Mitsotakis: We are ready for the leap
Economy is able to recover the ground lost by the pandemic and head higher, says Mitsotakis
Greece is ready for a growth leap, with the help of the lessons from the pandemic and the financial support from the Next Generation EU fund, so as to create the new economic model it requires to become competitive and innovative, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Tuesday, speaking at the annual general meeting of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV).
“The economic growth will come soon and will certainly be strong. Soon, within 2022, we will have covered the ground lost during the pandemic and rise above those levels afterward,” the PM estimated. “That growth will have very different feature, and we ought to learn the lessons of the pandemic, such as the need to shift to the digital economy and to environmentally friendly development. It should also be one that will reduce inequalities,” he added.
“Greece is well placed to make this growth leap, with many funding tools in place, so that we can cure the main sick man of the Greek economy, which is the investment shortfall we have compared with other eurozone countries.”
He also referred to the three challenges his government has faced since it was voted into power in July 2019 and is determined to meet in full: “A shift of macroeconomic policy away from taxes, the introduction of structural changes and reforms to increase competitiveness and assist in the bridging of inequalities, and the streamlining of the banking system, overcoming the major problem of bad loans.”
Addressing the same event online, the chief executive officer of Pfizer, Albert Bourla, said that “Greece has the momentum to prosper, making the most of the talent and passion of its people. For that the Greek state and businesses have to support the young people, the future of this country,” argued the Thessaloniki-born executive, adding that Greece is one of the main locations for the company’s artificial intelligence development at its Thessaloniki hub.
For his part, the head of SEV, Dimitris Papalexopoulos, claimed that Greek startups have created positive momentum that offers good prospects for innovative entrepreneurship in Greece.
