The day after for the Greek economy

Once again, our country and its citizens rose to the occasion and faced the consequences and challenges of the pandemic with courage, unity and determination. The government’s response to the  crisis  and the assistance from the European Union, supported by the rapid pace of vaccinations, helped reduce the impact of the pandemic and put the country on a solid base for economic growth.

Greece has shown once again  that  with will, support and strength, it can rise to the challenge. Growth will come, not only from tourism revenues expected to be higher than last year, but also from committing to the plan to make Greece a modern European country. Achieving this requires the establishment of a plan to significantly increase GDP and reduce unemployment and public debt in the coming years.

Although much has been  said  about growth, that it will come from the rapid and substantial absorption of European funds, this alone is not enough and other actions must be taken.

Firstly, the public sector’s efficiency needs to be improved by developing and properly utilizing technology, as in the last 18 months. This will help reduce costs but also increase transparency.

Next, it is important to formulate a steady fiscal policy that will provide incentives for growth and attract capital and investment from abroad. Important steps have already been taken in this direction – something that should have been done earlier – yet they show that our policy must rely on the principle that investment is not only for the short term, but also has multiple long-term benefits.

The day after must be built on a common objective: the country’s growth. Over the last 20 years, Greece has established itself on a new trajectory. The economic recession and now the pandemic crisis have revealed the country’s reflexes, which it wants to improve further. Modern changes in technology, in the workplace, in fiscal policy and in pension policy are laying the foundations for a better future.

With our focus on a better future, we, as professionals and citizens of this country, must contribute to the development of a modern and European Greece.

We all need to use our skills and experience acquired abroad  to  contribute in an objective and decisive way to the proliferation of digital acceleration, to the integration of modern corporate governance tools, to tackling climate change and to providing technical support for the quick and efficient absorption of resources.

We have a duty to win this bet for the next generation.