By Penelope Galliou

After a long period of time and with the facts of the European and world economy having changed, since the economy was high on the agenda of the European leaders, the issues of the economy are returning to the “front line” today, with the interest being focused on today’s Summit of Eurozone leadersin the presence of the president of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde, and the president of the Eurogroup, Pascal Donahue.

In this Synod, the Greek prime minister moves, trying to form a united front of the countries of the south, Greece, Italy and Portugal, for the rules of economic governance.

According to information, at the initiative of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, a joint meeting will be held this morning with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and his Portuguese counterpart Antonio Costa, with the aim of coordinating the three countries and supporting the position of the Prime Minister that this important discussion for the rules of economic governance, it should also be done at the level of European leaders and not only at the Eurogroup so that the decisions are taken ideally by the end of the year.

According to government sources, the Greek prime minister is expected to point out the need for the debate on fiscal rules to be based on real economic data and not on stereotypes of the past that do not correspond to reality, nor on internal political calculations. Sending a message against repeating the counterproductive policies of extreme fiscal restraints of the past.

Both at the European Council and at today’s Eurosummit, which have as their object the competitiveness of the European economy, as the Prime Minister emphasized when he arrived at the Summit: “Greece comes to this discussion from a much strengthened position in relation to where it was in 2019. With an economy that is growing rapidly, with unemployment on the decline, public debt as a percentage of GDP decreasing at the fastest rate in the entire European Union and with our country now a champion in relation to the historical statistics in attracting foreign investment”.

On the sidelines of the Synod as well as the tripartite meeting of Greece, Italy, Portugal, it is not excluded that there will be a second bilateral four-four between Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his Italian counterpart regarding the issue that opened up after the Tempe accident, regarding the re-evaluation of the contract with Hellenic Train with the aim of investing in better trains in Greece. A meeting which, even if it is not reached in Brussels today, cannot be ruled out to be scheduled in due course in the next period.