"Europeans Must Combat Inflation and Energy Efficiency Jointly to Avoid Populism Returning"
In an interview with Thanos Dimadis in New York, the Minister of Development and Investment, Mr. Adonis Georgiadis, stated that Europe must act together to address the severe inflation that affects its member states' economies as the Russian-Ukraine conflict has exacerbated. Mr. Georgiadis even asserted that if the situation does not improve, there is a severe risk that populism will resurface in Europe. "The EU must act swiftly on the issue of energy efficiency because, if it does not act and we have this very large burden on the average citizen's income, it will tap into the forces of populism, and there will be many problems in many European countries." We need a European solution to the issue of inflation since "people are facing real problems," he said.
The Minister of Development and Investments of Greece, Mr. Adonis Georgiadis in New York | Photo Credits: Andrea DAndrea.
Mr. Georgiadis traveled to New York to participate in an investment conference with representatives of the American and international investment environment, including Pfizer's CEO, Mr. Albert Bourla. In response to a question about what message Mr. Georgiadis and the Greek government intend to convey to foreign investors on why they should invest in Greece, Mr. Georgiadis assured that "Greece today is a different country from 2019," noting that this is not about statements but is about tangible facts. It is not just that the Greek government sends its message - he said - "come and invest in Greece," but on the contrary, "we have made legislation, and we have an investment team that assists foreign investors upon request because we respect money and the time of others."
Specifically, he stated, "Markets are witnessing a change in Greece, and interest rates have fallen sharply. We had the best investment record of the last 18 years in 2021, and the country is considered one of the top ten most attractive investment destinations for 2021. Already, investments have begun to flow. During the current pandemic, the unemployment rate in Greece has decreased by more than 4.5 percentage points, and we are no longer the worst country in Europe in terms of unemployment. Therefore, these are not just abstract statements. The image of the country has changed.”
Thanos Dimadis interviews the Minister of Development and Investments, Mr. Adonis Georgiadis | Photo Credit: Andrea D’Andrea
As an example, the Greek Minister of Development and Investment cited Pfizer's investment in Greece: "In New York, during the Capital Link conference, the answer to the question why one should come to invest in Greece was given by one of the CEOs of Phizer, Mr. Albert Bourla. After becoming minister, the first investment I closed in my office was in Phizer's digital center in Thessaloniki. I want to thank M. Bourla for his cooperation (...). The agreement on behalf of the Greek governments was fully respected, as Mr. Bourla himself stated, and he was so pleased that instead of 200 jobs, Pfizer created 700 jobs."
In response to whether Greece will face another cycle of political instability, Mr. Georgiadis acknowledged that "political instability plays a big role in investment" and continued, "Investors always look at the risk associated with a country, and they do not like political instability." However, Greece has political stability today, and it will have political stability in the future (...). "Greece is a country that has been tested in times of great crisis and has endured, and that is now evident to everyone," said Mr. Georgidis, in reference to the previous leftist regime of the SYRIZA party (2015-2019).
Mr. Adonis Georgiadis assured that Greece is a western country where the judiciary operates independently and in which the separation of powers exists. The Greek government has received criticism for its attempts to manipulate press freedom and target journalists. About the criminal prosecution of journalist Kostas Vaxevanis on the charge of forming a criminal gang, Mr. Georgiadis argued that the criticism is incorrect. The Greek government did not prosecute Mr. Vaxevanis, and the case was handled by the Greek Justice,” he said, reassuring that the Greek justice system is independent.
According to the Greek Minister, "either we accept the concept that Justice operates independently, or we are not a western state. If you ask me if I sent a prosecutor to prosecute in Vaxevani, I did not. Neither would I ever think that I would. The prosecutors themselves prosecuted Vaxevanis. To suggest that someone who is a journalist should not be prosecuted is paradoxical. That is if a prosecutor finds out that a journalist has committed murder, should he not be prosecuted because he is a journalist? Perhaps our government failed to explain what the issue is properly," Mr. Georgiadis said.
Thanos Dimadis interviews Adonis Georgiadis in New York.
