“From the opposition, we hear, on the one hand, toxicity and personal attacks, and on the other, promises that defy common sense. From the very beginning, we have committed ourselves to saying little and doing everything. That is how we are moving forward, with steady steps. We haven’t performed miracles, but Greece has climbed higher and can climb even higher. In the economy, we have moved forward with fiscal discipline as our core principle and an investment-friendly approach that has led to growth more than double the European average. This, combined with the drastic reduction in tax evasion—to which I personally contributed—is leading to higher revenues in a healthy manner and surpluses that are returned as a social dividend.”
These points were highlighted by Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis in an interview today on ERTnews, responding to a question regarding the announcements to be made at the Thessaloniki International Fair. He added characteristically that there are various political “Santa Clauses” opposing the government who promise the moon and the stars. “At the end of the day, Greeks must make a choice. We do not claim to be infallible, but we are certainly much more pragmatic than the opposition, and we certainly have the team that will allow Greece to move forward on an upward trajectory within Europe,” he emphasized.
When asked about the new parties led by Ms. Karystianou and Mr. Tsipras, Kostis Hatzidakis noted: “One party is a protest party. Everyone has the right to form a party with its own characteristics. The other is an old-school party, with the same leader and roughly the same officials, just under a different name. It reminds me of *Groundhog Day*, an old American movie, where the protagonist lived the same day over and over again, in a paradoxical way.It is a party led by Mr. Tsipras, who was the leader of SYRIZA and resigned when he received 18%, considering that percentage a failure. Now I see various people considering it a success that he has 14-15% in the polls.”
Regarding the prospect of Mr. A. Samaras forming a party, he noted: “I hold Mr. Samaras in high regard; I served as his minister, and I respect him both politically and personally. I believe that if such a party is formed, it will perhaps cause some minor damage to New Democracy and, I think, greater damage to Mr. Samaras himself. But he is experienced enough to judge and decide for himself.”
“We,” he noted, “have been at the helm of the country for seven years, and our obligations are not only undiminished but growing. We must work modestly, with self-criticism where necessary, seriously, and effectively. Regardless of which parties run in the elections, we are moving forward with our ideas, our program, and our reform initiatives, so that the steps taken in previous years continue and intensify.
Unemployment has fallen significantly. So has the country’s public debt. The country has emerged from all forms of supervision. The digital modernization of the public sector has progressed. Pensions are now paid within two months, and soon within one month. The country’s defense and alliances have been strengthened. Unemployment has declined to such an extent that many employers often have no way of finding workers. Greece is a completely different country. And with political stability on the one hand and sound governance on the other, our country has the potential to move forward and become a truly advanced European nation.”
Referring to the initiative for digitally informing citizens regarding the status of applications they submit to the government, Kostis Hatzidakis emphasized:
“We are taking a step forward. Starting June 1, anyone who submits any type of application to the government or municipalities will be digitally informed about which agency is handling the case, what stage the application is at, what the estimated processing time is, and which department is responsible for handling it. In this way, the citizen ceases to be a subject and becomes, in this regard, a full-fledged citizen of a modern European democracy. There is now a completely different, modern, and European approach to the citizen.”
Finally, regarding the upcoming changes in the government structure, the Deputy Prime Minister stated: “To the best of my knowledge, any changes will be limited in scope. They will take place on Thursday following the election of the new secretary of the New Democracy Political Committee, a position for which Konstantinos Kyranakis will be a candidate.”