Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis participated last night in an event organized by Endeavor Greece on the theme "Greece and the World in 2024."

The prospects of the Greek economy, the potential of Greek startups, the advantages the country offers, and policies supporting innovation, the utilization of artificial intelligence, and the role Greece can play in the field were at the center of the discussion.

Referring to the prospects of the Greek economy and asked about the choice of "The Economist" to rank Greece first in terms of performance for 2023, the Prime Minister noted:

"We know that exiting a vicious cycle and entering a virtuous cycle is something good. But there is no room for complacency. We still have a long way to go. There is always a tendency to forget the enormous price we had to pay because of the crisis when we lost a quarter of our GDP. We know that we must move quickly and seize opportunities. Whenever we have the opportunity to surpass others, we must be bold enough to at least explore these options.

However, I believe that we will continue to have growth rates significantly higher than the rest of the eurozone. We will continue to reduce our debt as a percentage of GDP. We know that we must continue a prudent fiscal policy because the era of loose fiscal policy has ended, so we know that we must generate primary surpluses. However, I believe that we have proven that one can achieve economic growth, reduce taxes, and maintain fiscal discipline simultaneously. Many believed that this was not possible.

"It was a very pleasant surprise that 'The Economist' ranked us as the economy with the best performance, as the market with the best performance among all OECD countries, examining various indicators. I believe it is a significant confirmation of the significant work we have done in transforming the Greek economy and placing it on a sustainable development path while ensuring responsible management of public finances. Of course, I believe that part of the success of the Greek economy is also related to the fact that we have achieved diversification beyond certain sectors, which are still crucial for Greek growth, such as tourism, and turned to new areas.

I believe that the ecosystem of startups and the investments we have made in new technologies contribute significantly to changing the productive model of the Greek economy. When I look at the major indicators, yes, the growth rate is certainly very important, but I am more concerned with the reduction of unemployment, the increase in average wages, and, of course, the fact that the Greek economy has become much more outward-looking in recent years. Exports account for 50% of our GDP, evenly distributed between goods and services. I consider this to be perhaps the best indicator that our strategy is really working. I believe we are just at the beginning."