Greece’s economy is expanding at an annual rate of 2.3%, outpacing growth in many other European Union countries, Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis said on Friday.
Speaking at the Economist conference in Thessaloniki, Pierrakakis said reforms were the “only way forward” to sustain growth, adding: “Of course, we can do better. We will implement more reforms. People expect more from us.”
He said Greece had corrected past policy mistakes and was now on the right path, citing digitalisation in tax administration as a key achievement. “If you look at what happened in 2008, the economic model had failed; it was based on consumption,” he said.
Pierrakakis pointed to stronger investment and export performance since his government took office. Investments rose from 11% of GDP to 15.3%, though still below the EU average of 21%, while exports climbed from 20% of GDP in 2008 to 42% today, compared with the EU average of 51%.
“The model has changed, but investments in infrastructure are required, along with the removal of certain barriers. We are heading in that direction, and we will succeed,” he said.
Pierrakakis added that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in his address at the Thessaloniki International Fair on Saturday, would not announce new spending measures but outline reforms aimed at strengthening the economy.