Dombrovskis message to Greece: Don’t slow down because of the elections

It is important that Greece continues to implement the reforms and investments of the Recovery and Resilience Fund throughout the election period. This is the message sent by the vice-president of the European Commission, Valdis Dombrovskis, through the interview he granted to the special edition of Kathimerini “K-Ephichirein” and Vassilis Kostoula.

“More generally, political ownership is key to delivering agreed reforms and investments, and the Commission believes that all political parties are aware of the social and economic importance of Greece’s Recovery and Resilience Plan“, states Mr. Dombrovskis while noting that “as a rule, the Commission does not comment on the politics of the parties and the possible results of the elections in the member states”.

Commenting on Greece’s performance in the period of post-program supervision, the vice-president of the Commission emphasizes that Greece has “taken the necessary measures to fulfill its specific commitments regarding the latest package of debt relief measures”.

It once again underlines the findings of the first post-program surveillance report for Greece of significant progress in various areas such as fiscal policy, tax administration, justice, financial sector reforms, the Land Registry and privatization, but notes that more progress is needed on issues such as primary health care reform and clearing arrears, where more work is needed to fully achieve the targets.

The importance of the Recovery Fund

“Greece has presented a solid, well-balanced plan of investments and reforms that foresee a comprehensive, well-balanced response to its economic and social situation,” he emphasizes in response to a question about the Recovery Fund.

He emphasizes that the Recovery Fund is not only about financial support, but also aims to bring about a structural transformation of the economy.

“Its implementation will help Greece do just that: move forward with the green and digital transition and implement further reforms in the business environment, labor market and institutional framework, including public administration, tax administration and the judicial system. These are expected to improve the investment climate in Greece, boost the competitiveness of Greek businesses, help them grow and create jobs: new, sustainable jobs for the future».

Mr. Dombrovskis, while noting that Greece is among the pioneers in the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Plan, points out that the challenge remains to implement such an ambitious plan. “Going forward, it will be vital that we maintain the same level of ambition and pace of implementation“, he says characteristically.

Temporary and targeted measures

Responding to a question about inflation and energy costs, the vice-president of the Commission notes that energy prices are expected to decrease gradually during 2023.

Commenting on support measures against increased prices it says that most measures do not seem to target vulnerable households and businesses and most do not fully maintain the price signal to reduce energy demand and increase energy efficiency.

“This is happening in Greece as in many other EU countries. We encourage Greece to ensure that support measures are temporary and increasingly focused on the most vulnerable households and businesses“, states Mr. Dombrovskis.

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