The Minister of Finances Gikas Hardouvelis highlighted the importance and positive prospects of foreign investments in Greece, in an interview with American television station CNBC. Mr. Hardouvelis further noted that the Greek people have matured as a society and accept that pensions and other amenities depend on taxation.
Regarding the coalition government’s privatization program, the Finance Minister stressed the need for foreign investments and argued that there is significant interest for ports, airports and real estate in Greece. Mr. Hardouvelis attributed the increased investor interest to the overall improvement of finances.
Later in the interview, the Finance Minister praised the efforts in the tourist sector, which demonstrated a remarkable increase. Mr. Hardouvelis also predicted that there would be a positive growth rate in the third trimester for the first time.
When asked whether a new bailout program will be necessary, the Finance Minister responded that while the current program has some advantages and resulted in a number of structural reforms, Greece should be left to carry on implementing reforms as necessary.
