PM discusses prospects for Greek economy Kyriakos Mitsotakis with AXIA Ventures Group Co-Founder and Managing Director George Linatsa, and in this context, the Prime Minister noted that “Greece has turned the page” and is now considered by many to be a pillar of stability and investment opportunity. He also stressed that we have “a better understanding of the priorities we want to manage”, but also that it is equally important to “stay on the same path”. He called getting out of the energy crisis a difficult task and referred to the research activities initiated by our country, as well as its strategic alliances. However, Mr. Mitsotakis was also asked about the stakes of the upcoming national elections and he also mentioned the digital transformation of our country.

“It is clear that Greece has turned the page and that the Greece of 2022 entering 2023 cannot be compared to the Greece of the crisis. And it was important for us, that is, to change the perception of the country,” the Prime Minister said in a conversation with Giorgos Linats.

“Greece is now seen by many as a pillar of stability and an important investment opportunity”

In the context of the discussion, which was attended by representatives of more than 70 international investment schemes, the Prime Minister emphasized that “Greece is now seen by many as a pillar of stability and an important investment opportunity, while other European countries are facing significant challenges. And I think we’ve made good use of our systemic comparative advantage.”

He stressed: “We are in our fourth year of government. We will have elections in 2023, we have a very ambitious reform agenda. Anyway, we also learned from our mistakes. And I am very strict with my team and my ministers to always look at what we do well and look at what we did not do well. Therefore, I believe that in the second term we will focus even more on reforms. And for that matter, our mood for reform is now much higher.”

He further noted that “we also have a much better understanding of the priorities we want to manage, but in general the challenge is to stay on track. I have always argued that Greece needs two full terms of government to really put it on a different trajectory. I think we have done an important piece of work. But there is so much more to be done. I believe that if the government stays in power for two terms, then it is very difficult to reverse the progress made.”

The energy crisis is a challenge

Kyriakos Mitsotakis has called dealing with the energy crisis a big challenge for him this winter, but as he said, “I think we still have some tools that we haven’t used to their full potential. There is a lot of money coming from the Recovery and Resilience Fund (RRF), especially to Greece, to help cushion the blow and avoid a recession in 2023. eurozone economy in 2023, and at the same time, we need to ensure that innovative public policy initiatives are put in place to get the money to support vulnerable businesses and households.”

At the same time, he noted that “we have started research activities after ten years of relevant discussions in the southwest of Crete and in the southwest of the Peloponnese, where there are indications that significant reserves of natural gas may be discovered. We do this together with ExxonMobil, HELLENiQ Energy (formerly Hellenic Petroleum). We need to know if there is anything worth studying. And I think we’ll get results very, very soon.”

“I think we are in a good position in terms of alliances. We have not only a strategic alliance with a member of the European Union, but also a strong strategic alliance with France. We also have a very close relationship with the United States. Our relationship with the US is better than ever,” he said.

“I think we are a good government. The world trusts us

Asked about the stakes for the upcoming national elections, Kyriakos Mitsotakis said: “I think we have a good government. We are trusted. We made mistakes, but we were honest in admitting them and trying to take the initiative to correct them. The opposition has not changed at all. If you look at SYRIZA and Mr. Tsipras today, they are saying the same thing they were saying in 2015. It’s shocking that they didn’t learn anything from their defeat and that they still behave in the same arrogant manner. We had Tsipras for four years, and now we have our own government for four years. I think the comparison is very clear. People are concerned about the economy, and they are also very concerned about geopolitics. They want to be sure they can sleep at night without worrying about the direction of the country.”

Regarding Greece’s digital transformation, the Prime Minister noted that his goal would be for technology to account for 10% of the country’s GDP in the next five years. “What has happened in terms of the digital revolution in Greece, I think, by all objective criteria, is impressive. First, in terms of interaction between citizens and the state, it was a complete transformation. Our website gov.gr has truly changed the way businesses and citizens interact with government. And I think it really was an opportunity for us to outperform other countries. If you look at our vaccination program, it was completely digital. The EU digital certificate was our idea. Thus, we are truly pioneers at the European level in various aspects of digital transformation. This was unthinkable three years ago. But if you also look at the tech ecosystem, it really thrives in Greece. Lots of interesting companies doing interesting things. Lots of foreign investment in these areas, from data analytics to big data centers. All major technology companies are present in Greece and are actively investing in the country,” said Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Source: APE/MEB