Thessaloniki International Fair
Annual trade fair in Thessaloniki where Greek prime ministers set policy.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis chose the Thessaloniki International Fair on 5 September to extend Greece's halt on new short-let registrations in central Athens and in Thessaloniki's historic core to 31 December 2027.
Last refreshed: 3 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Why do Greek prime ministers announce housing policy at a trade fair?
Timeline for Thessaloniki International Fair
Hosted the 5 September announcement
Nomads & Communities: Greece plans to keep Athens lets frozenBackground
The Thessaloniki International Fair is an annual trade fair held each September in Thessaloniki, Greece's second city. It was first held in 1926. Its opening weekend is the customary occasion on which the Greek prime minister sets out the government's economic programme for the year ahead.
His 5 September 2026 address there pushed the freeze on new short-let registrations, which covers central Athens and the historic core of Thessaloniki, to the end of 2027.
That tradition makes the fair a fixture of the policy calendar as much as a commercial exhibition. Greek governments often unveil measures on taxes, wages and housing from its stage.
Its podium extended the Athens freeze
The fair's 2026 edition supplied the stage for Greece's housing announcement. At the opening on 5 September, Mitsotakis said new short-let registrations in central Athens would remain frozen until 31 December 2027, with the historic core of the fair's own host city under the same freeze.
The pledge therefore lands on the doorstep of the venue that carried it. At the time of the speech no ministerial decision giving the extension legal effect had been found, so the end date rests on words spoken from the fair's podium. Greek prime ministers use the opening weekend each September to set out the year's economic programme, which is why housing policy arrived at a trade fair.
Where did Mitsotakis announce the short-let freeze extension?
What is the Thessaloniki International Fair?
When is the Athens short-let freeze due to end?
