Thessaloniki Fair 2026: blessing with Mitsotakis, address in the evening

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis arrived at the “Ioannis Vellidis” Conference Centre shortly before 10:00 on Saturday morning, 5 September 2026, to attend the blessing ceremony at the opening of the 90th International Thessaloniki Fair. Metropolitan Philotheos of Thessaloniki conducted the blessing. After the ceremony, the Prime Minister toured the fair’s exhibition stands, conversing with exhibitors and visitors. This year’s event marks ninety years of operation of the institution, which traditionally serves as the backdrop for major government announcements of economic policy. The opening took place under enhanced security measures around the exhibition space. During his tour of the stands, the Prime Minister was briefed on exhibits and activities from companies in various sectors of the economy, and exchanged brief conversations with staff and visitors to the fair. His presence at the morning part of the event is considered a customary formal element of the opening of the Thessaloniki Fair, separate from the evening political address that follows.

In the evening of the same Saturday, at 20:00, the Prime Minister is expected to deliver from the Vellidios stage the traditional opening address of the Thessaloniki Fair, which this year takes on particular significance. According to press reports, this year’s address is not expected to have the character of a usual annual package of measures, but to serve as the opening of a new four-year government cycle, with a horizon until 2030-2031. This shift, if confirmed, would signal a change in the way economic policy is presented through the Thessaloniki Fair, with long-term planning instead of isolated annual announcements. The government has not officially confirmed the content of the address before its delivery.

In the framework of preparation for the address, the Press has recorded a series of measures expected to be included in the package, without these having been officially announced. Among the measures mentioned, the following are expected: a 150-euro holiday allowance per child in December 2026, an increase in the annual allowance for pensioners from 300 to 450 euros, an increase of approximately 2.7% in main pensions, an increase in the minimum wage, a reduction in insurance contributions, tax relief for businesses and farmers, expansion of the “My Home 3” housing programme, an increase in heating allowance and a reduction in VAT to 6% for diapers and child care products. The total value of the package is estimated, according to the same press reports, at approximately 2 billion euros. Further developments in political news are expected to emerge after the address.

None of the above measures have been formalised, and the final content of the address may differ in extent or detail from what has been pre-published so far. The official announcement is expected to be made exclusively from the Vellidios stage in the evening of Saturday, when the Prime Minister will present the full economic policy programme of the government. Until then, what circulates remains estimates and press information, not official government commitment or announcement. The course of the evening address is expected to largely determine the climate of the new political period opening with this year’s Thessaloniki Fair. Until the address is delivered, any reference to specific amounts or measures remains a press forecast and not a government announcement.