Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis highlighted the policies Greece has pursued to confront the challenges and global crises of recent years during a roundtable discussion at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University on Tuesday, Sept. 22.
Mitsotakis appeared alongside former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the institution’s director, in a discussion centered on Greece’s economic growth, its strengthened international standing and efforts to tackle inequality.
He said the Greek economy was growing faster than the European Union average while maintaining prudent fiscal policy and consistently posting primary surpluses. Greece was attracting significant foreign direct investment and had cut unemployment by about 10 percentage points since 2019, he said.
Mitsotakis added that Greece had achieved the fastest reduction in the debt-to-GDP ratio in OECD history and had regained the confidence of international markets, as reflected in two recent upgrades to its outlook and credit rating. The country now borrows more cheaply than four G7 members, he noted, while Greeks who had emigrated are returning, confident in its prospects.
According to the prime minister, the economic recovery has allowed the government to strengthen social policy through measured tax cuts and a cumulative 42% increase in the minimum wage.
On foreign policy, Mitsotakis underlined Greece’s active diplomacy, guided by international law. He said the country had bolstered the deterrent capabilities of its armed forces and was safeguarding its borders on migration, noting that they are also the European Union’s external frontiers. These measures, he said, deprive far-right parties of political oxygen.
He stressed the importance of transatlantic cooperation in a complex world and backed strengthening Europe’s capabilities in line with the recommendations of the Draghi report.
Mitsotakis closed by outlining his vision for Greece in 2030, describing it as a landmark year that will mark 200 years since the founding of the modern Greek state.
