Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis sought to present Greece as a more credible destination for technology investment and skilled workers during an appearance in San Francisco, where he also confirmed that he intends to seek a third consecutive term in office.
Speaking with Connie Loizos, general manager and editor in chief of TechCrunch, at an Endeavor Greece event titled “The Future of AI Elsewhere,” Mitsotakis focused much of the discussion on investment, Greece’s emerging technology sector and the return of Greeks who left the country during the financial crisis.
He also argued that closer links with Silicon Valley could help Greece attract capital and create the kind of highly skilled jobs that would give more Greeks living abroad the option of returning home. “Greece is no longer the black sheep of Europe,” Mitsotakis said, pointing to economic growth, falling public debt and the country’s borrowing costs as evidence of what he described as a significant change in its economic standing.
He said that shift had been accompanied by the development of a stronger technology and startup sector in Greece. The change, he argued, was not simply a matter of access to capital but also reflected a different attitude among younger Greeks, with more people considering entrepreneurship and starting their own companies.
Digital investment beyond the Recovery Fund
Asked about the fast-approaching end of the EU’s Recovery Fund, Mitsotakis said the EU financing made available in recent years had been used not only to support the economy after the pandemic but also to accelerate Greece’s digital and energy transformation. He pointed to gov.gr, the government’s online services portal, as one example, saying that many procedures that once required visits to public offices can now be completed electronically.
Mitsotakis also referred to a new supercomputer planned for Lavrio. He said the project was intended to provide computing capacity both for the state and for Greece’s startup sector.
The discussion in San Francisco was also aimed at a wider audience of investors and Greek technology professionals abroad. Mitsotakis said Greece wanted to deepen its ties with the Silicon Valley ecosystem and create more opportunities for Greeks working overseas to remain professionally connected to international markets even if they return home.
A third term and a 2030 horizon
The conversation also turned to domestic politics, with Mitsotakis confirming that he plans to seek a third consecutive term as prime minister. He described 2030 as an important political horizon, noting that it will mark 200 years since the creation of the modern Greek state. His government, he said, has a specific view of where the country should be by then.
The PM argued that the gains Greece has made in recent years could be reversed by a change in fiscal and economic policy. In politics, he said, it did not take much for a country to go “off the rails.”
He framed his bid for another term around continuity, but said the next election should be fought over what comes next rather than simply over his government’s record. “Every election should be about the future and not the past,” he said, arguing that the government would need to present voters with its priorities for the next phase.
A pitch to Greeks abroad
Mitsotakis devoted a significant part of the discussion to what is often described by the government as “brain regain” — events staged to encourage skilled Greeks who left during the debt crisis to return. For many younger Greeks, he said, leaving the country during that period was not primarily a matter of choice but a response to a lack of professional opportunities. The government’s aim, he said, was to create conditions that would allow more of them to return if they wanted to, with access to highly skilled jobs and the ability to remain connected to international employers and markets.
He cited tax incentives for people who relocate to Greece as well as the greater flexibility offered by remote work.
Mitsotakis closed with a broader appeal to Greeks living abroad, urging them to take part in the next national election and referring in particular to postal voting. He said Greece’s diaspora should be viewed as more than a source of tourism or family ties. Its relationship with the country, he argued, could also extend to investment, entrepreneurship and political participation.
