PM anticipates reforms for this year

Costas Karamanlis sets out his views on fighting bureaucracy and corruption, and his thoughts on Greece’s relations with Turkey and FYROM

By K.I. Angelopoulos and K.I. Fafoutis - Kathimerini

The Karamanlis government sees this year and the next as extremely crucial for the future of the country’s economy and society. During that time, the prime minister will be obliged to put some order to fiscal issues and to move ahead with the reforms necessary for sound development infrastructures in Greece, where both productivity and competitiveness are at low levels.

In this interview with Kathimerini, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis set out his government’s goals and his own personal view of the way national issues are being handled.

He rejected the possibility of a government reshuffle at this stage.

“I think the ministers need sufficient time to be briefed, to plan and carry out the government’s work. We have only just entered the phase where major reforms are being implemented,” he said.

Karamanlis also announced the reforms that are scheduled for legislative action during 2005 and said that a plan would soon be completed for making organizational changes within the framework of his vision of “rebuilding the state.”

Meanwhile, he said the war against entangled interests was aimed at doing away with a “fixed game” that affected the quality of the democratic process and was an obstacle to growth and the proper functioning of a free economy.

He also explained his strategy for Greece’s relations with Turkey, the Cyprus issue and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).