Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-06-23

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] PM Tsipras: Greece's deal offers prospects for final exit from the crisis

[01] PM Tsipras: Greece's deal offers prospects for final exit from the crisis

"The Greek economy is entering a completely new phase. After a very long time, there is a period of stability and recovery. The country is exiting from the uncertainty and moving forward dynamically to regain the lost time and correct the losses left by the deep recession of the previous six years," Tsipras told attendees.

Commenting on the country's large public debt, he said the binding guarantee of Greece's partners for direct interventions to ensure its sustainability and the specific ceiling set on its servicing which amounts to about 15 pct of GDP per year, send a powerful signal to the markets and international investors that Greece's growth will not be hindered by its debt servicing. "And this is the most solid sense of sustainability," he noted.

Tsipras then highlighted the government's next moves which involve setting the basis for the country's productive reconstruction to produce "fair growth", which will prioritize lowering unemployment to reach the European average and "finally achieve normality".

Growth will be based on eight priority areas in which the country has a comparative advantage: agro-food sector, health and medicine, information and communication technologies, energy, environment and sustainable development, transport and logistics, materials and construction, as well as culture and tourism.

He said the government's plan is to spread the benefits of growth fairly by transforming the state structurally, tackling unequal and preferential tax treatment, maximizing the social return of the Greek taxpayer's money and promoting a new production model with high added value investments that provide new, stable and well-paying jobs.

Focusing on the second program review, the premier said all sides should show the same commitment for results, so as to avoid delays that undermine the recovery, and noted the government will present a proposal for the needs of the Greek labour market in the context of Europe's best practices. Tsipras also noted that growth cannot be based on crushing employment. "We cannot and will not allow it," he said.

The premier also commented on the ongoing British referendum which will decide whether the country remains or leaves the EU, saying that regardless of the outcome, Europe is entering a period of "reflection, introspection and deep concern on the future and progress of the Union".

He said it has become clear that the European project cannot move forward if national strategies re-emerge and escape goats are sought whenever the going gets tough. "The aging of the population, the loss of competitiveness, the public and private indebtedness, the lack of investment and the shifting of tectonic plates of the world economy justify in practice the progressive voices of those of us who were looking for a different response to the crisis," he concluded.

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