Mr Mitsotakis at a Reuters conference: Growth could exceed 4.5% in 2022

LAST UPDATE: 14.25

Greece expects to exceed the growth of 4.5% projected to have in 2022, Kyriakos Mitsotakis said today, in an interview with journalist Mark Bendeich, in the context of the Reuters NEXT digital conference, adding that the country expects a successful tourist season, unless there are serious complications with the pandemic.

In particular, the Prime Minister, when asked if the Greek authorities insist on their forecast for growth of 4.5% in 2022, said: “It may be higher than this percentage.”

“As long as there are no major problems with the pandemic, assuming that the pandemic will gradually lead to an end in the first half of 2022, I am very optimistic about the prospects of the Greek economy,” said Kyriakos Mitsotakis and reiterated his assessment for growth above 7% in 2021.

In addition, the Prime Minister noted that the country has a plan to return to fiscal sustainability, and that he expects the rules of the existing Stability and Growth Pact to change, taking into account the lessons from the financial crisis and also the lessons from the pandemic.

Mr. Mitsotakis estimated that Greece will achieve the investment level later by the beginning of 2023.

At the same time, he stated that Greece plans to have a very successful tourist season in 2022, hoping that it will have effectively dealt with the severity of the new wave of the pandemic.

“Significant increase in appointments for the first installment after the announcement of the obligation”

“Within the first 24 hours since the announcement of the measure on the compulsory vaccination of citizens over 60 years of age, we have recorded a significant increase in the appointments made for the vaccination dose. I am sure that we are following an effective policy,” he said. in our country with the pandemic.

On the day of the adoption of this measure by the Greek Parliament – he characterized it as a proportional response in relation to the delays in the vaccination rate – Mr. Mitsotakis explained that the government had previously exhausted all available means of persuasion, adding that the elderly vaccinated are 90 % of those occupying ICU beds in hospitals.

The prime minister described the monthly administrative fine of 100 euros as reasonable, stressing that this will be confirmed by the tax authorities. “We must accelerate the vaccination rate for both the first dose and the booster dose,” said Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who recalled that Greece was the first country at EU level. which allowed the entire population access to the third dose of the vaccine.

Asked about this, the Prime Minister pointed out that “at the moment there is no plan in the government to extend the measure of obligation to other age groups”, stressing that for the time being we are focusing on this age group, as it is the one that puts a lot of pressure on the NSS and makes it difficult to treat our fellow citizens who have health problems other than Covid – 19 disease.