Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis said his government was embarking on an effort to restore the reputation of politics in Greece.

During his address at an event in Athens called “Technology and Transparency” on occasion of International Anti-Corruption Day, the PM blasted the previous government over its performance on fighting corruption.

The PM added that for the first time the country had an independent National Transparency Authority with innovative initiatives in favour of transparency and anti-corruption.

“Transparency International ranked our country in 2012 at 94th on the list of states with corruption. Significant efforts were made, and in 2015 we managed to climb to 58th, only to fall back to 67th in 2018. Nine places down in just three years with a grade of 45, when 100 represents a transparent country. A disgraceful performance for a European state, but also a sad legacy of a government that was constantly talking about moral merit”, he said at the conference organised by the National Transparency Authority.

“We are starting by restoring the status of politics, as well as of its operations in every aspect of public life, optimising anti-corruption prevention mechanisms and equipping them with the appropriate powers, methods and especially the most modern technical means,” he noted.