Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis travelled to Berlin for an official visit to boost Greco-German relations. On Monday, the Greek PM discussed with CDU leader Friedrich Merz at an event organised by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation entitled Greece and Europe: a new chapter with Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Friedrich Merz.
Mitsotakis reiterated his support for the European Commission’s proposal for “ownership” of the fiscal path of each EU Member State, but also for budgetary flexibility in exchange for the consistent implementation of reforms given the reform of the European Stability Pact.
Specifically, the Greek PM noted that “we must avoid the past mistakes, where we had very great austerity and draconian fiscal measures, resulting in a new cycle of recession and the inability to achieve our fiscal targets.” The Greek PM added, “Our fiscal discipline is non-negotiable; through a pro-growth policy, it is my commitment to the Greek citizens not to go through what happened in 2010 with the financial crisis again.”
Naturally, Mitsotakis also referred to Greece’s macroeconomic output, proving that the country has left the debt crisis years behind. The PM elaborated, “We have reduced unemployment, attracted investment and returned the investment grade. This marks the end of a painful decade. Now, it is a matter of bringing Greece in line with Europe. Remember that we have lost 25 per cent of our GDP in recent years. The Greece you remember during the crisis no longer exists.”
Mitsotakis’ discussion with Merz also focused on geopolitics. Regarding the conflict between Israel and Hamas – and specifically Turkey’s role in it – the Greek PM noted, “I have already met Recep Tayyip Erdogan twice in recent months. Obviously, I totally disagree with his comments on Hamas, but that is no reason why I should not welcome him to Greece in a little less than a month, where we will discuss our bilateral relations. It is in all our interests that the conflict between Israel and Hamas does not escalate.”
Mitsotakis will meet with the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, tomorrow. It is noted that the relationship between the two administrations has been strained due to Germany’s close ties with Turkey but also due to its insistence not to heavily sanction Russia in the early phases of the current war in Ukraine. In other words, Mitsotakis’ visit to Berlin offers both governments the opportunity to reset their bilateral relationship and work together on the mutual challenges they are facing as allies within the EU and NATO.
