PM: Chevron's interest in hydrocarbon exploration off Crete a practical recognition of Greek EEZ
In his weekly review of the government's work published on social media on Sunday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis referred to the rise of minimum wage to 880 euros as of April 1, noting that "at least 1.6 million employees of the private and public sectors will directly benefit from this fifth consecutive raise of the minimum wage, while the average wage will also become indirectly higher."
Basic wages in the public sector will also rise by 30 euros per month, added to the 70 euros every month that civil servants received in 2024, being the first salary increases in the public sector after 14 years, Mitsotakis said. Public sector wage increases total 22 since 2023, while they add 2.1 billion euros to expenditures, corresponding to an additional 1.3 wages for all civil servants.
The premier also referred to the 13%-20% increase in salaries for Armed Forces officers, related to efficiency improvements in organization.
Mitsotakis also referred to the formal interest by Chevron for hydrocarbon exploration south of Crete. He said the development was significant "because a leading American multinational chooses to invest in Greek maritime parcels, essentially recognizing the Greek Exclusive Economic Zone in the region."
Among other issues the PM mentioned were the upcoming questionnaire to the public (4 million citizens will receive one) on evaluating public administration services, and the upcoming opening of a platform where property owners can register that they have cleaned their properties of flammable materials. As he noted, the government will hire 2,500 seasonal firefighters, bringing their total to 18,000 this year, while forest firefighters ('forest commandos') will reach 1,600 this year from 1,150 last year, when there were none a few years ago. "Contracts for seasonal firefighters will have an 8-month duration instead of 6 up to now, because of the extension of the fire season given the facts," Mitsotakis said.
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