Government says battle for ‘brain gain’ almost won

Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis referred to the government’s efforts to bring about a so-called “brain gain,” encouraging the return of a generation of young and productive Greeks who had left during the economic crisis, noting during his briefing to the press on Tuesday that this was one “great challenge” that appeared to have been won.

“This is reflected in a new study by the National Documentation Center conducted in October on a sample of citizens who had emigrated during the crisis and returned to Greece in recent years. Based on Eurostat data announced by the Finance Ministry in March 2024, of the 680,000 who had left the country – as calculated by the Bank of Greece – more than 350,000 have now returned – more than half, in other words,” he said.