Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras pledged to support financially the transport between the islands with the mainland. He said he will subsidize ferry tickets for islanders and the extra cost of transporting goods to and from the islands.
Our goal is that this measure to not apply only to the Dodecanese or the islands of East Aegean Sea but every islander,” Tsipras said stressing that the measure will be implemented as of 2019 onward.
Tsipras made the pledges during his visit to the island of Kalymnos where he attended the Epiphany ceremonies.
Greece is entering an “era of normalcy”, he said adding
“A new, better day is dawning for the country […] We are entering an era of normalcy, with new challenges opening before us, but with more determination to overcome them,” he said at the Culture Center where he was made an honorary citizen of Kalymnos
He said that, unlike the previous governments, his government is achieving an exit from the bailout programs and the crisis.
Tsipras thanked and expressed gratitude towards the Army Forces serving on Kalymnos and surrounding islands for “holding our flag high” adding that “Greece is defending and will defend its sovereign rights, its borders, which are also borders of the EU, with unwavering determination.”
And where does he have money for these subsidies? Subsidies are a very bad idea, they’ll just make the ferry boat owners richer ! Instead they should work on making ferries cheaper by changing laws related to the ferry sector and stopping them colluding on price !