“I call on all the productive forces to join in on our plan to exit the crisis”, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said in his speech at the General Assembly Federation of Industries of Northern Greece (SBBE).
Mr Tsipras: “After eight years, there finally seems to have been a plan and one which produced results. We managed to record surpluses for a third consecutive year in a country that had been an example to shun with 15% deficits. We have achieved structural reforms. The image of the country has changed remarkably in recent years and you have only to look at international media, as opposed to some Greek media.

We are moving towards what we dub fair growth. Greek industry is seeking to become a protagonist in the export area. Our goal is to turn the industry’s turnover to 12%. We are not of those who do not want growth in the industry. One major cause of the crisis is the previous productive model. The growth model is not the unidimensional growth of tourism, without underestimating its dynamics.
We managed to achieve primary surpluses that surpassed all estimations for three years in a row and going on for a fourth year, starting from empty funds. Today we are in a position to make targeted tax reductions, calculated and planned, and not fragmentary, as early as 2019.”