Greece and Cyprus license Crete-Cyprus cable survey; Mitsotakis avoids Turkey question

Cable licence and Turkey's silence

Mitsotakis used his weekly Sunday post on Facebook to report that the licence for survey and laying works on the Crete-Cyprus electricity interconnection, known as the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI), was issued on Friday, 6 November, together with a navtex. He presented this as a significant step toward building the project, which has been designated a project of common European interest and includes French companies. He did not clarify whether the company had also informed Turkey, a question that matters because notifying Ankara would suggest Turkey claims jurisdiction over the area. He held that licensing sits with Athens and Nicosia alone, and described interconnectors as strategic investments that support energy self-sufficiency and regional stability.

“Greece and Cyprus are the countries that license the survey work for a project classified as a European project of common interest.”

US midterms and Greek-American ties

In the same post, Mitsotakis addressed the outcome of the US midterm elections, which he said changed the balance in both chambers of Congress. He argued that Greek-American relations rest on strong foundations and outlast electoral cycles, and he welcomed the election or re-election of Greek-Americans to Congress. He also noted that people with whom the Greek government has very good relations will sit on committees for defence and foreign policy. He presented those committee seats as useful to Greece in a period of geopolitical instability in the region.

Cost of living and the price initiative

Mitsotakis returned to the midterms to note that cost of living was among the main concerns of voters there. He acknowledged that prices still press Greek households, despite improvements in several economic indicators. The government will extend the National Price Reduction Initiative to the end of 2026, covering about 1,000 basic products sold at lower prices, including food found on every family table. He said market checks continue to verify that cuts announced by businesses are applied in practice.

Debt bill and servicers

The prime minister highlighted the bill on private debt and servicers but did not answer opposition questions about article 23, which has been withdrawn. Under the new rules, vulnerable and eligible debtors who enter the out-of-court mechanism will have a fixed 3% interest rate for the full duration of their arrangement from 1 December. The maximum fine the Bank of Greece can impose on servicers for serious breaches rises from 500,000 euros to 5 million euros. He placed these measures within the government's financial relief for citizens.

Previous cap500,000

New cap5,000,000

Previous cap

500000 EUR

New cap

5000000 EUR

Data from the article text

Greek FBI and government priorities

Mitsotakis also marked two years since the founding of the Greek FBI, linking its work to recent fraud cases involving various rings. He put the point bluntly:

“There are no no-go zones, and no persons exempt from scrutiny. Legality must apply to everyone, without asterisks.”

The post also set out the 90 government priorities for the next six months, as set at a cabinet meeting, along with farm subsidy payments due by the end of November. The same review referred to new interventions for municipalities.

What comes next

Several milestones are dated in the post. Farm subsidy payments are due by the end of November, and the 3% rate for eligible debtors starts on 1 December. The price initiative runs to the end of 2026, while the 90 priorities cover the next six months. The articles give no start date for survey work on the cable.