Greek FinMin says time is right to start drafting growth plan
Finance Minister Gikas Hardouvelis has called for Greece to focus on developing a “National Growth Plan” as it exits the bailout era.
Writing in Sunday’s Kathimerini, Hardouvelis argues that the country needs to focus on ways to make its economy more export-oriented. “We are leaving the six years of recession, unemployment, lower incomes, pain and anger behind,” writes the recently appointed minister, who said Greece cannot go back to having a consumption-driven economy. “The challenge we face is to envision a future that is different from our recent past.”
Hardouvelis reveals the coalition is working on a scheme aimed at helping certain sectors of the economy grow. These include tourism, agricultural production, energy, logistics, shipping, pharmaceuticals, metals and construction materials, business services and research. He says that added value must be created by “greater technological content, innovation and knowledge.”
