“We must support Greece’s regions and their development if we are to tackle the demographic problem,” Nikos Androulakis, president of PASOK-Movement for Change, said while speaking in Drama at midday.
Mr Androulakis toured the city centre, speaking with residents and business owners. Among other things, he said:
“In Drama, as throughout Greece’s regions, there are significant challenges. The biggest of them is the demographic problem. Unfortunately, each day that passes, things get worse for rural Greece. There are no good jobs, the welfare state is being downgraded and critical infrastructure, such as major road links, has yet to be completed. In Drama in particular, I am referring to the road link with Kavala, a project that has been stalled for many years. We must support Greece’s regions, and regional development is PASOK’s vision. PASOK is the party of regional development. Working with local government, we need a different development plan for the country, particularly for northern Greece, with tax incentives for investment in processing and in the primary sector.”
“We need,” the president of PASOK-Movement for Change added, “an outward-looking approach and production, rather than leaving our fields fallow in the years ahead. This is an image of decline that is taking the country many years backwards.”