Mitsotakis: The startup ecosystem and new technologies change Greece's production model

Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, participated on Monday evening in a discussion with Neil Rimer, co-founder of the Index Ventures company, as part of an event organized by Endeavor Greece entitled "Greece and the world of 2024."

The prospects of the Greek economy, the potential of Greek start-ups, the advantages offered by the country and innovation support policies, the exploitation of artificial intelligence and the role that Greece can play in the sector dominated the discussion.

Referring to the prospects of the Greek economy and asked about the choice of the "Economist" magazine to rank Greece in the first place in terms of performance for 2023, the prime minister noted:

I believe it is an important confirmation of the important work we have done in terms of transforming the Greek economy and placing it on a sustainable development path, while at the same time ensuring that we manage public finances in a responsible manner.

I believe that the startup ecosystem and the investments we have made in new technologies contribute significantly to changing the production model of the Greek economy.

We know that exiting a vicious circle and entering a virtuous circle is a good thing. But there is no room for complacency. We still have a long way to go. There is always a tendency to forget the huge price we had to pay because of the crisis, when we lost 1/4 of our GDP. We know we have to move fast and seize opportunities.

But I believe we will continue to have growth rates that are significantly higher than the rest of the eurozone. We will continue to reduce our debt as a percentage of GDP. We know that we have to continue a tight fiscal policy because the era of loose fiscal policy is over, so we know that we have to run primary surpluses. However, I believe we have proven that one can achieve economic growth, reduce taxes and maintain fiscal discipline at the same time. Many believed that this was not possible.