E. VENIZELOS: Our first priority is for Greece to show its regular European face; to show the face of a country that is institutionally equal to all the member states of the EU; to show that it is not a poor relation, a country in fiscal crisis, asking for the help of its partners, but an old, ordinary European and Euroatlantic country.
Our priorities are the priorities of Europe’s societies. Our first priority is the growth and competitiveness of the EU, the creation of jobs, because the major issue is unemployment – particularly youth unemployment – and the safeguarding of the social dimension of the EU.
The second priority is to deepen the economic governance of the EU and the Eurozone, to move ahead with the banking union, and for the Eurozone and the EU-28 to be able to move ahead without the threat of a new crisis.
The third priority is the safeguarding of European borders, management of immigration flows, confronting of illegal migration. Particularly for us in the European south, this is of decisive importance due to the crisis that exists in the Arab world. We have southern cooperation on these issues. We are collaborating with the Italian Presidency – which will follow the Hellenic Presidency – with Malta, with Cyprus, and with other countries, because this is a pan-European problem and there has to be equitable burden-sharing. Greece has the longest coastline in the EU, for example. The Greek islands are a source of wealth for Europe, not just for Greece.
Our fourth, horizontal priority is integrated maritime policy, Mediterranean policy, blue development, as we say, because the sea is linked with everything: the environment, energy, fisheries, national sovereignty, maritime zones and their delimitation in the Mediterranean and all the maritime regions of the EU.
JOURNALIST: Will the situation in Greece impact the Presidency at all?
E. VENIZELOS: The economic crisis is coming to an end. Greece has shown impressive results. Never before in the history of the western economy have we had a country achieve such an impressive fiscal adjustment in so few years – in less than four years. The budgetary primary deficit became a primary surplus in 2012 – in 2013 it is a clear primary surplus, a structural primary surplus, and we believe that in 2014 we will see an even better performance, in accordance with the programme. Where did we start? We started in 2009 with a primary deficit of 12% of GDP, so imagine the magnitude of the adjustment.
This is due to the sacrifices of the Greek people and tough measures. But having carried out such an adjustment, having the largest primary surplus in the EU, the largest structural surplus in the western economy – because our performance is better than that of Singapore in terms of structural surplus, and better than Sweden in terms of nominal budgetary primary surplus – you can see that we are now talking on a different basis, because now we can see beyond the crisis: a return to the markets, the long-term sustainability of the debt, the structural changes. Because all of Greece wants another state: one that is modern, regular, European, in the service of the citizen and growth. Naturally, everyone wants an open market that functions transparently and competitively.
Greece has vast comparative advantages. It has its environment, its geographical position, its culture, history, agricultural production, tourism. It has the abilities of the Greek people and their brilliance, so it has the potential to base itself on another model of production, and not on consumption.
JOURNALIST: And perhaps another Presidency model? Because we hear it will be more frugal and more rational.
E. VENIZELOS: The Presidency starting on 1 January 2014 is Greece’s fifth Presidency. We have held the Presidency four other times since we joined the European family in 1981. Almost all of Greece’s previous Presidencies were identified with major moments in the history of European integration – particularly with major enlargement waves. This is why we always have our eye on the future of European integration, on the great debate that must be carried out throughout Europe ahead of the European elections in May, so that we can confront the new forms of Euroscepticism that are coming to undermine our common future, the common destiny of Europe’s citizens. We need a response here; a response that satisfies all of Europe – the European North and the European South.
JOURNALIST: A brief forecast for 2014?
E. VENIZELOS: For Greece, 2014 will be the year of the great turnaround. After seven years of recession, we will have a clearly positive growth rate. This is what we want to see. It will be the year in which we reconfirm the primary surplus, for the second year running. It will be the year our real economy turns around. We will be able to remedy injustices that have been suffered by vulnerable social groups. We have to care for the disabled, to give you a characteristic example, or for households facing complete unemployment – without a single member employed. We will confront energy poverty – we cannot have households without electricity.
But mainly, however, this is the year of returning investments. The international private sector – banks, funds – are buying Greek. They believe in Greece. And this is of very great importance as a message. The message is also that no European citizen has lost a single euro because of the Greek crisis. Loans and guarantees have been given, and we thank Germany and the German people, because the Greek loan has been guaranteed, but it is being served regularly. The success of the Greek programme is a success for all of Europe and the whole Eurozone, and it is a situation in which everyone will be a winner: a win-win situation.
January 3, 2014