During the panel discussion at the 9th Delphi Economic Forum that Mr. Yannis Kourniotis, Partner Lambadarios Law Firm, moderated, the investment gap in infrastructure and Greece's appeal to infrastructure funds were both highlighted.

Group Chief Strategy and IR Officer of Intrakat Group, Mr. Loukas Karalis, said that there is a big infrastructure gap with projects that will require hundreds of billions, mainly in energy and transport.

For our country, he said that it is in a positive momentum and that projects worth 4 billion euros will soon be "running" or delivered, such as the BOAK, E65, and Patra-Pyrgos. He stressed that the backlog of projects by major Greek construction companies has exceeded €16 billion and will reach €20 billion if the resources of the Recovery Fund, which is an important tool for infrastructure, are properly absorbed, resulting in an 8% increase in the contribution of infrastructure to GDP.

However, there are some difficulties in the sector, such as the SSM's restrictions on Greek banks, which also result in a funding gap and payment delays in the execution of projects.

Another major issue is the lack of labour, and the absorption rate of the Recovery Fund seems to have slowed down and needs to be accelerated. Regarding the Intrakat Group's activity in Romania, Karalis said that construction companies need to diversify their area of activity and the country is a good opportunity, as 60 billion euros worth of projects will be "run" from the Recovery Fund in the next four years, while several construction companies have left.

Senior Banker, Managing Director at UniCredit, Advisory & Capital Markets, Mr Thanos Babanakas, pointed out that a significant number of investors are needed to fill the infrastructure gap, which globally is estimated at €1.2 trillion in terms of infrastructure funds, estimated at 500 around the world.

For our country, he said that it is returning as an investment destination, and the areas of investment are carbonization, energy transition, digitalization, and transport. On the factors that will make Greece more attractive to attract foreign funds, he said the state will need to facilitate investment, markets need to be open and stable, data centres and fibre infrastructure need to be prioritised, and a better regulatory framework will be needed.