Tax cuts, extroversion, spatial planning and limiting bureaucracy are the initiatives on which the government will focus in the next six months, Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis pointed out, speaking today at the 8th InvestGR Forum 2025.

“We have things to do. To have victories we have to fight battles, even if there is opposition,” he said. “There will be a first glimpse with the Prime Minister’s announcements at the TIF. Depending on the available fiscal space, there will be further tax cuts which are yet to be finalised.”

To follow:

– The new strategy for Greek exports, for which the Foreign Ministry is preparing the groundwork. “It will not be something theoretical but specific interventions and targeted actions to strengthen exports and penetration in new countries of interest.”

– The specific spatial frameworks for tourism, industry and renewable energy. At the same time, local urban plans will be accelerated.

– The intervention by the Ministry of Development to further reduce bureaucracy for businesses by 25%.

“These actions mark the shift from ‘macro’ to ‘micro’. Obviously we will not be indifferent to the ‘macros’ because we want to protect the progress that has been made. Despite the impressive reduction as a percentage of GDP, public debt remains high and we want Greece not to be the most indebted country in the EU in 2028 for the first time in many decades. So we will continue to combine fiscal prudence with growth.”
Hatzidakis stressed.

Responding to questions, he also said:

– On artificial intelligence: In this four-year term we want to do in artificial intelligence what was done in the previous term with digital transformation. The last Council of Ministers adopted the national strategy for artificial intelligence.

This year, we want to use the next generation of artificial intelligence in the next four years, as we have done in the next five years.

– On investment: Today the Inter-ministerial Committee for Strategic Investments met and approved the inclusion of 4 different investments of 300 million euros in the relevant law. In the last year the inclusions exceeded 1 billion euros. Since 2019, investments have increased by 64% and especially for foreign direct investment, 2024 was the best year since 1990. “We are not ignoring SMEs, after all, the NSRF is by definition aimed at them. And the investment law includes actions for SMEs,” Hatzidakis said. “But we are interested in the issue of voluntary, obviously, mergers in order to improve competitiveness. Also the issue of innovation, for which in December incentives were adopted that are the most promoted throughout the EU. We have a community of start-ups and young scientists who can make a significant contribution to move the country forward at high speed.”

– On the progress of the Greek economy: “In the last six years the country has come out of the mud and is moving forward rapidly at all levels. But we are nevertheless a country that had significant problems before the crisis. That is why the effort must continue without arrogance, with interventions in the sphere of common sense and good international practices. Money trees have proven to be a curse for the nation.”