PM: Greece an investor focus
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met leading investors and presented investment opportunities in Greece at the investment roadshow held by the Athens Stock Exchange and Morgan Stanley in London on Monday.
He recalled that during his participation last year in London at a similar roadshow, he had set the recovery of investment grade as the highest priority in the economy and maintaining fiscal stability. In terms of the economy, he said his government had a clear mandate for reforms, and his government expected to move ahead with an aggressive agenda. He expressed his satisfaction that Greece managed to attract significant foreign investments while more are interested in becoming part of Greece’s success.
Greek companies’ resilience, especially those present at the roadshow, were a sign of corporate success, not just governmental success, and he expressed satisfaction that they adopted his government’s vision to invest more in their own country and in Greek talent, and to expand abroad.
His concerns in terms of development, Mitsotakis said, were the ingredients of this development: Was it friendly to investments, or was it a development focused on domestic consumption? Was it viable? Was it socially just, focused on issues of inequality, and does it guarantee a true alignment in salaries with the rest of the European Union?
The most important message he wanted to convey to foreign investors was the commitment to reforms, as difficult as they may be. He mentioned especially the issue of tax evasion, particularly by the self-employed, and the bill that aimed to restrict the problem. Its success would mean that the Greek state revenues would rise by half a billion additional euros, he noted.
Mitsotakis also spoke of the “huge Greek talent in universities, which were excluded from the market,” and which would change, and he cited Greek science groups that did well in all international contests abroad, contributing innovations for such things as a diagnostic test for Parkinson’s.
The PM further referred to green energy, plans to produce more energy, measures to counter climate change in Greece, and of management of water resources. He spoke extensively of Greece’s geopolitical location and its unique position for trade.
