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Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis focused on the mass vaccination plan against the coronavirus in Greece, while speaking of unprecedented challenges “on the triple front of the pandemic, the economy, but also national problems.”
As long as mass vaccinations are carried out in the country, “obviously” measures to prevent the transmission of the virus will continue to be applied, the prime minister clarified, emphasizing that it is “two parallel efforts, they are in total interdependence.”
According to him, the stricter the containment measures are observed, the easier it will be to lift the restrictions and the more citizens vaccinated, the closer the end will be to “this great adventure for all Greeks and all Greeks.”
According to the prime minister’s information, on December 26 the first doses will be in Greece and the next day vaccinations will begin in Athens and Thessaloniki, to “gradually expand” to the 1,018 vaccination centers that have already been organized.
As he said, a very detailed plan has been drawn up for the transfer, storage, distribution of the vaccine and an information campaign for the population, as well as for the organization of vaccinations, “with the participation of almost all the Public Administration, the Municipalities , but also where it is necessary, of the Armed Forces “.
Scientific responsibility has been assumed by the National Vaccination Committee.
The project will be supervised by the government’s new Vaccine Coordination and Management Committee, whose establishment will be ratified today. Its president will be the Secretary General of Primary Health Care, his counterparts from the other Ministries, the Ministry of Digital Policy, the Ministry of Citizen Protection, but also a special representative of the head of GEETHA.
In detail, the introductory position of the Prime Minister Kyriakou Mitsotakis at the meeting of the Council of Ministers
Good Morning. Our meeting today completes a great and, I believe, productive cycle of government action. During turbulent 2020, we passed 113 bills, launched dozens of bold reforms, while at the same time facing unprecedented challenges on the triple front of the pandemic, the economy, but also national issues.
But I think today we are turning this positive report into an experience, continuing at the same pace. And that is why one of the topics of our discussion will be the Consolidated Government Plan for 2021.
We have a rich agenda with topics that concern many sectors: Health, Education, Culture, Justice, Public Administration. Everything, however, leads to one goal: on the one hand, the country must remain protected from the coronavirus until the mass vaccination process is completed, and on the other hand, it must have an economic and social roadmap to retake the Thread transition to normality. and development.
Regarding the first, the issue of mass vaccination, I would characterize it as the great national bet in the coming months. Obviously, measures to prevent the spread of the virus will continue to apply during this time. But these are two parallel efforts, they are completely interdependent. The more faithfully the first restrictive measures are observed, that is, the easier it will be to lift the restrictions and the more citizens vaccinated, the closer the end of this great adventure will be for every Greek and every Greek.
As you know, the European authorities have just approved the Pfizer vaccine. According to our information, the first installments will be here on December 26. The next day, vaccinations will begin in Athens and Thessaloniki, gradually expanding to the 1,018 vaccination centers that have already been organized. As you know, there is a very detailed plan for the transportation, storage and distribution of the vaccine. There is a plan, a campaign to inform the population, as well as to organize vaccination, with the participation of almost all the Public Administration, the Municipalities, but also, if necessary, the Armed Forces.
Scientific responsibility for this huge operation has been assumed by the National Vaccination Committee. It is supervised by the new Government Commission for the Coordination and Management of Vaccines, whose constitution we will ratify today in our Council of Ministers. Its president will be the Secretary General of Primary Health Care, his counterparts from the other Ministries, the Ministry of Digital Policy, the Ministry of Citizen Protection, but also a special representative of the head of GEETHA.
Of the legislative initiatives that we will discuss today, let me make a more specific reference to two bills on Education and Culture. The first, about which the Minister of Education Niki Kerameos will speak, updates on the one hand the studies, on the other hand the security in the universities. The introduction of the minimum import base was a pre-electoral commitment of New Democracy. And it provides an elementary level of knowledge for admission to higher education. Niki will explain exactly how the new system will work.
And the fewest number of courses selected on the candidates’ computer directs young children to the fields they really want, rather than a random one, since the current process takes them quite frequently. I want to remind you that 30% of those admitted to higher education today never graduate. And this is a problem that we must face boldly and courageously.
Another important reform that we will discuss today comes to frame the abolition of the anachronistic framework of university asylum, consolidating the proper functioning of Higher Education Institutions. Criminal and disciplinary provisions against anarchy on campus are being strengthened and will now be protected by modern technical means. And a University Foundation Protection Team is founded by trained personnel from the Greek Police. To protect the asylum of ideas and knowledge from the attacks of violence and crime.
I also consider very important the intervention of the Ministry of Culture, which eliminates bureaucracy and adds autonomy to our museums, to our great and emblematic museums, as has already happened with the Acropolis Museum.
From now on, the National Archaeological Museum, the Archaeological Museums of Thessaloniki and Heraklion, the Byzantine Museum, the Museum of Byzantine Culture by Directions of the Ministry of Culture, which it is today, are transformed into independent entities, always under their supervision. They are Legal Entities of Public Law but, now, they can formulate an autonomous policy, managing the same resources as well as sponsorships. After all, culture flourishes when it is emancipated and not when it is guided.
I close with what I started. The Consolidated Government Policy Plan for 2021 will be presented to us by the Minister of State and the Vice Minister, in addition to the Prime Minister. It is a studied program, based on resources, on the one hand, from the state budget but also on the European resources that we have at our disposal. You know very well, their actions are distributed by Ministry and crystallize in the form of very specific measures. Each of them has been budgeted, each of them has its own specific schedule.
At the center of our plan for 2021 is society, protecting the weakest, creating opportunities for those in need. I would like to make a special mention of the National Plan for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which will be implemented from 2021. I also want to make a special mention of the expansion of employment policies. It will be facilitated by a set of policies that range from professional training, the implementation of the bill that we have just approved, to the cultivation of skills in all, so that we can align the needs of the labor market with the offer at the employee level. who want to work in our country today.
And of course, a special objective for 2021 is the launch of the procedures for the creation of the new National Health System, starting with the restoration of an integrated network of Primary Care. These are all just some of the goals outlined in the 73 pages of our unified plan, today we look at them, tomorrow we get down to work and put them into practice.
I wish once again happy holidays, a lot of strength to all, to each one individually. Health first.
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