D
espite the crisis, Greece is full of compet-
itive advantages that remain unexploited:
In Tourism, Energy, Maritime Industry,
Real Estate Development, Fisheries, Financial
Services, Transportation, Manufacturing of prod-
ucts from organic Farming and Stock-raising. All
these sectors could have generated dynamic
growth patterns in the past.
However, this has been aborted by a number of
imbedded distortions in the Economy. All these
impediments should be removed soon.
The current debt crisis has sent a shockwave
through Greek society; and worked as a “wake up
call”.
Now everyone in the country realizes that tax
rates must be reduced, bureaucracy abolished
and social security costs cut down, while fiscal
profligacy should be dramatically curtailed.
However, these are not enough to do the trick.
We also need two additional ingredients to
change the dynamics of the Greek Economy:
•
A drastic change in the psychological climate;
•
and a positive shock that will initiate recovery.
All of the above will generate long-term Growth.
In short, our strategy to emerge from the crisis is
two-fold:
•
cure the long-term inefficiencies of the Greek
economy and
Trade with Greece
8
Greece is currently sailing through
rough seas. But things are going to
change soon. Crisis periods are rife
with great opportunities.
Crisis
periods
are rife with
great
opportunities
By Antonis Samaras, President of “Nea Dimokratia”,
Major Opposition Party of Greece
