EBRD chief in Athens to meet ministers, open bank’s local office
The head of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is paying his first visit to Greece since the institution started lending to Greece earlier this year.
“We are determined to make a significant contribution to Greece’s recovery and my visit today will provide us with first-hand insight into the most urgent tasks,” said Sir Suma Chakrabarti, the EBRD president.
“In the first months since we started operating in Greece we have made good progress in laying the foundations for strong delivery. The most important thing now is to act in order to mobilise investment, strengthen the private sector and deepen regional integration.”
Chakrabarti is due to meet Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos, Economy Minister George Stathakis, Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras and the Mayor of Athens, Giorgos Kaminis.
Chakrabarti will will also officially open the EBRD Representative Office in Athens. The office has a staff of eight and is led by Sabina Dziurman, the Regional Director for Greece and Cyprus.
The EBRD started investing in Greece last year on a temporary basis until 2020. It has already invested 320 million euros in six projects and is currently working with the Greek authorities on a country strategy that will define the bank’s activities until 2020.
