Greek PM’s Sunday Post Touches on Quakes, Budget, ‘The Odyssey’

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis referred to what he called a decrease in seismic activity in the southern Aegean – after more than 10,000 quakes were recorded between the islands of Amorgos and Santorini since late last month – positive developments with the execution of the state budget and even the filming of portions of Christopher Nolan’s “Odyssey” in Greece.

“I’ll begin with the developments concerning the seismic activity in the sea region surrounding Anydros (islet), north of Santorini. It seems that the number of tremors has subsided over the last 24 hours, but scientists are still observing this phenomenon around the clock, estimating that the seismic activity will take a long time to fully cease. We know that concerns are great. When the earth shakes, your sense of security is tested. The state is here beside its citizens. The civil protection minister has announced the creation of an evacuation port on Santorini, in cooperation with the armed forces, so there’s always a safe avenue of evacuation if ever needed. At the same time, in addition to measures to support businesses and wage-earners, which we announced last week for our island residents, the ministry of interior is allocating an emergency grant of 850,000 euros to the municipalities of Thera (Santorini), Amorgos, Anafi and Ios (islands) for their immediate needs due to the disruption caused by the earthquakes,” Mitsotakis’ FB post reads.

In terms of the execution of the budget, Mitsotakis said a primary budget surplus of two billion euros was posted in the first month of the year, January 2025, beating a target of 1.4 billion euros. He attributed the development to a more effective control of spending and an increase in tax revenues.

He pointed directly to the mandatory installation of POS terminals for practically every business category and self-employed professional in the country as raising revenues from the fight against tax evasion and avoidance.
“…6.6 billion euros of undeclared income was ‘revealed’ in 2024 (compared to 2023). In several professional categories, declared incomes increased by 200% to 300% compared to previous years. This reform, which has won the praise of the European Commission, is about much more than public revenues: it reinforces a sense of fairness and a level playing field between businesses – and creates the conditions for even greater support for citizens.”
He said more tax revenues means higher spending for social programs and reductions in social security contributions.
Before ticking off a major renovation program to upgrade courthouses in the country, measures to reduce unemployment – which has steadily been reduced since 2019 – and the support of the country’s only marble sculpting school on the Cyclades island of Tinos, Mitsotakis also referring to the start of shooting for the Hollywood mega-production of “The Odyssey”, directed by Nolan and staring Matt Damon in the lead role and other “A-list” stars in the cast.

An inaugural press release photo shows Matt Damon in the title role of Odysseus (Ulysses), in Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’.

“…scenes of the film will be shot in various locations in Greece, which have already been selected. This is another international cinematic production that will reinforce our country’s position as a leading global destination for such productions. Since 2019… with the new Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center S.A. (Creative Greece), we have invested around 140 million euros in 211 projects – film, television, animation, documentaries. Half of this sum has been directed to international productions, and the rest has supported domestic artistic, film and television production.”

Source: Tovima.com