His article Yannis Economou with Title “Economy and Conservatism” published by Kathimerini do Kyriaki.

Read her MP’s article New Republic:

The multiple crises, which affect both Europe as a whole and our country especially after 2010, have brought to the fore a broader discussion about traditional principles and values. A number of scientists and politicians, across the political spectrum, advocate a violent modernization and a radical silkification. That is, they believe that in a rapidly changing world we need to change everything, even changing the meaning and content of the traditional values ​​and principles that brought us here. Their main argument is that this way we will be better prepared to welcome and manage the future that is coming. I believe that this trend is dangerous and entails risks not only social and cultural, but also economic and political.

The values ​​of a society, moral and political, constitute the condensed wisdom of centuries, which comes to serve the collective. After the European Enlightenment, this collective is the nation-state. In the context of the nation-state, the rights and freedoms of the citizens are simultaneously guaranteed, since the nation-state of the Enlightenment is also a rule of law. Today, there is no other institution, apart from the nation-state of law, capable of more effectively defending both our collective and individual rights.

The path to the future, necessary over time for the development of culture and society, needs stable points of reference. The great seafarers and explorers set sail and eventually got somewhere because they had fixed points of reference: their starting port, magnetic north, and certain stars. Without stable values ​​and principles any journey into the unknown future is more like diving into the void. After all, the creation of the new needs a stable substrate. The maintenance of this collective substrate, the principles and values ​​that constitute and govern our nation and our state, is therefore necessary for reasons not only of identity but also of practicality, especially in the economy.

Every state takes care of the economy, as a means of realizing the individual aspirations of the citizens and promoting the overall well-being. But we know from the work of philosophers like Aristotle and Adam Smith that economics is not a value-neutral activity. Values ​​such as justice, honesty, reciprocity, are fundamental to healthy entrepreneurship within the nation-state, as this is the only way to maintain business fair-play and serve the well-being of the community. Moral values ​​are central to economic progress, as they have a regulatory role and guide decision-making and action.

Important modern scientists (for example I mention Amartya Sen and Michael Sandel) have pointed out the dangers for the economy of the absence of moral values. The basic principle of any economy is faith. Honesty and reliability are pillars of sound business, in an environment of justice, so that no room is left to falsify any aspect of economic activity.

The economic miracle that took place after the Second World War in Greece, especially at the level of small and medium entrepreneurship, was supported by values ​​and principles. Honesty, integrity, reliability, reputation, solidarity, initiative, justice, philanthropy, were the foundations of Greek business. At the same time, the Greek Judiciary guaranteed fair play, so that there was no room for fraud. The stubborn maintenance of such traditional moral principles is a necessary condition for the further approach of strategic investments and the further upgrading of the Greek economy.