Greece has roughly 20 milestones left to complete out of 367 under the European Union's Recovery and Resilience Facility, placing the country among the top five in the EU for progress on the program, according to discussions at the first Cabinet meeting held since the summer break.
The final stretch of the Recovery Fund and the economic groundwork ahead of the Thessaloniki International Fair dominated the conversation once the cameras had left the meeting. Two officials closely tied to the program from its outset, Theodoros Skylakakis and Alexis Patelis, joined the discussion by video link, having played a significant role in its design and implementation.
Nearing the Finish Line
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis asked how other European countries were progressing on their own recovery plans, but he also raised a more political question: how the outcome of Greece's work on the program should be communicated to the public.
Officials framed the closing phase of the program as a race among EU member states to see which country manages to wrap up its plan without losses. Once the program is completed, a press conference is planned to present the overall assessment.
A Word of Praise
On the sidelines of the Cabinet meeting, Mitsotakis held a one-on-one conversation with Nikos Papathanasis. The prime minister reportedly told him it had been great work, describing the progress of the Recovery Fund as an example of how the public administration had learned to operate with clear goals and timelines.
36 Billion Euros in EU Funding
The Cabinet discussion also revisited the bigger picture: the 36 billion euros in loans and grants that Greece secured in 2020, the largest package as a share of GDP of any country in the European Union.
Mitsotakis linked the use of these resources to Greece's stronger GDP performance relative to the European average and to significant progress in investment, at a time when investment levels declined in several other European economies. He pointed to reforms and projects carried out under the program, including the digitisation of the public sector, the completion of the national Land Registry, renewable energy projects, transport infrastructure and preventive health screenings.
From the Recovery Fund to the Thessaloniki Fair
The winding down of the Recovery Fund coincides with the opening of the next economic cycle for Greece. At the Thessaloniki International Fair, Mitsotakis is set to present the government's economic policy priorities for 2027 along with a roadmap extending to 2030.
