Greek prime minister presses for reforms ahead of Berlin visit
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday appealed to his ministers to sustain the momentum of reform efforts as he prepared for talks on Thursday in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
A cabinet meeting on Wednesday focused on finalizing the provisions of a bill aimed at boosting growth by removing the barriers to investment in Greece. The bill is expected to be put up for public discussion over the next week and certainly before Mitsotakis takes the stage before Greek business leaders at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) next weekend. The government is planning to submit to Parliament another bill setting out his promised tax cuts, Kathimerini understands.
On his scheduled return to Athens from Berlin on Thursday night, Mitsotakis is expected to start preparing for the TIF where it is thought he may herald yet another round of tax reductions.
The premier’s aides on Wednesday again sought to play down the prospect for developments on key issues of concern, such as Greece’s high primary surplus targets. Mitsotakis is not meeting with Merkel “to broach subjects that can be resolved with the institutions and the Eurogroup,” one source said, referring to Greece’s international creditors.
Although the issue is expected to be raised, talks are expected to cover the economy more broadly – including Mitsotakis’ investment drive – as well as migration in the view of the increased influx of arrivals Greece has seen from Turkey over the summer.
Mitsotakis is also to meet with German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz for talks expected to focus on Greece’s ongoing reform efforts.
