Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had a more personal discussion about his experience as a politician, from the moment he decided to get involved in public affairs to his current experience in power, speaking to the audience of Oxford University.

Shortly after his speech in London at the Morgan Stanley conference, Mr. Mitsotakis visited Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government and took part in a discussion with the school’s dean and Professor of Global Governance at Oxford, Ngaire Woods.

“I do not regret my decision (to enter politics). Nevertheless, I don’t see politics as a ‘career’ in which I will spend my entire life. There was a professional life before politics and, hopefully, there will be a life after politics. None of us will be here forever,” the Prime Minister emphasized, addressing an audience made up of young students as well as people in public administration who are considering running for elected office.

‘I wanted first to build a career outside politics’

Mr. Mitsotakis spoke about his early steps and the fact that he comes from a political family. Given that his father was a prime minister, “for many, it was almost self-evident that I would also end up in politics.” However, he decided to follow a different path, even though his studies were in political science and international relations.

“My decision at the time was that I wanted first to build a career outside politics before I might be forced to decide to eventually enter politics. So, I spent nearly a decade in the private sector trying to establish myself and prove my value outside politics. Because if you come from a political family, the first step into politics is not that difficult; you have name recognition, it’s easier to win your first election,” he said.

He believes that in the business world he developed a set of skills that later proved useful in his political career.

Entering politics

Mr. Mitsotakis spoke about his decision in 2003 to enter politics. “It was a time when Greece appeared to be doing quite well. I often found myself criticizing public affairs from the outside. And I said to myself: ‘If you think you have a comparative advantage, yet you don’t take the step to participate, how can you convince others, who don’t have the same advantages, to take that step?’” According to him, this was a double-edged sword: “It is easier to win your first election, but much harder to prove your worth in politics when you have inherited such a prominent name.”

‘You shouldn’t decide to enter politics without your family’s support’

Mr. Mitsotakis also referred to his decision to run for the leadership of New Democracy. “At that time, I discussed it with my wife and our children. I believe you should never decide to enter politics unless you are sure you have the agreement and support of your family, your spouse. Otherwise, it will not work,” he advised.

He discussed the next steps with his family, as he had decided to run for party president. When he submitted his candidacy, he was not considered a front-runner in public discourse.

Becoming Prime Minister

Mr. Mitsotakis reminded the audience that he was elected Prime Minister in 2019. This followed the country’s bankruptcy in 2010 and the crisis prolonged for another four years by the handling of the SYRIZA government in 2015.

“When we came to power in 2019, we had a very clear idea of what we needed to do: restore fiscal credibility, strengthen entrepreneurship, tackle bureaucracy, and digitalize the state. These things may sound obvious today, but they were not obvious at the time – especially considering that we also went through the COVID crisis, the migration crisis, and the energy crisis,” he said.

Mr. Mitsotakis stated that in the first four years, the government managed the “mega-crises” and laid the foundations for stable economic growth. “The numbers now show continuous growth rates significantly above the European average, while at the same time achieving healthy primary surpluses that allow us to reduce our debt.” Greece also achieved the largest debt reduction as a percentage of GDP.

“I believe this combination – regaining market confidence, returning to investment grade, and being treated again as a ‘normal’ Eurozone country – was among our initial goals. We achieved them. Now the challenge is to continue growing faster than the European average in order to genuinely converge with Europe, because Greece essentially lost a decade,” he said.

‘There is no magic recipe’

“There is no ‘magic recipe,’ but it certainly helps to be very well prepared and to use your time in power, especially the first six months, to set your direction. And of course, you need not only the plan but also the human capital to staff the state — something that is not always easy,” the Prime Minister noted.

At the same time, he referred to the rapid spread of fake news. “Whenever I speak to young people in Greece, especially students, I always tell them: ‘If something doesn’t sound right, if something seems exaggerated, research it yourselves, cross-check it. Don’t blindly trust the first source.’”

Distinguishing between toxicity in public discourse and genuine criticism, Mr. Mitsotakis noted: “The danger is that you retreat into a protective ‘cocoon,’ cutting yourself off from all criticism. You must consciously maintain your willingness to listen to criticism, even when you read an article you don’t like. The temptation is to block everything. But that is dangerous.” He added that dealing with what is written on social media is harder when his family becomes a target. “I try to protect my family as much as I can, but it’s impossible for the children not to know what is written. There is an almost morbid attraction to reading negative comments, and you must resist it.”

‘The biggest danger is ending up in a glass house’

Mr. Mitsotakis also spoke about the dangers of power. “The biggest danger is ending up in a ‘glass house,’ isolated, losing touch with citizens. I still draw great satisfaction from campaigning, being outside, talking to people, hearing what they have to say. Every time I do it, I learn so much. Of course, there is a lot that must be done in the office, but you mustn’t forget that if you lose constant contact with reality ‘out there,’ you will also lose the ability to correctly prioritize.”

‘The Chinese were the only ones interested at the time’

Mr. Mitsotakis referred to the port of Piraeus. “The initial investment in the port of Piraeus was made in 2008. And even then, no one else was interested. Whenever I hear criticism about this investment, I reply that the Chinese were the only ones interested at that time. Secondly, we are a government that respects the contracts it has signed. As far as the management of the port of Piraeus is concerned, we respect the agreements signed by previous governments.”

He reiterated that Greece is an EU member state with a strategic relationship with the United States. In recent years it has leveraged its position and become an energy hub for American LNG. “At the same time, however, we pursue a multidimensional foreign policy. We understand that sometimes choices need to be made. For me, the basic principle is that we respect our alliances and the agreements we have signed. So far, we have managed to navigate this difficult environment with relative success.”

According to Mr. Mitsotakis, the major challenge is not only how Greece will balance between the US and China, but how Europe itself can stand as an autonomous pole and strengthen its competitiveness. Because ultimately, Europe determines both our trade and access to technology. “We cannot have high growth rates in a European economy that overall suffers from low growth and low investment.”

On defense, migration, and Europe

Mr. Mitsotakis highlighted issues that must be addressed at the European level: the single market, the deepening of the Capital Markets Union, and a common energy policy. He also referred to defense.

“On migration, Europe has already taken significant steps – and I have always been clear that we cannot have a naïve open-borders policy. We must protect our external borders, and we must decide who enters Europe, not the smugglers. So Europe has progressed on some fronts but has lagged behind on others,” he said.

‘They accused me of running the government like a company’

The Prime Minister also discussed the governing model he has followed. “First of all, they have accused me of ‘running’ the government like a company – and I’m not ashamed of that. One of the first legislative initiatives in 2019 was the law on how the government operates: a ‘software’ framework on how we plan our work, how ministers are held accountable, what the performance indicators are, how we measure progress. This did not exist in Greece.”

“I still believe that governance is largely a ‘science’ – it must be based on data, on evidence-based policy. You learn all of this here. And to the populists who claim you can govern with ‘intuition’ and ‘instinct,’ without looking at data, I would say: get real. The state is a huge, complex organization,” he added.

He also believes that AI offers huge opportunities to improve productivity in the public sector but also forces us to reconsider how the labor market functions.

Scholarship announcement

Mr. Mitsotakis also announced a scholarship for the most outstanding Greek candidate to study at the School of Government.

“I am truly pleased to announce that, with the support of our founding donor, Sir Leonard Blavatnik, who is here today, starting next year we will have a scholarship for the most exceptional Greek candidate who demonstrates a real commitment to public service.

This scholarship will give them the opportunity to come here, to the Blavatnik School of Government, and study alongside students from about 60 other countries. We are therefore very happy that your presence here today marks an even more substantial Greek presence in the future. Thank you,” he concluded.