ΧΡ. ΣΤΑΪΚΟΥΡΑΣ
- 30 Apr 2023
- economy
A zero primary deficit for 2022 was announced by Finance Minister Christos Staikouras, speaking at the Ministry of Finance's event on the theme: "Greek Economy: Resilience - Progress - Prospects", with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis as speaker, in the presence of Eurogroup President Pascal Donakhios.
As Mr. Staikouras mentioned, "we zeroed out the primary deficit of 2023" which, according to the 2023 Budget report, was estimated to reach 1.6% of GDP.
The minister emphasized the fact that during the four years the government managed to keep society upright and the economy alive, despite the great difficulties it faced, such as the pandemic, the energy crisis, etc., and this was achieved with measures totaling 57 billion . euro.
"The state bravely supported households and businesses. It created many good jobs. We have achieved all this by building our policies on the cornerstones of reliability. We did what we said, we kept the pre-election promises," he said. "We have made our economy stand out for high resilience, progress and strong dynamics that have laid the foundations for even greater achievements, for better jobs, for better pay, for more prosperity for all," he added.
Mr. Staikouras referred to the role of the EU as a strong partner, and he also described the role played by the president of the Eurogroup in initiating solutions and contributing to decisive decisions for the Greek economy.
"Our achievements strengthen the optimism that we can succeed in the future", he noted, acknowledging that the situation is fluid. "We do not deny that the situation is fluid, nor that there were no mistakes and omissions. We don't hide the problems under the carpet, we try to fix them honestly away from populism and elitism practices. In order to build a homeland of high demands, we must build a more productive state that will reflect the demands of modern society for a combination of efficiency and social cohesion," he said.
Referring to the May 21 election, he said citizens will judge and compare. "I estimate that they will choose a ND government that acts responsibly, has a vision and a plan for the homeland, reduces taxes and contributions, supports the disposable income of citizens, that strengthens the country's prestige and image abroad, that builds strong alliances and upgrades the geopolitical footprint," he said.
