquarters.

Now, the “ball” passes to the blockades, as the Coordinating Committee of the blockades meets at midday. From the discussion that will take place, it will become clear whether there is a willingness for understanding and dialogue with the government, or whether union representatives insist on a hard line.

If the logic of dialogue prevails, even with “red lines,” the demands of the blockades will be codified and sent to the government this afternoon, with a three-day window for responses.

During this period, there will also be an intense round of behind-the-scenes consultations to determine whether a top-level meeting can take place. The prime minister’s associates, however, are not “putting their hand in the fire” to guarantee that the meeting will happen, though they emphasize that the prime minister cannot do anything more than declare his absolute availability.

The Conference of Presidents

In this climate, Mr. Mitsotakis is also called upon to “warm up” the party mechanism, as 2026 will de facto be a year with a strong pre-election atmosphere, as well as a congress year. Yesterday at midday, Mr. Mitsotakis welcomed the new presidents of the party’s prefectural organizations to Parliament.

Today, the conference of the presidents of DEEP and DIMTO from all over Greece will take place at OAKA, a closed briefing meeting on organizational matters and current affairs. The opening of the proceedings will take place today at 12:00 with a speech by Mr. Mitsotakis, while almost the entire cabinet will pass through OAKA.

During the two-day proceedings of the conference, government officials will give speeches on their respective portfolios, including: Vice President of the Government Kostis Hatzidakis; Minister of National Economy and Finance Kyriakos Pierrakakis; Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Gerapetritis; Minister of the Interior Thodoros Livanios; Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports Sofia Zacharaki; Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Christos Dimas; Minister of Environment and Energy Stavros Papastavrou; Minister of Development Takis Theodorikakos; Minister of Labour and Social Security Niki Kerameus; Minister of Citizen Protection Michalis Chrysochoidis; Minister of Justice Giorgos Floridis; Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni; Minister of Migration and Asylum Thanos Plevris; Minister of Social Cohesion and Family Domna Michailidou; Minister of Rural Development and Food Kostas Tsiaras; Minister of Shipping and Island Policy Vasilis Kikilias; Minister of Tourism Olga Kefalogianni; Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Giannis Kefalogiannis; Deputy Minister of Health Eirini Agapidaki; Deputy Minister of National Defence Thanasis Davakis; Deputy Minister of Digital Governance Christos Dermentzopoulos; Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister Thanasis Kontogeorgis; and Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister and Government Spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis.

At the same time, thematic presentations will be delivered by the Prime Minister’s Director of Digital Communication Nikos Romanos, New Democracy Press Representative Alexandra Sdoukou, and Director of the New Democracy Press Office Haris Chatzicharalampous, while an address to the conference will also be made by Panos Stathopoulos, Director of the Scientific Council of the “Konstantinos Karamanlis” Institute of Democracy.