Greek President and Prime Minister stress EU must finalise Recovery Fund

Greek President and Prime Minister stress EU must finalise Recovery Fund

Greek President and Prime Minister stress EU must finalise Recovery Fund

The President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, stressed the need for a national plan for the immediate use of European funds in order to rebuild the economy as soon as possible, during a meeting with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Presidential Mansion.

The date of the meeting was also of significance as it marked exactly one year after New Democracy won the national elections on July 7, 2019.

The PM noted that the year was "packed with crises, including that of the coronavirus pandemic."

The government is now entering its second year with specific priorities and a new dynamic momentum, said Mitsotakis, one being the economic aftermath of the pandemic and the other being the protection of labor market and the most vulnerable workers.

Both the President and the PM stressed the importance of EU leaders reaching consensus on the Recovery Fund at the upcoming EU Summit on July 17 in Brussels.

Sakellaropoulou noted that "the fact that we did well in containing the pandemic is not enough, because the situation everywhere else and around our country is still fluid."

This uncertainty made itself apparent when the country reopened its borders to tourism, she stressed, expressing her concerns about the businesses and workers in the tourism sector.

“I believe the time has come for a joint effort and solidarity in order to tackle the new phase, which mostly concerns the economy,” Sakellaropoulou told Mitsotakis.

“The new generation, which was so badly hurt by the [financial] crisis has a right to hope for a better future,” she continued.