The national challenges in today’s European, and wider international context, were the subject of a discussion held by the State Secretary to the Prime Minister Thanasis Kontogeorgis at the Delphi Economic Forum.

“The regional development is a national goal, the Prime Minister has set it, it is a condition of survival and sustainability of the country. We have two challenges ahead of us: That of regional convergence and that of internal convergence at the level of a prefecture,” he noted at the beginning of the debate, while pointing out that Greek regions have made strides in competitiveness and are better off than in 2014. The same is true in the employment sector: “In all regional units we have 30%-70% reduction in unemployment, but with fluctuations.” While “in purchasing power, with a lot of effort we have reached 2014 levels,” he said, explaining that although “in Attica we are at pre-decade levels,” on the contrary, “in the region we are not.”

In response to a related question, Thanasis Kontogeorgis focused on three regions with problems, but with different characteristics: island North Aegean, Northern Epirus and Eastern Macedonia-Thrace, a region characterised by interregionalism.

At this point, however, the deputy minister approached the issue from a European perspective, saying that “20% of the European population, about 80-90 million people, are living in the region., live in regions that have had zero growth over the last 20 years. It is not just a Greek phenomenon,” he explained. “The national objective is to protect resources, but, above all, to know in advance what to do with them,” he added.

The war in Middle East but also the end of the Recovery and Resilience Fund are bringing “a revival” to Europe. “I see that there is at the highest level a sense of urgency,” he noted, adding:

“Now that Europe is conquering its strategic autonomy, it cannot let a single minute go to waste. That is why I believe that within the framework of the Greek Presidency, as a last resort and with the then Greek Prime Minister, who will have to demonstrate diplomatic ability and capacity, (we) must close the European budget“. And for the rest of us, on 1/1/2028 “we should be ready with a plan for the whole country“.

In addition, he continued, “in the European budget there is a first consensus at 2.2 trillion., of which 80% will be directed to Cohesion, Society and Convergence, and Common Agricultural Policy. Some countries want more resources for competitiveness“. While also noting that “in the Recovery and Resilience Fund our country has demonstrated a capacity to be able to respond to performance-based programmes“.

And on the occasion of his presence at the General Assembly of the Central Union of Greek Chambers, tomorrow, Saturday, in Karditsa, noted that “the chambers and small and medium-sized enterprises are factors of cohesion“.

The debate ended with the question of the timing of elections: here the Deputy Prime Minister had the opportunity to say that “governments are elected every four years to show their work, also to deal with crises – unfortunately there have been several over the years. But the government, with steady steering wheel, has shown results and has contributed, together with the Greek people, to preventing Greek society from sinking in many of these cases. Society came out learnt after a 10-year crisis,” he said, stressing in the meantime:

“The government needs to complete its cycle. We have 12-14 months of work to deal with the aftermath of the crisis, to help where the need is greatest, to implement the work both nationally and locally. We have made several commitments, which we have to implement in the next 14 months. At the same time, we must also show the proposal for the next day. We must not be overwhelmed by optimism and catastrophism. Our country has taken steps, it has acquired a different national confidence. What matters is that every citizen receives it, inside and outside of quotes, and feels that they are part of the effort. This mobilization enables all of society to move forward,” Thanasis Kontogeorgis concluded.