During the joint press conference on entrepreneurship and business productivity, Kostis Hatzidakis, the Minister of National Economy, announced that Athens had submitted a request to the European Commission to extend the Hercules program by one billion euros.

The Greek government is currently in discussions with the Commission, and a positive response is expected soon, while the announcement of the details for the further privatization of the National Bank is expected.

According to data presented by Kostis Hatzidakis, non-performing loans have fallen from 40% in July 2019 to 7.5% in March 2024, and with the expansion of Hercules, they are expected to fall further.

Without a healthy banking system, there is no economy so that the banking system can support households and businesses, the Minister noted, making special reference to the Attica-Pancreta merger, which he said ended a 12-year pending issue.