Meeting with the President of the Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, as part of their regular monthly briefings, had Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

"I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays," said Kyriakos Mitsotakis in his initial remarks at his meeting with Katerina Sakellaropoulou. "We are now at the end of a challenging year with many challenges that we had to face. The year is closing with some positive news about the course of our economy. I find it extremely optimistic that perhaps the most authoritative global magazine, The Economist, declared Greece the country of the year, recognizing the tremendous effort, primarily of the Greek people, to definitively leave behind the difficult years of the crisis. This fills us with optimism to move forward even faster with the reforms for which we have received a strong popular mandate to implement."

"As you know, as the responsible minister informed you, we approved in the Cabinet a truly historic reform, the substantial abolition of the state monopoly in higher education with the possibility of establishing non-state non-profit universities. I believe that this reform, which I consider long overdue in our country, will be supported by the majority of Greek society, as the conditions are now mature. I also want to emphasize two things, Madam President. First, that this reform is accompanied by even more bold changes for the operation of the public university, which we continue to support with all the means at our disposal. Second, the specifications for the non-state non-profit universities that will be established in Greece will be extremely high. In other words, we want to upgrade higher education in our country overall, and we will not allow this liberalization to essentially turn into a routine economic activity. That is not the purpose of this reform."

"As you can see, the government is overall in great momentum in implementing significant changes, and this is what we will continue to do, especially in the coming year. However, as it is now the holiday season, our attention is always focused on society and especially on our most vulnerable fellow citizens. I want to remind you that in December, more than €700 million were disbursed and are still being disbursed as support measures, primarily for our most vulnerable fellow citizens. A large part of this amount resulted from the overperformance of the economy. It is perhaps the best proof that positive results in the economy ultimately have an impact on society and on our policies for social cohesion. We know well that affordability is the first problem that households face today, and we continue to support them not only with emergency measures but also with permanent measures to support available income. I remind you that as of January 1, 2024, we will have the first salary increases for public servants, significant increases here in 14 years. I also remind you that our fellow citizens pensioners who were working until today and had a deduction of 30% of their pension will no longer have this deduction. And of course, I want to emphasize that the controls in the market will continue with unabated intensity. It is not possible for an imported crisis of affordability to be an opportunity for speculation. I want to congratulate the Competition Commission on this occasion. As you know, a very large fine was imposed on the banks for collusive practices, exceeding €40 million. It is the best proof that all the institutions of the state, independent authorities, and the audit mechanisms of the state can operate to ensure that the market functions smoothly, and competition works smoothly ultimately for the benefit of the citizen. On this occasion, I wish you Merry Christmas again, Happy Holidays, and a 2024, a year so significant for the political and state history of the country, to find us in an even better condition than 2023."

Katerina Sakellaropoulou stated: "Mr. President, indeed, the good news about the country's economy, its progress, and the image it has abroad, I had the opportunity to see for myself in my recent travels. Everyone is impressed and very positively comments on this development of the Greek economy. I hope everything goes well for the country. Of course, the big challenge remains the daily life of citizens, affordability. It is very important to give the message that audit mechanisms are functioning, and everyone should be very careful. The issue of education, I saw, had the kindness to inform me, is progressing with these regulations. Education is a significant national issue for future generations, for all of us. And of course, these days, as you said, let's take care not to leave anyone alone, especially the most vulnerable, as much as we can, so that no one is left alone in these days. I wish you all a Merry Christmas, to all."