President Sakellaropoulou receives PM Mitsotakis

President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou on Friday received Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Presidential Mansion.

Mitsotakis wished the president a merry Christmas, adding that "we are now at the end of a very difficult year with many challenges. The year is ending with some good news regarding the course of our economy. I find it extremely hopeful that the Economist declared Greece the 'Country of 2023', recognising the huge efforts, primarly of the Greek people, to leave the difficult years of the crisis behind for good."

Mitsotakis, referring to higher education, said: "As you are aware the Cabinet approved a historic, I believe, reform, the abolition in practice of the state's monopoly on higher education to allow the founding of non-state, non-profit universities".

The premier also said that "as you see the government as a whole is very active in terms of implementing significant changes and this is what we will continue to do in 2024 as well." He also noted the focus during the holidays on the more vulnerable members of society, pointing to the 700-plus million euros disbursed as special support measures for such groups, while adding that much of this amount was the result of the good performance of the economy.

On her part, Sakellaropoulou said that the news was good for the economy, its growth and Greece's image abroad. "I had the opportunity to confirm it during my recent trip, they are impressed by the performance of the Greek economy," she said, while adding that the big wager remains everyday life and high prices. "It is very important to send the message that inspections will continue and everyone should be very cautious. The issue of education is very important for the next generations, for all of us. The year was difficult but I believe it has a happy end, let's continue on this course to be able to have brighter days," she said.