Greece fully implemented its Public Investment Development Program in 2025, spending 14.6 billion euros ($16.0 billion) and marginally exceeding its approved budget, the finance ministry said.
Official data showed expenditures reached 100.08% of the programme’s allocation, reflecting what the ministry described as solid economic performance and effective absorption of national and European funds.
Of the total spending, 2.85 billion euros came from national resources, 6.86 billion euros from co-financed programmes and 4.9 billion euros from the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).
Deputy Finance Minister Nikos Papathanasis said Greece recorded economic growth well above the euro zone average in 2025 while pursuing development policies with a social focus. He described the full execution of the public investment programme as evidence of progress.
Papathanasis said spending under the programme reached a 15-year high last year and is expected to rise to 16.7 billion euros in 2026. He added that Greece ranks among the EU’s top performers in absorbing European funds through both the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) and the RRF.
Looking ahead to 2026, Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis has said the government expects continued growth driven by investment and fiscal discipline. The ministry has projected gross domestic product growth of 2.4% this year, investment growth of 10.2%, unemployment falling to 8.6% and inflation easing to 2.2%. The government is also targeting a primary budget surplus of 2.8%.
Economists, however, caution that Greece faces a more challenging phase as funding from the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility begins to taper off. Greece has been allocated a total of 35.95 billion euros under the RRF, known as the “Greece 2.0” plan, split between grants and low-interest loans.
By late 2025, the country had absorbed around 65% of the total allocation, according to official data. Analysts say future growth will increasingly depend on private investment and exports rather than state-led projects financed by EU funds.
Despite improving macroeconomic indicators, economists note that high food and housing costs continue to strain household budgets, while labour shortages persist in sectors such as construction, tourism and technology. Greece also faces long-term challenges related to productivity, the dominance of small businesses and the economic impact of climate-related disasters.