Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met on Thursday morning at the Maximos Mansion with Maria Luís Albuquerque, the European Commissioner for Financial Services and the Union of Savings and Investments.

During the meeting, they discussed the importance of the Banking Union and the Union of Savings and Investments for the development of the European economy, particularly through increased investment across all sectors and business sizes — including SMEs — as well as for improving citizens’ living standards by offering better savings options.

The Prime Minister and Maria Luís Albuquerque also exchanged views on issues under her portfolio, expressing the Greek Government’s support for her policy initiatives.

Opening Dialogue Between Mitsotakis and Albuquerque

Kyriakos Mitsotakis:
Welcome. I’m really glad you’re here. We meet at a very interesting and challenging time for the European economy as a whole. First of all, I’d just like to say how supportive we are of the initiatives you’ve taken to definitively resolve the outstanding issues regarding the Union of Savings and Investments, as the Capital Markets Union has been renamed.

Maria Luís Albuquerque:
Which has been expanded.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis:
Yes, it has been expanded. I’ve always believed this is a major challenge for Europe overall, an issue extensively addressed in the Draghi Report, a project that Greece fully supports.

You’ll also have the opportunity with the Minister and our team to see the progress of the Greek economy, the significant improvement in the financial soundness of our banking sector, as well as the challenges we face in directing more capital to the real economy—whether it’s toward the startup ecosystem, encouraging banks to issue more housing loans, adopting new technologies, or reducing the fees imposed on customers.

I’m sure you’ll have a full schedule, but at least we meet at a time when Greece has definitively left behind the difficult years. I suppose that also makes your life easier.

Maria Luís Albuquerque:
Thank you very much for the hospitality. It is truly a pleasure to be in Greece on this official visit, as in other member states. I find it particularly pleasant to be back here, because the last time I visited, in 2016 — and before that — was at the height of the crisis. We went through shared hardships then. So, it’s good to see the recovery of the economy, how things have turned around so positively, especially in the financial sector, as the challenges were truly enormous.

I’m also very grateful for your support of the Union of Savings and Investments. We know, Kyriakos (Pierrakakis), how difficult it will be to get certain measures passed in the Council, but I’m counting on your support to move forward, because it’s extremely important for the European economy that we unlock the potential — the untapped potential — that currently exists due to the fragmentation of our markets.

I am very optimistic that this time we will be able to achieve more in terms of capital markets, in the completion of the Banking Union, and in better serving our citizens overall, because that is ultimately the goal.