In a video conference held yesterday, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis commented on a European Commission recovery plan he says will benefit Greece and the rest of Europe.
The meetup, organized by the Brookings Institute and Miller Center of Virginia University, highlighted a European Commission Mitsotakis called “ambitious”. According to the Greek PM:
“The package we put in place was big compared to our standards but not outside the scope of what we can deal with….We have struck the right balance, at least that is what the markets and the international rating agencies seem to believe.”
The commission’s plan comes in the wake of Greece playing a key role in demonstrating how to quickly “protect jobs and support the income of those whose employment was temporarily suspended,” according to the prime minister.
Brookings President John R. Allen: Back in February @PrimeministerGR was clear to cabinet "money can be recreated, but we cannot bring back the lost lives." We applaud heroic leadership. Watch: https://t.co/7zk0Yj45HL #COVIDReopening
— Brookings FP (@BrookingsFP) May 27, 2020
Mitsotakis went on to say how Greece had moved very quickly “to protect jobs and support the income of those whose employment was temporarily suspended.”
Even though the Greek leader was overall positive about the potential of the EU program, he also asserted the need to focus on tourism, which is vital for not only the Greeks, but most of the EU member states.
There is still a lot of uncertainty about just how many travelers will visit Greece, even though the country has isolated a few partner states which meet the epidemiological conditions Greece has.
Mr. Mitsotakis expressed cautious optiism that his government has the right measures in place to guide in rebooted Greece tourism season.
Source: ANA and the Brookings Institute
