Economic revival
…There is a scenario according to which the prime minister will be able to curb the growing public disaffection and avert defeat in the next parliamentary elections, or at least minimize the losses. The scenario presupposes, of course, that Costas Simitis will call early elections, the most suitable moment being the autumn of 2003. An essential requirement for the realization of this scenario is the revival of the economy… By autumn 2003 a large number of projects, mainly involving new roads, will have been completed. A large part of the current package of EU funds will have been distributed or approved. The European economy will be back on an upward trend – a development which will increase demand for Greek products and have an overall positive economic effect. The Greek public will have adapted to the new economic environment of the eurozone, and, it is hoped, inflation will have been kept below the 3-percent threshold. On the foreign relations front, Cyprus’s EU accession, which will have been confirmed in the first half of 2003, will also bolster the government’s image – provided that Turkey displays a moderate stance. Finally, one expects that Simitis will have over that period strengthened his European profile, taking advantage of the frequent visits by European leaders in our country that will culminate with the Thessaloniki EU summit in June 2003…
