Mitsotakis: Stricter penalties for weapons possession among young people

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis began a cabinet meeting on Monday by referring to the spread of fighting in the Middle East to Lebanon and the importance of de-escalating the crisis in the region. On the domestic front, meanwhile, he announced stricter penalties aiming to discourage violence among young people.

"Our primary goal can be none other than a de-escalation before this conflict becomes general. Greece has a foreign policy which is based on principles, it is a reliable interlocutor, it talks to all sides, it remains a pillar of stability in the wider region," Mitsotakis stressed, pointing out that this was also reflected in the contacts he had in context of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Regarding the Greeks who are in the area, he said that in consultation with the relevant ministries "we are fully prepared, we have already drawn up an evacuation plan if this is required, while we are also in consultation with all our partners for the possible provision of humanitarian aid."

The prime minister said the meeting would focus on legislating for the implementation of the announcements made at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) aiming to support income and families, the planning of new appointments in the public sector, regulations in support of farmers and the primary sector and doing all this in the context of the new medium-term fiscal and structural plan that will form the basis of this year's state budget.

"Greece does not belong to those countries, among which are some of the major European economies, that are currently in excessive deficit status, and I would say that this is the best proof of the great effort made by the country and all the Greek citizens to leave behind the times of departures from fiscal discipline for good," he said.

Referring to increasing incidents of violence among school-age children, he reiterated that "the issue of delinquency, especially among children and young people, is an extremely complex issue and primarily concerns the families themselves."

However, he announced "the stricter criminal treatment of weapons possession, especially among young people and the imprisonment of those who repeatedly commit the same criminal act." The prime minister also announced the abolition of a measure allowing the acquittal of those who return stolen goods, adding that this would henceforth only be taken into account as a mitigating circumstance in sentencing.

He also referred to the upcoming presentation of the national demographic plan by the competent minister, and the public-sector recruitment plan for 2025. "[There will be] almost 20,000 new hirings in 2025, with significant reinforcement of the National Health Service, the police, the fire brigade and the armed forces," he noted.